The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
by The Zed of Ages
Summary: "But courage need not be remembered... for it is never forgotten." Though struggling with both the loss of memory and the incredible weight of past failure, Link must find a way to recover what has been lost and bring hope back to the land of Hyrule. An epic fantasy-style novelization of Breath of the Wild. Complete, with afterword and deleted scenes!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was difficult to remember the time before. Before her power awakened. Before everything had gone disastrously wrong. Before destruction and death fell upon the land. Before she gave the land a temporary stay of execution. Before the Calamity.

Some days, she could remember. She could remember green hills and lush forests. She could remember a black-stone castle with spires reaching for the heavens, and small villages full of hard-working people. She could remember a beautiful, shimmering city resting upon pillars above the source of a great river, and she could remember homes built out of giant rocks surrounded by lava. She remembered a great desert and a snowy mountain range. She remembered dawns and dusks, scorching days, and bitterly cold nights. She remembered anger. Affection. Fear. Hope. Desperation. Hate. Love. She remembered her life as it had been before the Calamity.

Other days—if she could even think in terms of days and nights any longer—she remembered very little. Emotionless. Thoughtless. Bodiless. She fought against a force that was both far smaller and far greater than she. She did not live, but she did not die. She existed somewhere in between. Her mind and soul ripped to shreds by the Calamity.

And yet, she fought. Even when all self was seemingly gone. Even when hope was but a distant memory, and the darkness was all around, she fought. Each day, month, year, she grew weaker. Deep within her, in the place where she still remembered who she was and what she fought, she knew that she would eventually fail. She would fall. But until then, she would fight the Calamity.

One hundred years. A lifetime for some. A fraction of a lifetime for others. An awareness of time blossomed into her broken mind as the sun slowly rose over the slopes of Death Mountain. The winter had passed, giving way to spring and new life. As the sun rose, she felt more aware of her shattered mind than most days. She pulled the pieces back together, shred by tattered shred. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, she saw her land. The land, as it was following the Calamity.

Broken, yet alive. Much like her, she supposed. Deer grazed near the dilapidated structures of buildings. Creatures of darkness gathered around cookfires, dancing and singing in their guttural languages. Cuccos crowed with the dawn in distant villages. In a broken coliseum, an angry lynel roared a warning to those that would approach. She saw all of this at once and knew why. She saw it and knew her enemy saw these things as well. As her awareness of time and space grew, so too did such things grow in the Calamity.

But she saw something that the Calamity did not.

Far away, on a distant plateau, a man stirred within a chamber deep within a mountain. She saw this, and she remembered. She remembered her life before the Calamity. She remembered who she was. She remembered why she fought. Most of all, she remembered the man named Link.


	2. PART ONE: Chapter One

**Here is the first real chapter of this novelization! I wrote this all the way back in January of this year, and it's gone through a handful of revisions over the last few months. This begins the first part of my planned three-arc novel of Breath of the Wild. So far, it's been a wild journey for me to write, and I've got plenty more to do (see next chapter for a better explanation). Thanks to my beta readers for giving this chapter your critical eye and catching all of those things that my sleep-deprived and very rusty-at-writing mind did not catch! And thanks for reading this! Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **PART ONE**

 **Chapter One**

" _Open your eyes..."_

The voice pierced his mind like a golden arrow. Where before there had been nothing but darkness and silence, suddenly there was light. Sound. Awareness.

" _Open your eyes..."_

Slowly, he obeyed the voice. The darkness gave way to a soft, blurry, blue light.

" _Open your eyes."_

The light coalesced. Focused. He saw. What he saw, he was not sure, but he saw… _something_. A dome of strange metal and blue lights. Unfamiliar. Foreign.

"Wake up, Link."

His awareness expanded. There was more than a dome. He was on his back, within a pool of softly glowing blue liquid. His back rested on a hard surface, leaving his face above the surface of the fluid. The strangely ethereal liquid began to drain, drawing away from his body and leaving him feeling cool. Somewhat cold.

His eyes moved slowly at first, taking in the glowing dome, and then the larger chamber he was in. The ceiling and walls were some kind of stone or metal. They weren't smooth. Instead, they were covered with swirling patterns. Ripples and wrinkles in the walls that formed circular shapes and strangely maze-like designs. Small lights interspersed around the chamber on the walls emanated a soft, orange light. They looked like stars in the night sky.

Slowly, he sat up. As he did so, his body protested. He felt stiff. Heavy. He looked down at himself and absently noted that his body was unclothed. He was naked. Frowning, he considered this as he looked down at himself. Why was he naked? He should be wearing clothes, shouldn't he?

He swung his legs over the lip of the now-empty pool he had been lying in and eased himself out. Again, his body protested, as if it was not used to such simple acts as moving. Perhaps it wasn't. Why was he in here? What was this place?

His feet touched the ground. Stone. Cold. His feet felt tender. Soft. He eased himself up to stand, and his spine popped and crackled audibly as he straightened. He took stock of himself at that moment. Two arms, two legs. Somewhat thin, yet muscular. He reached up, feeling at his head. Long hair fell down around his shoulders. He grabbed a lock of it and brought it to his face. Dirty blonde.

He released his hair and looked around again, narrowing his eyes. He did not immediately see an exit out of the round chamber with its strangely patterned walls. He did, however, see a small pedestal that glowed with a light similar to that of the pool he had been lying in. He walked toward this pedestal and, as he approached, he found that its surface was covered with patterns similar to those on the walls; they glowed blue, rather than orange.

There was a small recess in the center of the pedestal and he frowned at what looked like a small, rectangular object within the recess. Seeing no other option, he reached out to touch it, but before his fingers could brush its surface, the lights on the pedestal flashed, and it made a sound like stone grinding against stone. He stepped back, startled, as an inner ring in the pedestal rose up several finger-widths, and the strange rectangular object suddenly stood up. It was illuminated by the pedestal now, and he could see what looked like a stylized eye on its surface. The iris glowed a brilliant blue, while three pointed eyelashes glowed orange above it. Beneath the eye stretched a single teardrop. Additional lines of orange light glowed softly along its top and bottom edges.

"Take it," a feminine voice said. He stumbled back, eyes wide, and looked around for the woman that had spoken. He could not see anyone else in the chamber with him, but his eyes fell on the strange pool he had been lying in. Perhaps the woman who had spoken hid behind it? He slowed his breathing and slowly crept around the outside of the room, looking for any sign of movement.

"Link, I am not with you, at the moment," said the voice. This time, he detected something new from it. It sounded distant and did not appear to originate from behind the pool. He continued around the room regardless. Only once he had completed his circumference around the room did the voice speak again.

"I am speaking to your mind from far away," she said. He frowned. The voice didn't just sound distant. It sounded… He reached up and tentatively covered his ears, trying to block out the sound of the voice. When she spoke again, her tone betrayed amusement. "I am communicating with you _mentally_. That… will, most certainly, not help."

He lowered his hands and opened his mouth to respond, but she spoke again. "I will explain more soon, I promise. As much as I can. But for now, take the object upon the table. It is called the Sheikah Slate. It will help you."

He looked around once more for the voice, but now that he was listening for it, he was aware that he was not _hearing_ it. At least, not with his ears. Somehow, he could hear the woman in his mind. His eyes fell back on the object—the Sheikah Slate, as she had called it—and, after a moment's consideration, he reached out and picked it up. Frowning down at it, he turned it over in his hands, surprised to find the back side of it to be smooth and black, like polished stone. Obsidian, perhaps?

A new sound filled the chamber now, and he looked up quickly for its source. He found it a moment later as his eyes fell on the wall near him. The orange light from the room illuminated what he had originally thought to be just another swirl in the wall's pattern, but now he saw to be an archway. At least, _now_ it was an archway. As he watched, the section of wall that had previously occupied the center of the arch now rose into the stone above it. It rumbled loudly as it rose until it stopped with a reverberating thud. Where there had been solid wall before, now a simple arch opened into another, smaller chamber.

He approached the arch carefully, looking around in wonder. He touched the stone, finding it to be simple and solid. There was no sign that a wall even existed here before… Before he could voice his wonder, however, he heard the woman speak again.

"I cannot tell you how… _happy_ I am to see you again, Link."

See? At once, his nakedness seemed much more pressing. He straightened his back and looked around a final time, looking for the source of the voice. The woman that seemed able to both see and speak to him without being physically present could see him? From within his mind, he heard what might have been a chuckle, and he grew aware that he had instinctively covered up his nakedness with the Sheikah Slate. Feeling his face warm with a blush, he looked around the new room and was delighted to see what appeared to be a bundle of clothes draped over a similar pedestal in this room, this one glowing orange.

Not caring where they came from or who left them there, he quickly crossed over and grabbed the clothes, setting the Sheikah Slate down on the pedestal. A shirt and trousers. He quickly donned these, trousers first, and was pleased to find that they fit him well enough, if not loosely around the waist. The trousers came with a simple belt, however, which he cinched up. As he pulled his head through the neck of the shirt, he was surprised to see that the pedestal's lights had turned blue. The Sheikah Slate had changed, as well. The smooth black surface, which he had assumed to be a kind of stone, now showed a glowing blue eye in its center, similar to the eye on its opposite side. He pulled his arms through the sleeves of the shirt and reached out, taking the Slate. The pedestal flashed briefly and another doorway, this one in the wall opposite the door he'd entered from, began to open. A shaft of bright light streamed in from under the door as it lifted.

As the door rose, he glanced back down at the Sheikah Slate, surprised to see blue text written across the smooth black surface. It read, "Sheikah Slate confirmed." The text remained for another few moments before disappearing. He placed the Sheikah Slate back down on the pedestal, watching it carefully for a moment before he bent down and placed his feet into the boots that he'd only just seen. They fit surprisingly well. His boots in place, he grabbed the Sheikah Slate again and approached the now-open doorway. He felt a stab of excitement as he saw the mouth of the cave some distance down what appeared to be a simple passage with rock walls.

He broke into a run. He splashed through a shallow puddle, but he didn't care about the water that soaked through his pantlegs. He didn't know why he'd woken up in that chamber. He couldn't remember where he was. He couldn't remember what had led to his falling asleep in such a location. He couldn't remember…

He couldn't remember anything.

He stopped. His breath came and went in short, rapid bursts. His heart raced. He looked around with wide eyes, looking for anything recognizable. In front of him, he could see the brilliant light of day streaming in through the cave entrance, too bright to make out any details beyond the faint outline of vegetation. Behind him, the mysterious chamber remained open and dim.

Where was he? Why was he here?

 _Who_ was he?

"Link." The voice. The woman. She had called him that before. Was that his name? He whirled once again, hoping that he would see her this time. She continued her voice gentle. "I know you must have many questions, and I promise that answers will come in time." She sounded more distant now. Strained. "I have arranged for a guide to help you get started. Please, you must keep going."

Stillness filled the cavern as the woman's voice faded. He—Link, she had called him—looked around once more before finally releasing a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He couldn't remember anything. Not his name, nor where he came from. How could that be? He remained still for several minutes as he strained against the strange hole in his mind where he felt his memories should be. Finally, he latched upon the last thing the voice had said. A guide. He had to find the guide.

Link took another step, and then another. He entered the light streaming in from the cave's entrance and lifted his hand to shield his eyes, blinking rapidly as they adjusted. As the light grew less oppressive, Link found himself at the foot of a grassy hill. His eyes followed the hill as it rose until it terminated in what appeared to be a cliff. Beyond that…

His eyes widened, and he broke into a run, climbing the hill and reaching its zenith. His breath caught and he felt a lump of emotion lodge in his throat. Before him stretched majesty. The land before him was lush and green, with forests and plains as far as the eye could see. Distant in the west were a series of brown plateaus, and north from there, a mountain range covered in snow and ice. To the northeast, a massive-looking volcano stood, magma forming jagged red-orange lines down its sides. A verdant expanse of grass, hills, and bodies of water lay between it all, surrounded on all sides by mountains and ridges. Directly north, across the field, stood a solitary castle, with a central spire rising above several others.

Birds flew overhead, their small shadows passing over Link as they chirped merrily in the warm sun. A breeze blew past him, bringing the fresh scents of grass, trees, and flowers. The grass under his feet sparkled with droplets of water—dew or evidence of a recent rain.

As he took in the view before him, he became aware that his immediate surroundings were not level with the remaining world around him. At the bottom of the rocky cliff he stood on, a large forest stretched out until it ended with another abrupt cliff. It was difficult to tell from his vantage, but it appeared that he was on a very large plateau, topped with fields and forests that didn't seem all that different than the others he saw further away.

He gazed around at his more immediate surroundings. Behind him was the cave he'd awoken in, which was at the base of yet another sheer cliff face. To his right—the east—he spotted a large stone structure. It appeared to be a kind of temple, set upon the top of another hill, with a single steeple placed at the front of a large, otherwise rectangular building. Staring at it, he felt certain that it must have been a kind of religious temple, though he had no sense of what that religion might be.

He stared at this building with a hope of finding something— _anything_ —familiar about it. It was an old structure. Green vines grew up along its grey stone walls, and the wooden roof was faded and broken in places. Before the temple stood the ruins of some old buildings. Whether they were houses or additional places of worship, Link could not tell. Should he have recognized this temple? Was this his land? Or did he struggle to recognize anything because he was far from home?

After a minute of staring at the dilapidated temple, he decided that he had no choice but to start there. He began down the hill and towards the distant structure. As he walked, he passed a grove of trees in the shadow of the cliff. His presence disturbed a rabbit that had been among the trees, and it rushed into the cover of a bush. He eyed the bush for a time and found himself wondering if he would need to hunt for sustenance while on this plateau. He placed a hand against his stomach; he was hungry.

Seeking to distract himself from his sudden hunger pangs, he lifted the Sheikah Slate to his face as he walked, frowning at the somewhat bulky device. Turning it over in his hands, he determined that the smooth, black surface with the glowing blue eye was likely the front of the device. However, he could not tell exactly what it was supposed to do. He recalled that writing had briefly appeared on it earlier, but he had no clues as to what that meant. Now, however, it seemed to do nothing. He did manage to find a hook on one end of it that worked to hook it to his belt, freeing up both of his hands. Grateful for that, he looked up as he passed under an overhang, squinting at the white clouds overhead.

That's when he heard someone chuckling behind him.

Link whirled, suddenly on edge. His left hand closed into a fist, and he felt a sudden longing to have something with which to defend himself in that hand. Even a stick, like the simple tree branches on the ground that he had passed by, would be preferable to nothing. When his eyes fell on the source of the sound, however, he found that it did not seem to be an immediate threat.

On the ground, before a small cook fire, sat an older man in a heavy cloak. He was a large man and looked to likely tower over Link had he been standing, with large arms and a bushy white beard extending halfway down his chest. How had Link missed seeing him as he passed by? The old man's blue-green eyes crinkled with mirth, which helped Link relax some.

"Why, hello and well met, stranger! It's rather unusual to see another soul in these parts," his voice was a deep baritone and seemed more refined than his general appearance would have suggested. "What brings a young man such as yourself to a place such as this?" He looked Link up and down and raised his eyebrow at his old clothing and disheveled appearance. He looked back up at Link's face. "And in such a state?"

Link stared at the man for a few seconds in confusion, suddenly uncertain what he should say or do. Was this the guide that the woman had promised? If so, he had a strange way of showing it. On the other hand, perhaps he was just an old man that lived here. Regardless, maybe he could help.

"I…" His voice sounded strained and hoarse, as if he hadn't used it for a long time. Link cleared his throat and licked his lips before continuing. "Where am I? What is this place? Who are you?" He barely stopped himself from asking, _Who am I?_

The old man chuckled strangely knowingly. "We are currently upon the Great Plateau, at the center of the great nation of Hyrule. In fact, according to legend, the kingdom of Hyrule was born upon this plateau." He stood with a groan, using a wooden staff to help himself up, and then made his way around the fire towards Link. Link stepped back, which caused the man to look at him curiously. The man stopped walking just out from under the overhang of rock. He motioned towards the temple and the ruins surrounding it.

"That temple was once called the Temple of Time. Long ago, it was the center of worship for the land. However, when the kingdom…" He paused, considering his words, and his expression changed, growing crestfallen. "Ever since the decline of the kingdom, it has been abandoned. Forgotten."

Link looked back towards the Temple of Time, frowning. Hyrule. Temple of Time. The decline of the kingdom. None of these words or phrases meant anything to him. Even the _name_ given him by the bodiless female voice was unfamiliar to him! He had no true knowledge if that was his real name or not. The old man must have seen into Link's mood, as he stepped closer and placed a large hand on Link's shoulder.

"Why don't you sit with me and tell me how you came to be here on this lonely plateau? I was just about to roast some apples on the fire. You are more than welcome to share in my meal." Link's only response was another audible grumble from his stomach and a furtive look back towards the old man's pack, from which several large, red apples were visible. The man chuckled again and began back towards his spot by the fire. Link followed.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Link to recount the events he could remember leading up to his meeting the old man. Though he had kept the presence of the strange voice to himself, he explained that he had woken up in the strange chamber with no memory of who he was or how he got there, finding the Sheikah Slate and clothes waiting for him.

"You can remember nothing of what led you to that cave? You do not remember your past life at all?" There was a heaviness in the man's voice as he poked at the fire with his stick. Link wasn't sure, but he thought the old man sounded disappointed.

Link looked down at the Sheikah Slate attached to his hip and pursed his lips. What _was_ he supposed to do? He didn't know who he was or how he came to be here. What _could_ he do?

The two men fell into silence for a time, and the only sounds were that of the crackling fire and birds chirping in the trees. Finally, the old man sighed heavily, nodding to himself.

"I do not have all of the answers that I am sure you are seeking. However, you are more than welcome to remain with me in my hut for a few days while you try to piece things together. Perhaps after some rest, some of your memories will begin to come back."

The man pushed himself back to his feet, grunting with exertion. Link looked up at him, prepared to respond to his offer, but stopped when the man motioned towards the Sheikah Slate with his staff. "However, I am curious about the device on your hip. From what you've described to me and looking at it, I believe that there is something else on this plateau that relates to that device in some way. I've never paid it much attention—such matters were always more my daughter's interest than mine—but I believe it may hold some significance for you."

Link stood and looked down at the Sheikah Slate with some doubt. He did not know how this device was to help him but also supposed that the voice _had_ instructed him to take it. What could it hurt? He looked back at the man and nodded.

An odd expression flashed across the old man's face. Satisfaction, perhaps, or amusement—Link wasn't sure. He turned and reached over to the rock wall that they had sat next to, grasping a small wrapped bundle there that Link hadn't noticed before. He held the bundle out to Link expectantly.

Link frowned at the bundle, taking it from the man. He carefully unwrapped it, revealing an old, worn down sword. The blade had long ago lost its luster. It was pitted in several places, and other spots had clear signs of rust. Link looked back at the man in confusion.

"Lately, the bokoblins have been growing more aggressive with their territory. I usually avoid them, and they are usually happy to stay away from my hut. Where we are going, however, is an area that I've spotted them in recently, and you look like you will be better at wielding that sword than I will be."

And Link, as he gripped the sword's worn leather hilt found that he agreed with the old man. He started with the sword in his right hand, but it felt uncomfortable and awkward to him. Once he switched it over to his left, he immediately felt a sense of _rightness_. Stepping back from the old man, he took the sword in both hands and took a few practice swings. His movements weren't quite fluid, yet _these_ , at least, seemed familiar to him in a strange way.

After a few more practice swings and adjustments to his stance and grip, Link looked back to the old man and nodded slowly. "Thank you," he said. The old man smiled in his kindly way and crouched to pick up the cloth that the sword had been wrapped in. Link felt sheepish for just abandoning the sword's cover on the ground, but the man said nothing, simply holding it out to Link again.

"It'd be best to keep it covered until we need it. The bokoblins might avoid us if they don't view us as a threat, but they are scavengers by nature. If they see a prize, such as an actual sword, they may decide to attack for that alone. Best not tempt them unless we have to."

Link took the cloth and obediently wrapped the sword in the cloth. He had no way to wear the sword, so he simply held it by its hilt, placing the cloth-wrapped flat of the blade against his shoulder. The man watched him with a brief expression of amusement and then used his stick to break apart the small fire he'd built. After throwing some additional dirt on it to douse the flames, he turned back towards Link.

"Well, let's get on our way, boy. I have a feeling that you've got quite the journey ahead of you."


	3. Chapter Two

**So, I have actually written a large amount of this novel so far-about 150,000 words or so as of May 5. For my own sake and yours, I plan to dole out about a chapter each week on Saturdays, though I may occasionally drop a bonus chapter around Wednesday if my writing is going particularly well that week. I decided to go ahead and post the first two chapters and the prologue as part of my initial publishing. A sort of appetizer, if you will! I have to do something like weekly publishing in order to give myself both time to edit the chapters I've written as well as stay ahead, lest life get in the way and I fall behind! When I first started, I was knocking out a chapter every few days, but things have slowed to about one a week, give or take a few days. I think I can keep up this pace for the foreseeable future and will, hopefully, have this novel complete before the end of the year. I think a 300,000+ word epic isn't a bad accomplishment for a year!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

There were certain things that he still knew, Link reflected as he and the old man began down the hill towards the location the old man had spoken of. He still knew how to speak, for example. He certainly knew how to walk and perform basic functions. He had an understanding of what certain things were. As a bird flitted across their path, he understood that it was, in fact, a bird. He wasn't sure of its kind, but he wasn't sure if that was due to his memory loss or just a lack of knowledge of that particular species.

Other things seemed right to him. When the woman had referred to him as Link, it had initially felt unfamiliar. Yet, in his conversation with the old man, he had found that the name Link seemed to suit him. He wondered if that was more out of desperation for something to hang onto, rather than any real familiarity with the name.

However, when Link tried to remember any particular events from his past, he found that he came up empty. He did not know what his surname was, if he had one. He did not know from which land or province he came from, though the man remarked that his pointed ears—like the man's own ears—likely marked him as a resident of Hyrule. Or, at least, he was a Hylian. Link just wished that term meant something to him.

As they made their way down the hill, the dirt path eventually gave way to a partially buried stone path. Glancing behind, Link could see that there were indications that the stone path had once stretched all the way up to the chamber he'd awoken in. He looked back at the man.

"I woke up in that chamber up the hill. You have no thoughts on why that was? Or what it is for?"

For a time, the old man did not respond and the only sound between them was the soft, rhythmic tapping of his staff on the cobblestones. Finally, he spoke. "This place is very old. The Temple of Time has stood for millennia, and legends claim that isn't its original site." He looked at Link. "That Sheikah cave has likely been around for just as long, it's purpose lost long ago."

"But someone put me in it," Link said, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly through the cloth. " _Someone_ must know why."

The old man grunted a response.

"How many others live on this plateau?"

"Besides me?" The old man looked over his shoulder at Link, thick eyebrows raised. "No one. Not unless you count the bokoblins. I'm not even sure when or _how_ they arrived, actually."

"And you've not seen anyone else up here?" Link felt an increasing sense of irritation at the old man and more than a little suspicion.

"No one but you, young man," the man replied. "Not for many years."

"So why do you stay here?"

The old man fell silent for a time, his eyes drawn to the distant Temple of Time. "That's neither here, nor there," he said, finally. He turned back to Link and smiled solemnly. "I certainly do not think my story will be as interesting as yours."

Link met his eyes and was surprised to see a glimpse of pain behind the blue-green eyes of the old man. Deep sorrow. There was something else that Link couldn't place his finger on. "You never told me your name."

The old man smiled. "No, I didn't."

As their eyes remained locked, Link opened his mouth to respond, to press him for the information that he was clearly hiding from him, but he caught a glimpse of movement behind the old man's back. In one fluid motion, Link stepped forward, grabbing the man by the arm and thrusting him back, behind him. With his other hand, he brought the wrapped sword up over his head, just in time to block an overhead blow by an ugly-looking club, wielded by an even uglier looking creature.

The creature was faintly pig-like with a large snout, red skin, and beady blue eyes. It had large ears to either side of its head, a mouth with multiple sharp teeth, and a single, stubby horn on the top of its head. It was shorter than Link and looked malnourished, with visible ribs. It only wore a loincloth, but the wooden club it wielded looked sturdy. Bokoblin, Link suspected.

Link pushed the bokoblin back, causing it to stumble backward with an angry cry. Link took another step forward, swinging his covered sword at the creature's head, but it scurried backward, screeching angrily at him. Gritting his teeth, Link pushed forward, holding the sword in both hands. The bokoblin suddenly lunged forward, swinging his club at Link's side. Moving by instinct alone, Link parried the blow, catching the club, and then swept his sword upwards. The maneuver broke the bokoblin's grip, and the club was sent spiraling through the air. He gripped his sword with two hands and cleaved it to the side, catching the bokoblin square in the ribs. It tumbled to the side, rolling across the uneven ground. The cloth wrapping the sword prevented it from cutting the creature in two, however, and it quickly scrambled back to its feet, yelling at Link in an unknown tongue and holding its side. Link narrowed his eyes and took another step towards the bokoblin.

"Link, no!" the old man yelled. Too late. Two more bokoblins—one red and another a dark inky blue—burst out from behind a small broken wall just behind where the first bokoblin had fallen. The red one was wielding another club—this one longer and held with two hands—while the blue one had a sword. A, frankly, much nicer looking sword than Link's own.

The red bokoblin wielding the larger club swung it, and Link's momentary surprise at seeing them prevented him from blocking the blow as effectively as before. Link diverted most of the force of the blow with his sword, but it wrenched painfully in his hands. He was forced to take several steps back to give himself room to maneuver.

The bokoblins had no intention of giving up their advantage. The red one broke into an awkward run. The club it held was large and heavy-looking for such a scrawny creature. Still, it was clear that the bokoblin was stronger than it must have looked, because it was difficult for Link to parry its heavy blows. He managed to block the next one, but then the previous bokoblin, having recovered its club, rejoined the fight. Link took a painful blow to his shoulder, causing him to hiss in pain and back away quickly. He was backing down the hill, placing the three bokoblins above him. The blue bokoblin was, for the moment, content to wait for the other two to attack. Their leader, perhaps?

The bokoblin with the large club swept out towards Link's feet, and Link reacted again with instinct. He sprung into a backflip, easily leaping over the club, but landed with a slight stumble. This, at least, coupled with the looks of surprise on the two bokoblins' faces, gave him enough time to remove the cloth from his sword.

The reaction from the twin bokoblins was immediate. The bokoblin with the shorter club immediately screeched something in excitement and rushed towards Link, swinging his club wildly. It clearly wanted Link's sword. The other bokoblin did as well and, surprisingly, swept the legs out from under the other bokoblin with its longer club. It, too, then rushed Link, actually running onto its fallen brethren and leaping off of it. It yelled in its guttural tongue and tried to bring its heavier club down on Link's head.

Link side-stepped and brought his sword up in a quick slice. As he drew his sword across the bokoblin's exposed belly, he felt a brief moment of resistance, and then his blade was free. The bokoblin screeched and hit the ground with a bloody roll, its club clattering to the ground several feet away. It did not get back up again.

The other bokoblin did not take its fellow's dispatch very well. Leaping to its feet, it ran at Link, swinging its club side to side furiously. Link parried the first blow and felt something in his sword shift, leaving it feeling off in his hands. Gritting his teeth, Link dodged the next attack, leaping to the side. The bokoblin stumbled, having overcommitted in its swing, and Link thrust his sword into the bokoblin's back. The bokoblin spluttered, purple blood spraying from its mouth, and dropped its club. Link pulled the sword free and kicked the bokoblin, sending it rolling down the hill to join its brother.

Breathing heavily, Link looked at his handiwork in some surprise. Two enemies felled. He glanced at the bloodied sword in his left hand. It gave him some pause to consider that he had been victorious in such odds. He glanced back at the old man, who still stood some ways off, watching Link with keen eyes. Link had reacted so quickly, pulling him away from danger and placing himself between the man and the bokoblins. Perhaps, in his past—

The third bokoblin screamed in fury and thrust its sword towards Link's back. Spinning, Link managed to knock the initial blow aside, but it became quickly apparent that this bokoblin was more skilled in combat than its red-skinned brethren. It held its sword in one hand, and in its other hand, Link saw that it had a roughly hewn wooden shield.

 _Great,_ Link thought, as he swung his sword towards the blue bokoblin's neck. The bokoblin lifted its shield, catching Link's blade. With a sharp crack and an awful lurch, Link's sword snapped in two, just above the hilt. Link stumbled forward and just barely threw himself to the side in time to avoid being run through by the eager bokoblin.

Link took several more steps back as the bokoblin advanced, a disgusting leer playing across its lips. Casting around for anything to defend himself with, Link spotted the club that the initial bokoblin had been wielding. Glancing back at the blue bokoblin, Link met its eyes briefly before breaking into a sprint. The sword passed close enough that he was sure he felt the wind of its passing on his neck. He snatched up the club and spun around just in time to block a swing that could have decapitated him.

He responded by swinging his club at the bokoblin's head, but it managed to get its shield up just in time. He attempted to hit the bokoblin again but found the shield in his way once more. Before he could get a third attempt, he found himself having to parry the bokoblin's sword swing again. It was no longer leering at him, and Link noticed that its previously blue eyes now seemed to have a red hue to them.

Link struck out, hitting the shield with as much force as he could muster. Like its companions, however, the bokoblin was stronger than it looked and kept its balance. It thrust forward with its sword, the blade coming dangerously close to Link's abdomen as he dodged to the side. Time seemed to slow as Link saw his opening. The bokoblin's arm extended out, sword thrust forward into open air. Its shield arm was thrown wide; the bokoblin had over-extended itself in order to finish the fight. It realized its mistake too late as Link brought his club down onto the bokoblin's extended sword arm. Bone crunched under the force of his blow, and the sword clattered to the ground. Another sweep of his club caught the bokoblin in the jaw, sending it stumbling back, looking dazed. Its sword arm was clearly broken.

Link picked up the sword and advanced towards the injured bokoblin. There was a brief moment of hesitation as the bokoblin looked at the sword. Then the bokoblin turned and ran, screaming and holding its arm. It ran in the direction of the Temple of Time, Link noted, and he wondered if more bokoblins had taken up residence in the old structure. He was just beginning to consider heading into the Temple of Time to deal with the remaining bokoblins when he heard the old man's approach. Link turned and found the old man walking up towards him, his walking staff clicking the ground with each step.

"Clearly, you must be a warrior of some renown, if your skills with the blade are any indication," he said as he stepped up to Link. He eyed the sword for a moment and then nodded thoughtfully. "That looks like an old Hyrulean soldier's blade. See the sigil on the pommel? Rare to see one in such good condition these days."

Link glanced down at his blade and found what appeared to be a bird with outstretched wings underneath a trio of triangles stacked together to form one large triangle stamped into the pommel. He stared at the sigil, frowning. It seemed to mean _something_ to him. Instinctively, he stood taller and held his head up higher. Then he noticed the old man watching him, and he relaxed again, lowering his sword arm. He wished he had a proper sheath.

Considering this, he walked over to the wall that the bokoblins had been hiding behind. Had they just been lying in wait to ambush him? But no. He found the remnants of a small encampment. It was clear that they had been in the process of eating a meal of what looked to be a mutilated rabbit, only partially cooked over the embers of a fire. A few possessions littered the site—mostly crude trinkets made of wood or bone—but Link only paid attention to the worn scabbard leaning against the wall. He picked this up, noting that it had a generous loop attached to it. He slid the sword into its sheath and then slung the scabbard on his back. It took a few adjustments, but he found that he was able to comfortably unsheathe the sword from this position.

Stepping back out from behind the wall, Link approached the old man. "How long ago did you say that Hyrule fell?"

"Oh, it's been sometime now," the old man said. "A century, perhaps."

Link's heart sank. That disproved his own suspicions of his past. He frowned and looked out across the plateau and plains below it towards the distant castle. A century. One hundred years. "What caused it to fall?"

"Calamity," was all the old man said before turning and continuing down the hill. Link watched him walk, noting that he seemed to walk with a slightly more hunched over posture than before. Pursing his lips and feeling frustrated by his lack of knowledge, Link fell into step behind him.

* * *

Most of their remaining walk down the hill was done in silence. It became apparent to Link that the path they walked was likely once used by pilgrims visiting the Temple of Time. On the way down, they passed the remnants of a large courtyard with a broken fountain in the center. Around it were several more destroyed buildings; some lacked roofs while others had massive chunks of their walls shattered as if a large creature had simply burst through the house. Thankfully, either no other bokoblins were in the area, or those that were there decided Link and the old man were not worth attacking.

As they walked, Link found himself often gazing back up at the Temple of Time. The structure had obviously fared better than the buildings surrounding it. While he could see that the panes of glass that used to fill its windows had mostly been shattered, and there were definite signs of disrepair, from Link's perspective, the building mostly still looked whole. At least it still had a roof.

"There," said the old man, stopping at the bottom of what appeared to be another courtyard. Link stopped beside him, frowning. The path they had been on continued to the left some ways until it dropped into a deep pool of water surrounded by the remnants of an old stone structure. The man, however, pointed one finger to the right, at what appeared to be a large pile of boulders.

Link followed his gaze, frowning. He looked back at the old man, who lowered his hand and looked at him expectantly.

"I will stay here if you don't mind. I need to rest." He rested his staff against the remnants of an old foundation and then eased himself down on it. "Besides. I think I have had enough excitement for one day."

Uncertain about what _that_ meant, Link eyed the man and then turned, walking towards the pile of rocks. He kept a wary eye out as he crossed the old courtyard, keeping an eye out for any would-be attackers. On the way down, he'd spotted some crudely-made arrows sticking out of a tree, and he did not want to be the target of a bokoblin archers if he could help it.

As he approached the rocks, he soon found that there was a small hollow in the center of the stone. It looked as if there had been a building there once—a gazebo of sorts, perhaps—that had been covered over with stone. Eventually, that rock had been broken to reveal the hidden interior again.

Link stepped up to the hollowed-out rock and was surprised to see a pedestal much like the ones inside the chamber he'd woken up in. It glowed orange from a pattern of curves and straight lines on its surface. The surface was segmented into a few concentric rings with the center one raised slightly. The raised ring had a hollow that looked to match his Sheikah Slate. He glanced back at the old man, who still sat upon the broken wall, watching him. Finally, he unhooked the Sheikah Slate from his belt and placed it into the hollow.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the Sheikah Slate and pedestal both flashed with an orange light, which quickly subsided. The raised center ring sunk into the rest of the pedestal until it formed a smooth flat surface with the Sheikah Slate in its center. Link saw that text had appeared on the face of the Sheikah Slate again.

"Sheikah Tower activated. Please watch for falling rocks."

 _Falling rocks_?

Before Link could question it further, the ground under his feet began to tremble. It began as a low rumble but grew into violent shaking. He stumbled and then lost his balance completely, falling painfully onto his back. The rock that surrounded the structure cracked and crumbled, falling away in large chunks. Some of the stone directly overhead fell onto the floor. The shaking did not fade, unfortunately. With an uncomfortable lurch in his stomach, Link also realized that the floor he was sitting on had begun to move.

The stone around the structure cracked and fell away as the platform Link was on began to rise into the air. Link rolled over, remaining on his hands and knees, and watched with wide eyes as his platform continued to rise at a startlingly rapid pace. The platform he was on was shaped like a flat disc, open to the air with supports ringing an inner circle that supported its roof. He cautiously crawled out from under the roof, closer to the edge, and looked down. The ground directly under and around the platform—the _tower_ , now that he saw it more clearly—had cracked as it ripped up centuries-old rock and dirt. The old man had stood up from his wall, looking up at Link with an expression that could only have been astonishment.

The tower continued to rise until, dizzyingly, Link found himself level with the Temple of Time's uppermost spire, where it shuddered to a stop. He couldn't accurately measure it, but he felt that he must have been hundreds of feet in the air. The old man was a mere speck at the base of the tower.

A sound drew his attention upwards. Three appendages like arms that had each laid flat against it's small, conical roof suddenly stood up, pointing directly at the sky. At the same time, a shaft of blue light began at the base of the tower and traveled up its center until it reached the pedestal, which flashed a brilliant blue. Link noticed that other parts of the tower were suddenly glowing with a blue light as well. Blue text that Link couldn't read formed a ring around the roof and other strange symbols on the roof and floor glowed as well.

It was that moment that Link noticed the strange rock that hung down from the center of the roof like a stalactite, directly over the pedestal and Sheikah Slate. Strange, glowing symbols appeared on its black surface and traveled down its length, gathering near its tip. Link saw what looked like condensation forming there. The condensation, which glowed a brilliant blue, grew into a large drop, which then fell directly onto the Sheikah Slate with a noticeable splash.

Link stood up slowly, noting that the stone had gone dark, and approached the pedestal. As he did so, the ring at the center of the pedestal rose again, and the Sheikah Slate was lifted to stand up straight. Link saw new text on its face.

"Additional functionality restored.  
Stasis Rune… Functional.  
Magnesis Rune… Repairs needed/Partially Functional.  
Remote Bomb Rune… Functional.  
Cryonis Rune… Functional.  
Teleportation Rune… Repairs needed/Non-Functional.  
Camera Rune… Repairs needed/Non-Functional.  
Cartography Mode… Functional.  
Telescope Mode… Functional.  
Master Cycle Zero… Unable to detect/Non-Functional."

After a few seconds, the text disappeared, replaced by a new interface. Several colored squares formed a row across the center of the screen. Within each square was a similarly colored icon, though Link was uncertain of what any of them meant. Curiously, he reached towards the icon with the blue circle in the center.

"Remember…"

He jumped with a start at the sudden reemergence of the woman's voice. Though he still heard it from in his head, it seemed to come from a certain direction this time. He spun around, and his eyes fell on the distant castle. A pale white light shone at its center, which pulsed as she spoke again. "Try. _Try_ to remember, Link."

Link stepped across the platform, staring at the pulsing light. "Who are you?" he said. "Do you know who _I_ am? Why I'm here?" A pause. Then she spoke again.

"You have been asleep for the past one hundred years," she said, and Link stumbled to a halt, all previous thoughts fleeing his mind. One hundred years? That wasn't possible. That _couldn't_ be possible.

The ground beneath Link's feet shuddered and Link braced himself. Was the tower going to sink back down again? Raise up higher? But no, the tower wasn't moving. The castle, however, had changed some. A strange red-purple haze began to rise up from the ground around it. It swirled around the castle lazily, beginning to obscure the pale light.

"It is the beast! Link, I know you do not remember yet, but when the Calamity regains its full power, it will destroy everything!" The woman's voice was urgent now. There was a definite note of strain in it.

As Link watched the castle, the haze began to take shape. It continued to swirl around the castle, but at its forefront, it began to solidify into a much darker shape. It looked almost like a creature's snout, with horns like a boar. It continued to take shape until a distinct pig-like head, though deformed, was visible at the forefront of the smoky haze. It opened its massive mouth, and Link _heard_ a distant roar that caused the ground beneath his feet to tremble again. It continued to circle the castle, roaring again and rising into the air above the central spire.

Suddenly, the pulsing light at the center of the castle seemed to burst through the rising haze, and the creature's head grew indistinct again. The haze sunk back towards the castle as if the pale light was absorbing it. It did not fade completely, and the red-purple haze continued to roil around the base of the castle, diminished. The creature was no longer visible, however; a fact that Link was very grateful for.

"I fear the Calamity has sensed something has changed. It presses, even now, to break free of its bonds, and I must do what I can to reinforce them. I do not wish for it to realize that you still live. But go! You _must_ hurry, Link. Before it's too late."

In the center of the distant castle, the pulsing light faded away. Link suddenly felt very, _very_ alone.


	4. Chapter Three

**Well, I finished two chapters this week, so I figured that I could throw a new chapter up early this week. I'll try to get Chapter Four up and posted on Saturday, as well! Thanks to those of you that have followed and reviewed! I'd forgotten how good it feels to have people leaving reviews on my stories!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

The climb down from the tower had not been nearly as difficult as Link had initially thought it would be. The sides of the tower were covered with a lattice-like pattern of some kind of stone that made for easy hand and footholds. In addition to that, positioned in a spiraling ring around the tower were a series of platforms, clearly meant to assist with climbing up or down the tower. Link found that it was really quite easy, though he did feel winded by the time he reached the bottom.

In truth, however, he wished it had been more difficult. Perhaps then he wouldn't have had so much time to dwell on the voice's words or what he had seen at the top of the tower. He'd heard the strain in her voice and sensed the difficulty she experienced with that _creature_ , but what was he supposed to do? She gave him no instructions beyond telling him to _go_. She warned him of dire consequences—the world's end, no less—but then gave him no means of avoiding such an outcome.

So what was Link supposed to do? Perhaps, if he'd had his memories, then some of it would have made more sense. For now, however, he was as lost now as he was before she'd spoken to him again. He'd tried to pierce the darkness of his own mind, but it was like trying to remember a dream long forgotten. He could almost sense his past, just out of reach. It was maddening.

When he finally reached the bottom sometime later, he intended to tell the man of the mystery woman and the creature he'd seen—perhaps the man had heard her as well. Surely, he would have at least seen the creature, if nothing else. However, when Link looked to the broken wall where the old man had been sitting, he found it empty, save for the man's walking staff and a small satchel, which had fallen to the ground.

Fear stabbed through Link's heart, and he immediately reached back, unsheathing the sword off his back. He held it at the ready, looking around with wary anticipation for the attack that he was certain would come.

He did not have to wait long.

Something flew by his head, and Link leaped to the side. A moment later, another arrow flew right through where he'd been standing, clattering harmlessly across the ground several feet away. Looking around quickly in the direction the arrow had come from, Link saw three bokoblins on the top of a nearby hill. Two of which were wielding crude wooden bows, while one, standing behind them looked familiar to Link. One of its arms appeared broken, held in place by a rough sling. The blue bokoblin from earlier had apparently returned with friends.

Gripping the sword tightly in his hand, Link dove to the side as another pair of arrows flew through the air at him. The bokoblins' aim was poor and he doubted either of those arrows would have even hit him, but all it would take was one lucky shot.

He began to sprint towards the hill. It was foolish, he knew—running straight at a pair of archers was surely a suicide mission—but he had no good cover around him, save the tower. And the last thing he wanted was to be pinned down in one location as the archers got their bearing and honed in their shots.

Moving in a zigzag line, he managed to avoid two more volleys before, blessedly, reaching the hill. It was steep on this side, but Link's momentum helped him scale it. As he crested the hill, though, he found one of the bokoblins had drawn another arrow—this one aimed directly at Link's heart.

Link didn't stop. Legs burning from the long climb down the tower and now the mad dash across the courtyard and up the hill, Link leaped forward, moving through the gap between the two archers. He felt a sudden sharp pain in his upper right arm but ignored it for the time being. Instead, he spun around, sword sweeping wide. He caught the first archer in the neck and ended up slicing through the bow of the second archer. A sudden cry of pain notified Link that he'd sliced that archer's hand as well.

Link continued his spin around and felt sudden, though brief, resistance. The blue bokoblin looked at him with shocked red eyes. In its hand, it held a wicked-looking dagger, poised to plunge down into Link's previously exposed back. A heartbeat later, the dagger fell as the bokoblin doubled over, holding its bleeding stomach.

Confident that this bokoblin, at least, would not bother him again, Link turned to see the remaining bokoblin archer, sans bow, scrambling down the hill, yelling something in panicked tones. Not wanting a repeat of this encounter, Link sheathed his sword and picked up the bow dropped by the other bokoblin. He nocked one of the arrows, drew the string back to his cheek, and carefully aimed down the arrow shaft. After quickly judging for the breeze, he made one final adjustment and loosed. The arrow arced through the air and found its home in the bokoblin's unprotected back. It fell face forward and lie prone on the ground, unmoving.

Link stared at the bokoblin for several seconds and then dropped the bow, taking a horrified step back. He looked around him at the carnage he'd wrought in, what? A few seconds? Three more dead or dying creatures. Considering the previous two that he'd killed, that made five. Five lives taken with apparent _ease_.

Who _was_ he?

It was a question that he was beginning to feel nervous about finding an answer to. He admitted that the bokoblins were grotesque and dangerous, but it did little to sooth the shame he felt in spilling so much blood. What kind of man had he been in his past? His _distant_ past, if the woman's voice was to be believed.

A pain in his arm managed to draw his attention away from that disconcerting thought, and he looked down to find that his sleeve had been sliced by the arrow shot at him earlier. It looked as though it had only grazed him, but he was bleeding under the sleeve. After taking quick stock of the bokoblins around him, Link decided that his own clothes would make for a better bandage than the dirty loincloths that the bokoblins wore.

He tore the sleeve on his right arm and, after cutting off the bloodied section, used the remaining fabric to bind his arm. It didn't look deep, but it was bleeding well enough to warrant the bandage, he felt. That done, he began to gather up what remaining supplies he could. He turned to the dead blue bokoblin. He was mildly surprised to see the shield it had wielded earlier slung around its back. The dropped dagger, which had a rusted blade, rested on the ground next to its head.

Link carefully removed the shield from the bokoblin's back, sliding the long strap out from under the bokoblin's chest and inspected it. It was a simple wooden shield that Link doubted would hold up to much in battle. He could already see several deep gouges in the wood, including at least one placed there by Link himself. On the backside, it had two simple leather straps to hold it in battle and one longer one with which to sling it around his back. He slid his right arm into this, testing its weight. It felt too light to him—likely too flimsy to protect against much more than clubs and rusty swords, but hopefully, it would stop an arrow if the need arose. He slung the shield, satisfied to at least have some measure of protection, and turned back to the other dead bokoblin.

He picked up the discarded bow from earlier, pursing his lips. It was not in great condition, nor was it made of very good wood, from what he could tell. The bokoblins were not very good craftsmen, it would seem. Still, though, it had shot true, and Link did not want to find himself unprepared in case he was attacked from afar again. He unstrung the bow to prevent any further wear on it. Next, he found a simple leather quiver, which he strapped to his waist, and several additional arrows around the fallen bokoblin. Finally, he picked up the blue bokoblin's dagger and slid it into his belt.

Feeling at least somewhat better prepared than before, he made his way down the hill and over to the discarded staff and satchel. He left the staff but picked up the satchel, slinging it over his shoulder. He placed the coiled bowstring into it and, after a moment, pulled out the single remaining apple within. He also found a half-full waterskin in the satchel as well. Ignoring the brief stab of guilt that he felt at eating the old man's apple, he took a bite and looked up towards the Temple of Time.

He didn't know if the old man was still alive, or even if the bokoblins would have taken him there if they _did_ kidnap him, but he wasn't sure of any other place to start. That old man was Link's only lifeline in this strange, mysterious world. He had to at least try to find him, especially if it was his helping Link that resulted in his capture in the first place. And if Link _was_ some kind of warrior in his past life, he would much rather put those skills to use protecting life than taking it.

* * *

Somewhere along the way up the hill to the Temple of Time, Link decided that whatever his combat skills were, stealth was not a particular one of them.

As he walked, the shield on it back continually bounced off of the old scabbard, making a knocking sound with every other step or so. Attempts to tighten the shield were met with failure, and he even briefly considered abandoning it. Thinking back on the ambush earlier encouraged him to keep it for now, though.

 _And what will you do with it, Link?_ He wondered quietly to himself as he crept around a ruined structure that might have been a place for prayer, based on the altar and ruined statue in its center at one end of the building. _Deflect the arrows back at them?_ He considered that for a moment and then decided that he did not want to try to find out if that was possible. Or if he had some strange ability to do so from his past.

He found that he was thinking of himself more and more as _Link_. It seemed to call to him almost like an old friend that he hadn't seen in a long time. However, if the woman was right in his name, was she right in the other things? _No,_ Link thought. _That cannot be possible. And even if I was, why me?_ He thought back to the way he'd killed the bokoblins earlier and pursed his lips.

He found that the hill leading up to the Temple of Time had been separated into several levels, with each level holding several old buildings of various sizes and shapes. Some had probably been for priests' living quarters, based on ancient bed frames that he found within. Others, perhaps, served religious purposes. Prayer buildings or places that priests could teach smaller groups.

He was still considering this as he stepped up to the final building on the path before it split and led to the Temple of Time itself. The large building was mostly intact structure, despite missing its roof, and part of one wall. He thought that it would be a good place to try to conduct reconnaissance before running into the Temple.

As he stepped into the structure, he was struck by the fact that this was a larger building than the others below. As he gazed around the large, empty building, he turned, looking towards a previously unforeseen corner. He gasped and took a step back, eyes widening.

Before Link stood a massive construction. A statue, perhaps, but one almost as tall as the building they stood in. It had six long and spindly legs, each ending in a three-clawed foot, though only three appeared to remain whole. The other three ended in jagged stumps. It had a cylindrical body, wider at its base and narrower at its top. A single, black circle adorned the center of its body, and within it, he could see a dark sphere, like an ominous black eye.

It looked intimidating in its own right, yet the dread Link felt as he stared up at this _thing_ seemed beyond its appearance or size. When Link saw this construction, he felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to run, to hide, to find something to put between himself and this construct. It made his blood feel like ice in his veins.

He stepped back to the empty doorway and looked to either side of the door to ensure no bokoblins were coming down the path before exiting the way he had come. He glanced back as he did so, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. It felt as though it was _watching_ him.

Once he had placed the wall of the building between him and it, Link felt immediately better. He took in his surroundings, considering his options. The building stood at the base of a pair of staircases that angled up towards the Temple of Time's entrance. As Link crept closer to one of the staircases, he was dismayed to see several more of the strange, many-legged statues up closer to the Temple. These appeared to be facing the Temple, and were in various states of disrepair like the other, missing legs or one of the strange fin-like protuberances at the top of their cylindrical "heads".

Link briefly considered his options, but thinking of the old man helped him steel his nerves. They were just _statues_. Right? And they were clearly old. These ones had moss growing on their metallic bodies, and at least one bird had built a nest in the crook between one of their legs and its body.

Pushing thoughts of his strange apprehension around them aside, Link began to slowly climb the staircase, mindful of any loose stones that might give him away. The land around the Temple of Time was, blessedly, alive with the sounds of various birds and insects, which likely helped mask his other sounds to some degree.

He slowly crept past the trio of broken metal statues and reached the outer wall of the Temple of Time. Its ancient doorway stood open just ten feet from Link, and now that he was here, he could hear the faint sounds of movement from within the Temple. Link placed his unstrung bow against the stone wall and pulled the shield from his back, locking it into place on his right arm. After this, he reached back and took his sword from its sheath in a slow, controlled movement that made little sound. He moved quietly along the wall until he reached the entrance. After taking a deep breath, he slowly peeked his head around the doorway to peer inside.

Inside the Temple was a long central aisle surrounded on both sides by old, stone pews. Most were broken. At the end of the aisle was a large winged statue that looked feminine and wore was seemed to be a large, flowing dress. Around its base were several, smaller statues with similar features. Link saw that he had been mistaken in his earlier assumption that the Temple of Time hadn't seen the level of destruction visited upon other buildings. Though the western side of the structure had seemed almost whole from afar, the eastern side had almost completely collapsed, save for a few key sections of the wall. Link was no builder, but he thought that, without those sections of wall, the roof, if not the entire building, would have likely caved in on itself years ago.

Light streamed in from the shattered wall, revealing a small, crackling campfire on the Temple's stone floor. A dead boar had been cut open next to the fire, and a roasting spit had been erected over the flames, where several choice hunks of meat had been hung to cook. As tasty as that might have seemed to Link, who had only had a couple of apples since waking, his appetite was driven from him when he saw the bokoblin sitting next to the fire. It tore into a piece of the cooked meat with greedy abandon. Its back was turned to Link, and he saw its weapons—a club and wooden shield with white bones strapped to its face—lying on the ground a few feet away from him.

Link stepped carefully into the Temple. Once he passed the doorway, he noted two side rooms to either side of the entrance, both of which were empty of bokoblins, though it looked as though they'd been used for storage in the past. Only the single bokoblin appeared to be keeping watch of the Temple at the moment. Perhaps the others were out hunting or patrolling… or perhaps Link had already dispatched them. That was good, Link supposed, though the thought gave him little joy.

Link moved at a crouch, trying to keep himself hidden behind the broken pews. A large amount of broken stone and rubble around him made stealth difficult, however, and he accidentally nudged a stone chip with his foot. He froze, just behind the pew, as he heard the bokoblin react. It made a curious noise, and Link could hear it shuffle, as though looking around. He held his breath, the knuckles gripping his sword turning white with anticipation. He was fairly confident in his ability to take out this lone enemy, but if it called others in the area…

Link heard the bokoblin settle back down, and then it made what sounded like a laugh as it bit into another piece of meat. Link peeked over the pew. Perhaps it was enjoying the chance to eat the meal to itself without having to share. Just as Link was considering whether or not he should even attack the bokoblin—it wasn't currently threatening him, after all—the tip of Link's sword scratched against the stone pew next to him.

The bokoblin reacted immediately, leaping up and spinning around. It opened his mouth to yell something in its strange language, and Link lunged forward with his sword. He ran the bokoblin through, piercing where he assumed its heart was. For a brief moment, it looked at Link with shocked, scared eyes, and then Link saw the life leech out of them. Pursing his lips, Link grabbed the bokoblin's arm and lowered its body to the ground silently. Hurriedly, he walked over to the broken wall and looked outside, searching for any other bokoblins nearby. Beyond another couple of those multilegged broken statues outside, Link saw no other threats. Unfortunately, he also saw no indication of the old man, alive or otherwise.

Sighing and allowing himself to relax some, Link turned back to look at the Temple. On one of the pews, Link saw what looked like some old, filthy rags. He used these to wipe the purple bokoblin blood off of his blade. It wasn't as clean as he would like, and he was aware that he hadn't cleaned it earlier, which likely meant the inside of his sheath was filthy now, but he felt somewhat better by the simple act of cleaning his blade. He sheathed it, placed the shield on his back, and then exhaled, sitting down on one of the broken pews. His eyes fell on the dead bokoblin, killed while simply enjoying its meal. No threat to Link. Not really, if his earlier victories were any indication.

Would such things be easier if he had his memories? If so, was that a good thing?

"You appear to be deep in thought," said a voice behind him. Link leaped to his feet, spinning around in surprise to find the old man standing at the entrance of the Temple. He looked no worse for wear than before and, in fact, had apparently retrieved his staff at some point. Had he merely wandered off, then? Had Link come all this way for nothing?

"I thought you had been—" Link began, but the old man's chuckles silenced him.

"You always _were_ quick to rush off when you thought someone needed protection," the old man said.

"What?"

The old man tapped his staff on the ground, the sound seemingly louder and more resonant than it should have been, silencing Link. "Meet me in the steeple. I wish to show you something, and there is something else that I wish to give you as well."

"I don't understand. Who—" again, Link fell silent as the old man turned from him… and disappeared. One moment, he had been standing there, and the next, he was simply gone without any trace. A chill ran down Link's spine, and he looked around quickly, trying to determine if he had somehow merely missed the old man's departure. He ran to the door, looking outside but found nothing.

Finally, knowing deep in his heart that he would eventually oblige the old man's command out of pure curiosity, if nothing else, he found a section of broken wall that appeared scalable and began to climb. The old man had suggested that he knew Link. He intended to find out what the old man meant.

He found the rough, pock-marked, and partially broken surface of the wall simple enough to climb. At one point, he was forced to use the knife he collected from the dead bokoblin earlier to pull out some old and loose mortar, but the climb was otherwise uneventful. Once he reached the roof, he pulled himself up onto the red slate tiles. Several had broken over the years, and entire sections of the roof had collapsed. Link carefully made his way up to the roof's peak, satisfied that the worst of the damage had clearly been done to the eastern slope of the roof. Once there, he fixed his eyes on the steeple. The steeple had been heavily damaged by time. Facing Link, there was a large hole in the steeple where a window had likely once been. He found that he was able to see through the steeple, as another former window and the surrounding stone had long since crumbled away.

Link made his way across the roof, but it was only once he got closer to the steeple that he saw the old man, his back turned to Link, staring out at the land of Hyrule visible through the broken steeple wall. The man's hands were clasped behind his back and he looked strangely different now. Taller, stronger. His walking staff was nowhere to be seen. The old man did not turn towards him until Link had cautiously climbed into the open steeple.

The man turned back to Link and smiled in a strangely somber manner. "Well done, Link," he said. "Though you may lack memory of your past, your skills and nature clearly remain." Link remained silent, eyes locked onto those of the old man. The man chuckled softly. "I suppose it is time that I was honest with you."

The old man turned back, fixing his eyes on the distant castle. "My name," he said before exhaling heavily. "is Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. I am— _was_ —the last king of Hyrule." He paused and then continued in a softer tone. "A kingdom which no longer exists."

The old man was suddenly bathed in a strange ethereal green light, nearly blinding Link. When the light faded, the old man had changed. He no longer wore the old cloak, nor was his beard as bushy and unkempt. Instead, he wore a blue waistcoat with gold trim over a white doublet, white trousers, and a pair of black leather boots that floated a few inches above the ground. He wore a large belt buckle with the Hyrulean Royal Crest on its face, the same as his sword. His beard and hair were trimmed and combed, neat in appearance. He wore a golden crown upon his head. Though the bright light from earlier had faded, the old man—the _king_ —still faintly glowed in the same light.

King Rhoam turned to face Link, who looked at him with a shocked expression. "The Great Calamity was _merciless_. It devastated everything in its path, lo, a century ago." King Rhoam's expression was distant, not truly seeing Link. "It was then that my life was taken from me."

"I don't," Link began. He cleared his throat and licked his lips. "I don't understand. What is the Calamity? Are you the guide? The guide that the woman promised me?"

Something in King Rhoam's expression changed. It great sharper, and his eyes met Link's. "I have remained here ever since I died, in spirit form. I… did not know why for a long time. I assumed that, perhaps, it had been because of the royal family's connection to this place. Our history. She… eventually spoke to me as well."

The king turned, moving closer to the broken wall. His legs did not move to propel him; he floated, instead. "I did not think it wise to overwhelm you so soon after you awoke. I feared your memory would be too fragile. So, rather than that, I assumed a temporary, less… alarming form." He looked out at the distant castle again. "Forgive me for my deception. I see now that your mind is still quite strong."

Link stepped up next to the king, looking up into his face. "I can't remember _anything_ ," he said, a note of desperation entering his voice. "If you can tell me something—anything—to help me…"

King Rhoam looked down at Link, his expression growing increasingly somber. "I shall tell you what happened one hundred years ago, Link. Perhaps hearing of it shall awaken something within you." He looked back towards the castle, where the strange creature made of purple mist had risen again, circling around the castle. It did not seem to be able to leave the immediate area surrounding the castle, however.

"To know the Calamity Ganon's true form, one must know the story from an age long past. The demon king was born into this kingdom long ago. Legends speak of a man once, others speak of a beast. Either way, the legends always speak of terrible power and destruction left in its wake. The horror you see now, however, is what is left of that being, transformed by Malice and an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

"Many in the kingdom had long since forgotten any truth to the stories of Ganon. They were legends. Fairy tales. However, when I was a younger man, I was visited by a fortune teller, who told me a prophecy. He told me that the signs of Ganon's resurrection were clear and that the power to oppose him lied dormant under the ground."

The king turned to Link. "I did not believe him at first," he said. "But he told me… other things that convinced me of his legitimacy." He looked away. "He disappeared soon thereafter. I do not know what happened to him, nor where he came from." Link remained silent, and King Rhoam continued.

"We decided to heed the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land. It wasn't long before we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors. These relics, gods _curse_ them, were giant machines piloted by warriors." His expression darkened, his ethereal hands clenching into tight fists. "We also discovered the Guardians. You likely saw them outside of the Temple. These mechanical creations were meant to be autonomous soldiers, created eons ago, to fight the Calamity Ganon.

"Our legends spoke of these, and the learned among us knew that there was some truth to those old legends. Those legends also spoke of a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by the sword of evil's bane—the sword that would seal the darkness. They, _alone_ , had the power to battle and seal Ganon away.

"One hundred years ago, there was a princess set to inherit that sacred power, and a skilled knight at her side," King Rhoam said, looking to Link. Link felt a shiver run down his spine. "It was clear that we were to follow our ancestors' path. So we selected four skilled individuals from across Hyrule, tasked with the duty of piloting the Divine Beasts. Mipha, the Zora; Daruk, the Goron; Urbosa, the Gerudo; Revali, the Rito. With the princess as their commander, we dubbed these pilots _Champions_ —a name that would solidify their unique bond."

King Rhoam looked back out at the castle. The distant creature had drawn back down into the depths of the castle, perhaps locked away by the mysterious woman. The king continued, sounding wistful. "The princess, her appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing away Ganon. They were so very close… But nay. Ganon was cunning, and he responded with a plan beyond our imagining.

"He appeared from deep beneath Hyrule Castle and seized control of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians that our people had spent so much time preparing for the purpose of battling _him_. He turned them against us." The king's expression grew bitter. Angry. His hands clenched into tight fists. "The Champions lost their lives. Those residing in the castle and the city around it did as well. The appointed knight was gravely wounded in defense of the princess."

This triggered something inside of Link. More of a feeling than an actual memory. Fear. Pain. Desperation. Anger… Resignation. He took a step back from the king, shaking his head. _No_.

"And thus, the kingdom of Hyrule was destroyed. Devastated absolutely by the Calamity Ganon," the king said, and then paused. He looked back at Link and seemed to silently acknowledge what Link was feeling. "However," he said, "the princess survived," Relief. Incredible relief. It was like a sudden weight lifted off of Link's chest. He didn't know why, but it was _imperative_ to him to know that this princess had survived. "And she faced Ganon alone."

Silence fell between them for a long time. Link found that he didn't know what to say. What to ask. Deep down, he felt as though he _knew_ this… yet he had nothing. No memories, no knowledge, nothing beyond a rush of emotions that had faded as quickly as it had risen up in him. The king turned back to Link, and for a moment, Link thought that he heard the faint sound of a bell tinkling as he did so.

"That princess was my daughter. My Zelda," he said, his eyes settling onto Link's. "And the courageous knight who protected her right up until the very end… Well, I am sure that you have already determined the truth. That knight was _you_ , Link."

Link exhaled slowly—deliberately—and tried to consider how he felt about receiving this news. If true, then it would likely explain his skills and abilities. That was comforting, in a way, to know that there was an explanation, and that it wasn't one that involved his being just a killer. He'd been a protector, too. A knight. But he'd also been something more than that, and that gave him pause. He'd not just been a knight, but he'd been a being of legend. A wielder of a powerful sword, tasked with defeating the creature that currently inhabited the castle in the far distance. How does one respond to that burden? How does one carry it?

"You fought valiantly, but your fate took an unfortunate turn," the king continued, uninhibited by Link's thoughts. "You were taken to the Shrine of Resurrection deep in the bedrock of the Great Plateau. And here you stand now, revitalized, one hundred years later. The woman you spoke of—the words of guidance you have been hearing since you woke—are from Princess Zelda herself.

"Even now, as she works to restrain Ganon from within Hyrule Castle, she seeks to speak with you, to call for your help. However, I fear that my daughter's power will soon be exhausted." The king's expression was grave, and Link felt the sense of dread in the pit of his stomach growing. "The beast Ganon appears to press and fight her control more than ever now, and it has been many years since I last heard her voice. Once her power is gone, Ganon will freely regenerate himself and _nothing_ will stop him from killing Zelda and consuming our land."

The king fell silent for a time, bowing his head and closing his eyes. Link saw incredible pain in his expression. "Ultimately, I was unable to save my own kingdom. In fact, my mistakes may have even contributed to its downfall. I have no right to ask this of you—not after all that you have sacrificed already—but I am _powerless_ here. You _must_ save her, Link. Save my daughter. And do whatever you must to annihilate Ganon."

Link felt dizzy. His world seemed to spin around him. The breath had been knocked from his lungs. He'd just woken up. He didn't know who he was, where he was, or how he'd gotten there. And now… this. This task. This burden. Did the king know how absurd this sounded? Did he know how _wrong_ this was? But no. Link wasn't even sure the king was paying attention to him now. His eyes had grown distant and his tone more commanding than before. He was no longer an old man or even a father pleading with Link—he was a king giving an order he expected to be followed. It seemed familiar to Link somehow.

"Somehow, Ganon has maintained control over all four Divine Beasts, as well as the Guardians that still swarm over the castle. Even sealed in the castle, he maintains enough power and control to devastate our land given enough time… I suppose it would be foolish to think that you can attack and defeat Ganon in your current state. Preparations must be made." He pointed out the broken window and Link stepped up beside him in order to see what he pointed at.

A pair of mountains—or, perhaps, a single mountain that had long since been broken into two halves—lay to the east, where his finger indicated. "To the east, there is a village in the wilderness. The northbound road beyond the Dueling Peaks will lead you to Kakariko Village. There, you will find the elder, Impa. Like I, she has waited for one hundred years for your return, and I believe she will be able to tell you more of the path that lies before you."

King Rhoam looked down at Link now, fixing him with a kindly stare. The royal tone appeared to have faded again, and he looked more like the old man sitting by the fire. "I know that this is a great deal for you to take in, Link, and there is little I can say or do to make it any less so."

Link glanced up at the king and then back out at Hyrule. At the green plains, the distant volcano, the broken mountain, and finally, the castle. The beast seemed quelled for the moment, but he knew it could reappear soon. Would the next time it appeared finally be when it broke free? If the princess had kept it locked away all this time, she could hold out for a time longer… right? How much time was left?

Link felt like a drowning man surrounded by an ocean with no land in sight. Every word the king said was like another wave crashing down on his head, threatening to push him beneath the black waves. But he knew that he wouldn't turn this old king or his daughter away. He knew—somehow—that he could never have turned away such a task, past or present. Perhaps it was because of duty, or because it was the right thing to do, or even because a hidden part of Link simply wanted to save the princess—in that moment, he did not know quite why he would accept it. But he would.

"How… How will I defeat Ganon?" It was a foolish question. If the king had that answer now, he would have already said so. Perhaps even found another to enact the plan. Still, though, he had to ask.

"I do not know," King Rhoam said, smiling in that sad way he had before. "But I am confident that Impa will have some thoughts on the matter. She was always among the craftiest of Sheikah. And if Zelda has begun to speak to you, then perhaps she has also discovered a weakness in the Calamity Ganon."

"Then… how do I get down from the Plateau?" Link said, the sinking feeling in his heart unabated by the king's reply.

Seemingly relieved, the king actually laughed and placed an ethereal hand on Link's shoulder. His touch seemed cold and not fully there. Had he felt like that when Link pulled him away from the bokoblins? "My boy, now _that_ is something I can assist with." He turned and floated around Link, going to a small bundle in one corner of the steeple. "I have gathered you some supplies for your journey," he said as he took up position by the bundle of cloth.

Link stepped over to the bundle and knelt, reaching out and pulling the first article off of it. It was a thick wool cloak—the same one, it seemed, that the king had been wearing earlier. Link did not understand how a spirit such as King Rhoam could have held a physical object such as this, but he chose not to question it for the time being. In addition to the cloak, he found a pair of gloves, a length of rope, and a pouch containing several multi-colored gems cut into the shape of hexagons. Most of the gems were blue or green, but he saw a few red gems, as well as one purple one. He looked up at the old man questioningly.

"Rupees. Still the accepted form of currency in Hyrule, I believe, unless things have changed so dramatically in the last one hundred years," the old man said, smiling. "It is not a lot, but it is all I have been able to find on the Plateau. I am sure the bokoblins have done their fair share of looting as they took up residence. It should, however, be enough to buy some basic supplies off of merchants or some of the inns that I believe still exist along the roads."

Link nodded and then looked at the final item, which had been at the bottom of the bundle. At first, it appears to just be a brown cloth, but further inspection revealed a wooden frame around the cloth. The frame had been folded, thanks to a few simple metal joints along the wood. He unfolded the frame, locking the joints, and was surprised to find that it was larger than he initially thought. With the frame unfolded, the brown cloth stretched out to reveal a simple, but stylized image of a bird woven into the fabric. On its underside, a pair of curved wooden poles formed what appeared to be handles.

"That," the king said, sounding proud. "is my paraglider. It is a special piece of equipment—one that has served me well for many years. It is no longer of any use to me in my current state, but I believe that you may benefit greatly from it, especially considering the recent resurgence of those towers throughout the land…"

Link frowned at the paraglider, turning it over in his hands, trying to get an understanding of what exactly it was or how it would be useful.

"That glider has a special quality to it. Made with special Rito fabric that is extremely lightweight and particularly adept at catching even the slightest breeze, it will allow its user to glide off of any height, not to mention slow any fall. I will admit, it can be terrifying at first, but once you grow accustomed to it, the air will be open to you. Just ensure you have a good grip on it."

Link looked up at the old king dubiously, who smiled knowingly. "I am afraid," King Rhoam said, "that this will be quite necessary for you to get off of the Great Plateau. When you were placed in the Shrine of Resurrection, the only path up onto the plateau was collapsed and has since flooded. I am still not sure how the bokoblins got up here—they likely found a way to climb up, or perhaps they were always here but only recently emboldened by the lack of other inhabitants."

Link looked down at the paraglider with uncertainty, and then back up at the old king. King Rhoam had begun to change. It had been nearly imperceptible at first—the ethereal glow _had_ seemed stronger, but that had been all—but now Link found that the king had grown translucent. Rhoam smiled sadly and reached out, placing a hand on Link's shoulder. It was feather light and cold.

"It appears that my time has finally come," the king said he continued to grow less substantial.

"No," Link said, eyes widening. He stood quickly and was shocked when the king's hand did not stay on his shoulder, but instead, remained in the same place that it had been before. As such, it ended up somewhere in Link's gut. It was terribly uncomfortable and cold, and the king removed it quickly. "I… I still have no memories. You've barely told me anything. Can't you stay?" He hated the pleading tone in his voice. If he was to be this _hero_ that the king spoke of, he would have to be stronger than this, wouldn't he?

"My purpose was to guide you onto the path, Link," said King Rhoam. His feet had faded completely from existence, and his legs were beginning to do so as well. "But I trust you will have the strength to go on. Seek out Impa, as I said. She will provide you with the information you seek." The king looked down at himself and seemed at a loss for words. Finally, he looked up at Link, smiling. "Take care of my daughter, Link. Farewell."

Link watched as the king's ethereal glow faded, along with his body. Soon, Link was left alone in the Temple of Time's steeple, gazing mutely at the place where the last king of Hyrule had been only moments before. He took a step towards the hole in the wall that looked out towards Hyrule Castle. In the distance, the beast had risen again. Link watched as it writhed and twisted before being pulled back down towards the castle. Link watched and he felt no courage.


	5. Chapter Four

**Hello, my wonderful readers! I got some more time to do some editing today, so I'm posting this up a little earlier than my planned Saturday posting. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter as much as I did while writing it. It's a little change of pace than the last couple-a little more light hearted. I'll let you read and find out what I mean.**

 **I'm not going to answer every question I get in reviews publicly for the sake of not overdoing these author's notes. However, thelastpitchbender asked me a question that took me a long time to finally decide on when I started writing. Shrines. I'm not going to reveal my plans here quite yet, but rest assured that I do have Shrines still in the story, and they will serve a purpose. Just don't expect to see Link go through 120 of them... I did opt, however, to remove them entirely from the opening sequence as I didn't want to get stuck on the Great Plateau any longer than I needed to be. I felt that would have slowed the intro down too much.**

 ** **Thanks for the questions and reviews. If anyone has any more, I'm happy to answer, as long as it doesn't get into spoiler territory. And, believe me, even if you've put 500 hours into the game, there are still some potential spoilers that you all will hopefully not be expecting. Heck, there might be spoilers that I'm not even expecting yet. Not anywhere near done writing this thing, after all.****

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

Link spent the night in the steeple. By the time King Rhoam had faded, the sun had begun to set, and rather than try to make camp in a place that Link could potentially be ambushed by bokoblins, he decided that the steeple would do. He had climbed down briefly to collect some of the boar meat that the bokoblin had been cooking earlier, and then made his way back up into the steeple. He wrapped himself in the king's cloak, which proved to be surprisingly warm for something worn by a spirit, and leaned against the cold brick wall, eating a few strips of the meat, until he fell into a fitful sleep. He dreamed while he slept—graphic dreams that eventually woke him up feeling anxious. What he dreamed, however, he didn't know. The contents of the dreams were as fleeting as his memories—occasionally just at the edge of his mind, but unable to be grasped in any detail. Perhaps they had been memories themselves. He did not know.

When Link finally did awake for the final time, he saw that the sun was beginning to rise just to the left of the distant Dueling Peaks, as King Rhoam had called them. The sky was still dark to the west but lightened to shades of violet and pink the further east Link looked. For a time, Link enjoyed simply watching the sunrise, gradually bathing the land in its light. It was peaceful. He kept himself wrapped in the cloak as he watched—the plateau was chilly in the morning.

Eventually, the time came for Link to rise and begin gathering up his equipment. He once again strapped his sword to his back, along with his shield. He shoved the pouch of rupees into the satchel he'd taken from the king's things earlier the day prior. He slipped the gloves onto his hands and wrapped the loop of rope around his right shoulder. Finally, he picked up the paraglider. He… was not very comfortable with this.

Stepping forward, he looked down from the steeple to the ground below. The king had said the paraglider would slow his fall. Would it work when jumping off of the Temple of Time? He considered the distance between him and the ground. It was high, to be sure, but likely survivable as long as he landed correctly. If he landed incorrectly, he would likely break his legs, if not worse.

"Well," he said, smiling tightly. "That's a pleasant thought." And then he jumped from the steeple, gripping the glider tightly in his gloved hands. For a brief moment, he was falling, and his stomach seemed to end up somewhere in the region of his throat. However, after that moment, he found that his fall had slowed as the glider suddenly filled with air above his head. Amazingly, he slowly floated down to the ground, just as the king had said. When he touched down on the ground, he did so gently. No broken legs. Not even as much as a bruised foot. He brought the glider down to eye level so that he could marvel at its construction. How was such a thing even possible?

It took Link several seconds of examining the glider to finally determine how to unlock the hinges that would allow it to fold up. Once he folded it, he was surprised to find that it became fairly portable. It would not fit in his satchel by any means, but its light weight made it easy to carry in one hand. He would eventually have to figure out an easier way to travel with so many possessions, however. As it stood now, he did not have any real means of traveling with food or other supplies. He had a few weapons, a satchel containing some rupees and an old bowstring, rope, and an apparently magic paraglider. He would need more supplies than that if he hoped to travel any significant amount of distance.

Sighing, Link approached the Temple's outer wall, where he'd left the unstrung bow the day before. It was, thankfully, right where he'd left it, and he picked it up. His next thought was food, and he stepped into the Temple of Time, only to find that the boar carcass, as well as the remaining cooked meat, had gone missing. It probably meant there were still more bokoblins in the area as well. _Great_ , he thought. He would have to keep an eye out for more ambushes.

He began walking. While he tried to be quiet, it was very obvious to him that if there _were_ any bokoblins still in the area, they would likely be able to hear him. No attack came, however, as he made his way down the hill. Perhaps the string of bodies that Link had left in his wake the day before had scared them off from the area. That would, at least, be _one_ positive in light of everything Link had done the day before.

It did not seem to take Link very long to reach the base of the Sheikah Tower, which still stood where it had been yesterday, blue light emanating from its core and the distant platform overhead. Along the way, Link had managed to gather several apples from a large apple tree, which he had stuffed into his pack after greedily eating three. The apples helped, both with hunger and thirst, though he knew he would soon need something more substantial. He still had some meat strips left over from the boar but knew it would not last long. It would probably be safe to eat for the rest of the day, at most.

He wondered if he had ever hunted in his past. His attempts at stealth, thus far, had not gone over as well as he'd have hoped, but he seemed to be a decent shot with a bow… He wondered if he could he make some kind of trap?

After considering this for a moment, he was forced to admit that, regardless of whatever skills he had in the past, he certainly did _not_ know how to make a proper animal trap now. He could probably shoot one with an arrow, but he would likely only have a single shot for most animals. It was something he would have to attempt later. For now, he had some cooked boar meat and apples. It would suffice for a time.

As he came down the final hill before reaching the tower, he noticed something that he hadn't seen before—a small water reservoir with broken stone pillars on either side. It looked out of place, and as Link approached, he thought that he could see why. The pillars, upon closer inspection, were the remains of ancient stone arches, and beneath the water, Link could see the remains of a staircase that led down towards the stone wall that ringed the entire plateau. An ancient Guardian also sat half-submerged in the water.

 _The king said that the entrance to the plateau had been collapsed and flooded_ , Link thought as he gazed down at the still pond. It was clear to him that he was looking at what used to be a far _easier_ method of getting off the plateau than what Rhoam had given him. After some consideration, Link knelt on the ground and scooped his hands in the water. He brought it to his lips, taking a tentative sip. After determining that the water tasted fine and seemed safe, he filled his water skin and took a deep drink of it. He topped it off once more and then stood, looking at the wall surrounding the Great Plateau. There was a section of it that had broken away nearby, and Link decided that would do as well as anywhere else.

A few minutes later, he found himself staring out at a beautiful field with rolling hills, large trees, and a surprising number of ruins. Not to mention the _very_ large drop. A sudden gust of wind from behind nearly made Link stumble, and he quickly took a step back, not wanting to accidentally fall off. _That_ drop would certainly be the death of him.

Link didn't particularly think he was afraid of heights. Not really. But he was fairly certain that anyone, faced with the prospect of leaping off a giant cliff with nothing but what appeared to be a sheet stretched out by some pieces of wood, would feel apprehensive. Then again, maybe Hylians were all just madmen. He certainly couldn't remember, either way. Regardless, Link found himself inspecting the wall for any possible way to climb down. The wall was made of large cut stones, and he thought that he saw several potential ledges that he could rest on… but there weren't nearly enough handholds that he could see. The king was probably right—the paraglider was likely the only way off this plateau.

It was decided, then. Link stepped closer to the ledge and did what he could to swallow his fear. Far below him was what looked like the ruins of an old outpost. Several large flagstaffs still rose, lining either side of the road far below, and a couple of them still even had the tattered remains of an old flag fluttering in the breeze. It seemed like as good a place as any to start his journey.

Holding his paraglider over his head, Link took a deep breath and leaped off the edge of the Great Plateau.

The glider caught the air immediately and Link suddenly felt strangely light in the air. He held on tightly to the twin handholds and was amazed to see the ground far below him lazily passing by. He wasn't just slowly falling off of the plateau—he was gliding far above the world below. The outpost ruins began to pass beneath his feet and he found himself gliding further north than he had expected. At that moment, he didn't care. For, at that moment, Link was grinning and laughing, overjoyed by the sudden sense of _freedom_ that he felt. He glided through the open air without a care, feeling like a child experiencing the joy of a new toy.

A gust of wind caught him, causing his hair to flutter around his face. The glider followed the direction of the wind, and Link did not fight it. He sailed over a small grove of trees and then spotted a ruined building in his path. It would make a good place to set down. As Link sailed over a broken wall, he carefully adjusted the angle of the paraglider, canceling his forward movement, and then slowly lowered to the ground until his feet touched solid ground.

He was in a partially collapsed building. The roof had long since rotted away, and the cross beams that had once held it up were in a heap on the floor. Several old beds lined one wall, all in various states of disrepair and disarray. Link figured that he must have landed in some kind of military barrack. He took a moment to examine the contents of the room, looking for anything that might have been useful to him, before determining that it was a lost cause. Whatever had once been in here had long since been picked clean.

He found the open doorway and stepped out onto a wide stone road that was partially overgrown with grass. Several more buildings like the one he'd been in lined the road, all in various states of ruin. Nearby, a fox started from Link's sudden emergence and darted into the underbrush beside one such building. A few birds chirped in the nearby trees; otherwise, there was only silence.

The feeling of elation that Link had felt while gliding off the Great Plateau faded, replaced, instead, with a growing sense of dread. The Temple of Time had been cut off from any possible caretakers for one hundred years. He had assumed—hoped—that was the only reason for its state of decay. But here, Link found what was clearly once a large, likely military, outpost. It was destroyed—perhaps during Ganon's attack one hundred years ago—and never rebuilt. How bad had things been before the princess sealed the beast?

Link did not linger in the outpost very long, checking a few of the buildings, but only finding scraps of equipment that had long since been exposed to the elements. He did find a few additional broken-down Guardians, which he tried to ignore. He continued down the road, finding no other signs of life, outside of the occasional wildlife, until he came up to an old stone bridge that was, thankfully, still standing. From this vantage point, he could see some bokoblins gathered around a fire, as well as a much larger creature. This one was easily twice the size as one of the bokoblins, though it had some similar features. A long, pig-like snout, a single horn, and the same fashion sense consisting of wearing only a single tattered loincloth. It had long, hulking arms, and short legs.

The camp was fairly out of the way from the road, but it served as a good reminder that he wasn't any safer now than he was earlier. He tried to keep a low profile while crossing the bridge and continued on his way, once he was certain that none of the creatures had seen him. The Dueling Peaks were still far away, and Link hoped to reach them by the day's end.

* * *

Link made camp within the hollowed-out interior of an ancient fallen tree trunk. It looked as if it once had stood hundreds of feet tall, and easily had a circumference the size of a house. The trunk had been broken into multiple parts over the years and the one Link found himself sheltering in was at the bottom of a large hill. The pieces of the tree could be found in several places on the hill, ending with the ancient trunk at the hill's peak. Link wondered at the age of the tree—it had to be hundreds, if not thousands of years old. He wondered how long ago it had fallen.

Before making camp, Link had climbed to the top of the hill and surveyed the surrounding landscape, looking for any signs of life around him. As far as he could see, he couldn't see any bokoblin camps or otherwise. Finally, deciding that he was probably safe enough, he did what he could to forage some meal supplies. He didn't have any luck with hunting—the only rabbit he saw was scared off when he accidentally stepped on a twig. He did find some mushrooms that he hoped were safe to eat based on the fact that it was clear he'd seen some others like it that had been chewed on by wildlife. He also managed to find an odd trio of apple trees on another hill. Strangely enough, two of the trees only had one apple each, while the third was quite full of apples. Deciding that it was nothing to worry about, Link picked several more apples and carried his bundle down towards his campsite.

After gathering his meal and noting that the sun was beginning to set below the distant western horizon, Link made a small campfire. It took some work, but there was no shortage of wood in his immediate vicinity, much of it old and ready to catch flame. He made his meal of the remaining boar meat—cooked again to hopefully prevent him from getting sick—and baked apples and mushrooms. Bland as the meal may have been, Link found himself quite satisfied and settled back against the incline of the hill, lying on his cloak.

As night fell, various insect noises picked up and Link noted a large number of fireflies had seemingly come to life around the ancient log. "It's beautiful out here," he said to no one in particular. He got no response, and that seemed wrong to him somehow. He didn't know what it was, but _something_ was missing. He felt… lonely. He looked to the side and saw a bare patch of ground not far from him that seemed empty. He had been the princess' chosen knight, right? Did they travel together?

Link sighed and sat up, looking at his small fire. The feeling of melancholy that had fallen on him seemed unlikely to fade anytime soon. His eyes fell on his small pile of possessions nearby, and the Sheikah Slate, in particular. He suddenly remembered the change that it had undergone on the tower—he hadn't even looked at it since then to try to determine what the different icons meant. Reaching over, he picked it up and inspected the different icons.

Six icons spread across his screen—squares with various colored shapes within them. The first square had a blue circle within it, the second had an angled red U shape in it, the third a yellow padlock, the fourth what appeared to be a white snowflake. The fifth had a simple icon with a dashed line ending in a red X, and the sixth had a strange orange segmented cylinder.

Link touched the last one first and was surprised when, suddenly, the screen of the Sheikah Slate appeared to become translucent. He could see the fire behind it as if the Sheikah Slate's center was made entirely of glass. His eyes widened as he found himself looking through the screen at his surroundings. After a moment, he touched another icon—a plus symbol—and, suddenly, the image on the screen magnified. He could make out the fine grain of the tree trunk around him as if he were standing inches from it and inspecting it from close. Another press of the plus symbol brought the view even closer, though it had difficulty focusing.

Deciding that it was imperative that he continue experimenting with this, Link stood and quickly hurried outside. It was dark, so difficult to make out the details of his surroundings, but it was clear that the magnification offered by the device would be incredibly useful for scouting. He angled the Slate up towards the moon and found that he was able to make out a great deal more detail on its surface than with his naked eye.

Link found that the plus symbol was no longer available to be pressed, but he spotted a minus sign directly under it. Pressing this, the magnification on the Slate returned back to normal. Link grinned and continued to, well, _play_ with this for a time, enjoying how useful it would likely prove itself to be. Eventually, he pressed a small arrow in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, which made the screen opaque and brought back the colored icons from before.

He pressed the next icon from the right, and the screen shifted once again, this time becoming a colorful overhead map. A small icon in its center seemed to indicate Link's own location. It was incredibly detailed, showing various landmarks around him with their titles, including what appeared to be a small pond that he hadn't even seen on his earlier scouting. Experimenting with the various icons on this screen, Link found that he was able to zoom in on various locations, and even place a variety of icons and notes on the map. Amazed at the level of detail and use that this device provided, Link continued back to the original screen, inspecting the other icons.

The snowflake was his first disappointment. When he pressed this, a small message in red text flashed across the bottom of the screen. "Unable to use Cryonis rune. No body of water detected." Considering this, Link frowned and determined to try this out the next body of water that he passed. Instead, he went to the next icon—the yellow lock icon. Pressing this changed the screen on the Sheikah Slate again. It once more became translucent, but now everything seemed to be bathed in a strange yellow light through the screen. A small cross symbol had also appeared in its center. As this plus was drawn over various objects, Link found that they were highlighted with a brighter yellow light. Link highlighted a small stick on the ground and pressed another lock icon on the bottom-right corner of the screen

Suddenly, a beam of yellow light shot out from the Sheikah Slate, striking the stick. At once, the stick was bathed in the same yellow light that the screen had shown, the light visible without the Sheikah Slate. Eyeing the stick curiously, Link approached it and knelt. The yellow light pulsed faintly, illuminating the grass around it. He hesitantly reached out, touching the stick, and was surprised to find that it did not move at all from his touch. He attempted to pick it up, but it would not budge from its spot on the ground. Frowning, Link pulled harder, grunting with exertion. He placed the Sheikah Slate down and tried to use both hands, though he found it to be difficult to get a good grip on it, as he could not get his fingers under the stick very easily. Finally, he stepped back, amazed at the Sheikah Slate's ability to seemingly freeze the stick in place. He noticed that the pulsing light had grown much quicker now. It grew quicker and quicker until, suddenly, the stick flashed with light and went flying far above into the air, spinning away into the distance.

Of course, this required much further investigation.

Sometime later, and only after Link had successfully launched several more objects into the night, did he think he had a good handle on how this rune, labeled Stasis, worked. It could freeze objects, halting any and all movement, for a short period of time. However, any kinetic action, such as pulling or striking the object, appeared to be saved and all applied at once when the object was unfrozen. As a result, even multiple small pushes and taps could result in a rather large reaction. It had limits, however. The larger and heavier an object was resulted in a much shorter period of time spent frozen. When Link attempted to use the rune on the log he was camping within, the stasis only lasted mere moments. It also appeared to work on living things, as Link found he was able to freeze several of the fireflies that lit up the night around him. The acting of freezing them alone did not seem to cause any harm, though Link was careful not to touch any of the frozen insects, lest he accidentally crush them. He could also only freeze one object at a time, and could manually release objects frozen before the timer counted down by pressing the stasis button again.

Excited to see the next icon's functionality, Link then pressed the rune labeled Magnesis. Like the Stasis rune before it, it turned the screen translucent again, but this time bathed everything in a red light. Link frowned as he looked around with this screen, as the icon on the bottom-right of the screen appeared not to do anything. It wasn't until he'd found his sword, lying by his fire, in his screen that the Sheikah Slate's screen showed anything different. The sword glowed red in the screen. Link pressed the button, and suddenly, the Slate in his hand shuddered slightly. Something happened to the sword as well, as it suddenly shook and, when Link adjusted his grip on the Slate, appeared to follow his movements. Eyes widening, Link lifted the Slate above his head and the sword followed, rising into the air.

Link laughed and practiced moving the sword around in the air, finding it seemed to follow wherever his screen was pointed at. However, when Link attempted to press some of the additional buttons available on the screen, the screen suddenly turned black and the sword fell to the ground with a clatter. The screen turned back on a moment later, with text scrolling across the bottom. "Error—Magnesis Rune damaged. Repairs needed to restore full functionality."

Somewhat disappointed, Link continued to experiment with the rune, swinging the sword around. At one point, he got its point lodged into the old wooden log—that was when he truly understood how powerful a weapon this rune could end up being with practice.

Marveling at the Slate's functionality, Link pressed the last icon, excited to see what would happen next. To his surprise, the screen did not turn translucent this time. Instead, something flashed on the ground in front of him. Link looked down, surprised to see what appeared to be a simple, blue glowing ball sitting on the ground a few feet in front of him. Link pressed the blue button again.

This was a mistake.

The glowing ball suddenly burst in a brilliant white light, and he was hit with a concussive blast that sent him flying backwards. He hit the ground some five to ten feet away, ears ringing and feeling like he'd just been hit full in the chest by a charging bull. For a moment, he couldn't see or hear anything, the bright flash having blinded and deafened him. His chest hurt quite a bit. In fact, now that he thought about it, his entire _body_ hurt. His vision slowly returned, but it was blurry. Slowly, with a pained groan, he rolled onto his stomach and coughed violently, trying to fight down a sudden wave of nausea.

Once his coughing fit subsided and his vision cleared, he slowly rose to his knees. Noticing that he no longer had the Sheikah Slate in his hands, he looked around and found it sitting a few feet away from him. He tried to stand, but a sudden wave of dizziness informed him that was a bad idea. Instead, he crawled over to the Slate and turned it over so its screen was facing him.

Written across its bottom in red letters was a simple message. "Warning: Standing too close to the Remote Bomb Rune explosion can result in bodily harm or death. Please be sure to stand a safe distance back and ensure no one is in danger of being injured by flying shrapnel."

"Well," Link said with another cough. "Maybe I should read the warning next time…" He rolled back onto his back and closed his eyes, groaning. "Ow."

* * *

The next day, Link still felt quite sore but had, thankfully, escaped with only scrapes and bruises following his experimentation with the Remote Bomb rune. He had decided against doing any more testing that night, however, not wanting to attract any undue attention to his location with explosions.

When he finally awoke the next day, the sun was well into the sky, and the air within the tree trunk was pleasantly warm. Link ate a hastily put together breakfast and gathered up his supplies before getting on the road again. As he walked down the hill, he was surprised to see a large black circle of burnt grass and dirt on the ground where the bomb had exploded the night before. Dangerous, indeed, but possibly a useful weapon. All in all, he was very satisfied by the utility offered by the Sheikah Slate, and hoped to experiment with it further later on, after his bruised ribs healed from his last experiment.

He grew irritated as clouds soon covered the sun, and a light, cold rain began to fall. The cloak helped for a little while, but it quickly became soaked through as well. He hoped the rain would cease soon, but quite unfortunately, it continued for several more hours. It did finally abate late in the afternoon, but the road Link traveled on was a muddy mess, and his soaked cloak was cold and heavy. He finally removed it, though that did little to warm him. The day was cooler today than the day before, though having the sun to his back helped somewhat.

He hadn't traveled nearly as much this day as he had the day prior, his progress slowed by the rain and mud. And, still, he saw no other travelers on the road. He did finally find himself approaching the Dueling Peaks, however. As he approached the large split mountain, though, he also found himself drawing alongside another Sheikah Tower, this one glowing orange. It was in the center of a river that flowed through the center of the Dueling Peaks and impossible to reach without going for a swim, which Link didn't find particularly palatable after the long walk in the rain that day.

Still, though, the tower bothered him. The last time he'd activated one of the towers, it had restored additional functionality to his Sheikah Slate. He wondered if this tower would do the same. It was in considering this that Link recalled that there was one additional rune that he had not yet been able to test or determine its functionality. It had required being near a body of water. Deciding that there was no time like the present, Link pulled the Sheikah Slate off his belt and held it up, facing the water. He hit the snowflake button again, and this time, the screen turned translucent, highlighting the water of the flowing river with blue light. Curious, Link pressed the button at the bottom-right of the screen—the same snowflake-shaped icon as before.

A sharp _crack_ noise rang out through the air. Link jumped in surprise and watched with awe as the spot in the river where he'd been pointing the Slate at swirled around, rising up and solidifying into a cube-shaped block of ice. Ice crystals like snow appeared in the air around the cube of ice, slowly drifting down to rejoin the water still flowing around it. Strange Sheikah runes glowed on its side. Surprisingly, the pillar appeared unaffected by the flow of the river, remaining perfectly still in its flow.

Link exhaled the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. It was _incredible_. Where before there had just been rushing water, now there stood a solid piece of ice. How was this even possible? Link glanced down at the Sheikah Slate and, after a moment, pressed the Cryonis rune again. The Slate was still pointed at the existing block of ice and, when he pressed it, the block suddenly cracked down the middle. It cracked again, and then broke into several large chunks of ice that were immediately carried away with the river.

Grinning, Link began to experiment with this new rune. He quickly discovered that there were more options than just a single block of ice. He could create blocks of ice of varying heights and widths, indeed, creating a shallow set of stairs. There were limitations—he could only have a few blocks in existence before the earlier ones started to crack and fail. And there was a sort of time limit to the ice blocks as well—they would eventually fail on their own after several minutes. Still, though, this was going to prove incredibly useful for crossing bodies of water.

Starting, Link decided, right now. He began to create a series of small stepping stones made of ice on the river. Once he had three in place, all within easy stepping distance, he hesitantly placed a foot on the first. It didn't bob under his weight at all, remaining solidly in place. It _was_ slippery, however, though the surface wasn't perfectly smooth. It felt almost as though the ice had a thin layer of snow atop it, which helped with traction to a small degree. It would not be good to take this too quickly, then.

Link cautiously moved forward and, as he created the next couple of platforms, he heard the ice blocks behind him crack and fail. It was a somewhat intimidating sound, and he felt his palms begin to sweat. He was beginning to hope this wasn't a mistake. Still, though, he made his way across the river. He almost fell in once as he approached a spot of a choppier waterflow, due to a series of stones jutting out of the river's surface. The additional chop caused water to splash up onto the surface of the block of ice and Link momentarily slipped, wind-milling his arms to keep himself from tumbling over into the river's depths. He regained his balance, however, and, after that, he began to make the ice blocks a little taller to prevent waves from splashing overtop them.

Finally, he reached a series of large rocks at the foot of the tower. It looked as though this tower, like the one on the Great Plateau, had also burst up from the ground, displacing these stones in the process. Link was very grateful to have rock underfoot again, rather than ice, but still couldn't help but to look back at the distance he had crossed. What else could this piece of equipment accomplish?

He began to climb the tower. It was not an easy climb, as the tower was rather tall, but like the previous one, it thankfully had several platforms forming a spiral around its length, which served as convenient platforms upon which to rest. He quickly reached the top and stood up, looking out the land around him. The Great Plateau was surprisingly far away—he could just barely make out its walls over the distant horizon, hazy with the distance. Link had progressed further than he'd truly realized.

From this vantage point, Link was able to see far and wide around him. He could see several pinpricks of light that signified campfires, which he quickly investigated with his Sheikah Slate. He only found disappointment in that, however, when he found the nearest campfires to belong to bokoblins and those larger creatures. They seemed to be numerous in this region. Were they simply not all as dangerous as the ones on the Plateau, or did the Hylians that remained after the Calamity just not have the means to drive them away?

That thought concerned Link quite a bit. He had yet, after two days of travel, to pass a single other soul on the road. Thus far, he had avoided confrontation with the bokoblins as well. The roads didn't seem _that_ dangerous, so where was everyone? Had Ganon's destruction been that bad? If so, how was _he_ supposed to make any difference?

He slowly walked around the edge of the tower, until he was facing towards the distant Hyrule castle. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Princess?" he said hesitantly. "Princess, can you… hear me?" He received no answer and exhales slowly. "How am I supposed to do this? How was I _ever_ expected to do this? I cannot even remember who I am—who I _was._ " Again, he only received silence as a reply.

He wanted to say more. He felt he _should_ say more. But what could he say? He remained silent for a long time after before, finally, speaking again, his voice soft. "The king said I was your chosen knight… He said that you saved me, in the end. I… thank you. I wish I could remember."

He fell silent after this and, finally, turned back to the small pedestal at the center of the tower. Like the one before, it had a stalactite-like structure of black rock over the pedestal. Link placed his Sheikah Slate down upon the indentation in its center and watched as the blue runic characters appeared on the rock above it. They gathered near its point and then the drop of blue liquid fell onto the Sheikah Slate's surface. As this happened, the light of the tower turned blue, just like the previous tower.

Link gathered up the Sheikah Slate, but did not find any additional runes on its menu. Instead, he found simple text that read, "Sheikah Tower activated. Teleportation point activated. Error: Teleportation Rune non-functional. Detecting nearby Guardians. Error: no nearby Guardians detected." Scowling, Link pressed his finger to the screen, which cleared away the text, revealing the same runes that had been there before.

Feeling somewhat let down, Link hooked the Sheikah Slate to his belt and approached the edge, facing the distant river's shore. After considering the distance that the wind was blowing, Link pulled his paraglider from the makeshift carrier that he'd made with the rope given to him by the king and unfolded it. He checked the wind direction once more, and then leaped off of the tower, floating above the river.

Once he touched down on the ground, he set out to make camp. Evening was beginning to fall, and Link was confident from his scouting atop the tower that he was well and alone in this patch of land. His food supplies were beginning to dwindle, however, and he knew that he would need to find more food in the morning. At least he was next to a source of fresh water, however.

Finding a decent tree with which to shelter under, he set about making himself another small fire. It would be good to at least be able to properly dry his clothes as well, as they had never fully dried after the rain from earlier in the day. It wasn't long after he had eaten another meal of baked apples and mushrooms that he settled down to sleep through the night.

That night under the tree by the river, Link dreamt of a beautiful woman with shining blonde hair gazing at him from across a great distance. Her hair was pulled back away from her face and tucked behind two pointed ears. She wore a flowing white dress that reached all the way down to her ankles, where she wore simple brown leather sandals. She seemed to be trying to tell him something—he could see her lips moving—but he was unable to hear anything. He took a step towards her, and then another, but she did not seem to get any closer. He took several more steps and, abruptly, broke into a run. In that moment, he knew he had to reach her. He had to see her, to hear her, to protect her.

Darkness fell between them, causing Link to stop abruptly. The woman was hidden from his view, but he thought he heard the faintest voice upon the wind. "Link…" it said. Gnashing his teeth, Link tried pressing forward into the darkness, searching out the woman. If he could just _see_ her again…

Link awoke with a start. Like water cupped in his hand, the dream quickly drained away from his memory, soon only leaving a strange sense of desperation and that single word, whispered upon the wind.


	6. Chapter Five

**I've been pretty consistent with my writing the last two weeks, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to take some extra time to edit and post two chapters this week again. Especially since, of the early chapters, this one is one my favorites! Expect my next chapter to come in hot on Saturday like normal.**

 **Also, to the folks that are leaving me reviews and following my story-thanks! I really enjoy reading what others are thinking of my story and would love to hear from other readers as well. Please review, folks! I've been writing this thing from January, so I'm very excited to see what people think of what I've done with Breath of the Wild so far and going forward. And if you have enjoyed what you're reading, I definitely recommend following the story as well. I'm already proving to be pretty bad about waiting a full week between posting chapters and will likely continue to be impatient as long as I keep writing multiple chapters a week.**

 **Okay, I think that's enough from me. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

The morning brought with it a chilly wind blowing in through the canyon between the Dueling Peaks. His cloak, now dry after sitting out next to the fire all night, was a grateful addition to Link's wardrobe before he set out for another attempt at hunting.

The sun hadn't quite yet risen over the Dueling Peaks, leaving the land around Link in shadow, though the sky overhead had lightened considerably. He remained crouched atop a hill not far from the river below, keeping an eye out for any movement. He wasn't sure how long he remained there until, finally, a rabbit bounded out from its den, approaching the river. Silently, he slid an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, and drew to his cheek. Exhaling slowly, Link watched the rabbit, waiting. It paused, sniffing the air.

He loosed, sending the arrow flying through the air, directly towards the rabbit. Overhead, an eagle cried; the rabbit darted. The arrow sunk into the soft ground, exactly where the rabbit had been a split-second before. Link exhaled heavily, lowering his head. His shot had been perfect. Scowling up at the flying eagle overhead, Link seriously considered taking a shot at _it_ , before going to retrieve his arrow. It appeared that he would have a breakfast of apples again this morning.

As he retrieved his arrow, he glanced towards the river and spotted a fish swimming lazily in the water near the shore. He considered this for a moment and then smiled. Later, as he roasted the green bass that he'd caught in the river over a fire, he decided that the Stasis rune, really, probably gave him an unfair advantage in hunting.

* * *

It was, unfortunately, cold between the Dueling Peaks, Link found. He could see evidence of sunlight far overhead, but felt none of its warmth while walking through the narrow canyon between two sheer rock walls. The path he walked on was, at times, fairly narrow, and more than once, he found himself having to walk through cold river water that had washed up onto the path. At least he had a full belly, he reflected. That had certainly done much to improve his mood.

The sun was still high in the sky when the canyon walls began to widen and Link stepped into warm sunlight. Smiling, he quickened his pace, seeing the end of the canyon up ahead. As he neared the end of the Dueling Peaks, he saw something that made his head skip a beat. A large structure with a strange… what was that? A horse head? It appeared to be a building with a large wooden horse head attached to its roof. It wasn't just the sight of the strange horse-themed building that made Link stop short, however. No, he supposed that it was, first, the fact that the building, with its colorful fabrics and a large pasture fence behind it, was fully intact that caused him to grow excited. And, secondly, it was the sight of _people_.

He looked through his Sheikah Slate just to make sure this wasn't some other elaborate bokoblin camp, but no. He saw _people_ milling about this strange structure. A couple of children were playing out front with a shaggy brown dog. A few stable hands were grooming a trio of horses. A man was sitting by a black pot over a sizeable fire, stirring some chopped vegetables into what appeared to be some kind of stew.

The sight nearly brought tears to Link's eyes.

His pace picked up, and he quickly walked and then even broke into a light jog, hurrying towards the single wooden bridge that he could see in the distance that crossed over the river. Before too long, he could hear the children's laughs and the dog bark. Horses neighed and munched on oats from the trough. As he approached, however, the children suddenly fell silent, ignoring the dog's excited bark as it nudged a small wooden ball towards the nearest child. The man at the pot of stew stood up, looking over at Link with distrustful eyes. One of the stable hands hurried into the building, and a few moments later, a man with a sword strapped to his waist and a leather cap on his head stepped out.

Link got the distinct impression that he was an odd sight to see. Based on the fact that he hadn't seen any other people in the last two days, he wondered if many traveled from this side of the Dueling Peaks to the other. It probably didn't help that he was armed. Hoping to allay any fears, he reached up and pulled his hood down, running a hand through his shaggy hair. He needed to get something to tie it up out of his face.

"Ho, stranger!" said the man with the sword. He casually set one hand upon his pommel, trying to look calm, but Link could see that he was tense. Link kept his hands at his side, one hand still holding his unstrung bow. He couldn't imagine that he looked _that_ threatening, but then again, he also supposed that he hadn't had a proper bath in over a century. The rain yesterday should have helped some. He hoped.

"That's probably far enough," said the man as Link approached to within ten feet. "Where are ya from? Haven't seen many new travelers in a while. Especially not from beyond the Peaks. Was pretty sure I knew all the merchants that traveled that route, and 'sides, you don't look much like a merchant, do ya?"

Link found himself not quite knowing how to respond to that. What lie could he give? "I'm… traveling from out west. I'm on my way to Kakariko Village to see—"

"Out west, huh? What are ya, Gerudo? You look pretty pale, kind of short—are you a Gerudo?"

Link stammered a bit. Gerudo? Pale? Short? He didn't have a _clue_ what Gerudo looked like, but he was, at least, fairly confident he wasn't one. The old king had, at least, confirmed that he was Hylian. Finally, he shook his head.

"Not Gerudo, huh? Well, where'd ya come from?" The armed man had a strange drawling accent, that only seemed to grow more pronounced the more suspicious he got.

Deciding quickly that he needed to give the man _some_ kind of answer, Link cleared his throat. "I'm not a Gerudo, but, uh… I lived with them for a time. However, I've been sent to… deliver a message. To Impa, of Kakariko Village."

"Didn't know the Sheikah were talkin' to the Gerudo. Of course, never know _what_ those Sheikah are up to. Bunch of mystics, they are. Saw one of them disappear in a puff of smoke once, I did. You ever seen somethin' like that?"

"No, I haven't, I—"

"Ya travelin' alone, then? Don't see that too often." The man's hand still rested comfortably on the pommel of his sword, but something seemed off about his stance. He was nervous, to be sure, but… Link found himself wondering if the man had ever truly even had any sword training. Of course, reflectively, Link reminded himself that _he_ certainly didn't remember ever getting any training in the sword.

"Well, yes, I—"

"Ya see any of those boboklines out there?" said the man, mispronouncing bokoblins in his strange drawl. "Hear they've been causing some travelers problems on the road lately."

"Actually, yes, I came across a couple of—"

"Don't look like ya've seen too much fightin' to me. Are ya sure ya—"

"Rosso, leave the boy alone!" said a new voice. Both Link and the man named Rosso turned to see a tall woman emerging from the building, her red hair in multiple tight braids and tied back. She wasn't only tall, but larger and rather more imposing than Rosso for that matter. She had on a simple black dress, but wore a very elaborate purple and blue shawl over it. She had a golden hoop earring in each ear and several golden bangles on her wrists.

"Telma, now ya leave me well alone. You know that it's my job to keep an eye out for any unsavory folk coming 'round here," said the old man, spluttering a little bit.

"And you're doing a _fine_ job of it," the woman, Telma, said, smirking a little. She glanced at Link and winked before looking back at Rosso. "Now why don't you go on and make sure the road to the fort is clear. I don't like how brave those bokoblins in Blatchery plains have been getting lately. Tasseren told me he's expecting a shipment of new dyes from Hateno to arrive today, and I'm hoping to pick some up before I make my way up to Zora's Domain next week."

"Now, _Telma_ , ya can't just—"

"Ah, ah!" The woman, Telma, smiled and waggled a finger at Rosso, cutting him off. She made a shooing gesture towards him and then stepped past him, placing an arm around Link's shoulder. "Come on, you look like haven't had a good cup of tea in ages. I just started brewing one. Gerudo recipe, actually, so I'm sure you'll like it."

" _Telma_ …" Rosso spluttered, but Telma simply ignored him, leading Link into the shelter of the building.

Inside the building, Link was surprised to find a warm, welcoming sight. Several round tables sat in the center of a large room, each with four to five stools around it. Several other people sat at the tables, eating various kinds of foods or drinking out of wooden mugs. A few watched Link with suspicious eyes, but most seemed to think that if he got past Rosso, he was probably safe. Either that or they were more intimidated of the large Telma than Link. In the back of the large dining room, Link saw a few additional doors. One of which, he assumed led to a kitchen, which was confirmed as a serving girl walked out with a few mugs a moment later. The other door, he thought, probably lead to rooms, if his suspicion that this was an inn was correct.

Telma led Link to a table where a small silver kettle sat. She smiled over at Link and poured a spicy-smelling tea into a mug before handing it over to him. She waved at one of the serving girls, who nodded and went to retrieve her a fresh mug. Telma looked at Link and nodded towards the cup. "Go ahead, drink. It'll warm you up—you look a little cold. I know how cold it gets in that canyon with the wind."

Link looked at her with some uncertainty and then lifted the mug to his lips. It _smelled_ good, though a little sharper than he would have expected. He took a sip of the tea, and then immediately began to cough and splutter, quickly setting the wooden mug down. His mouth suddenly felt like it was on _fire_.

Telma laughed heartily. "I didn't think for a _second_ that you came from the desert!" She reached over, taking the mug in her hands and lifting it to her lips. She took a long gulp of it and then lowered the mug, smacking her lips. "Nothing like a good, strong Gerudo fire brew tea to wake you up in the morning."

Link coughed again and shook his head, still unable to speak. Finally, when he was able to speak, he cleared his throat. "What… what did you put in there? That was… not what I had expected."

"But I'll bet you feel warmer now, don't you?" Telma said, winking at him. And she was right—the tea, as little as he'd actually drunk, had made him immediately feel warm. "The Gerudo usually drink it at night since it gets so cold in the desert. When they aren't getting drunk off of Noble Pursuit, anyway."

Link nodded slowly, clearly not understanding much of what Telma was talking about. She appeared to pick up on this and chuckled warmly.

"I knew you hadn't been with the Gerudo because, well… you're not tall enough, I suppose. And you're a man. Somewhat difficult to live among them with those traits." When she saw that Link still didn't fully understand, she raised one eyebrow. "You've never even _seen_ a Gerudo, have you? Suppose I shouldn't be surprised—they don't often travel this far east. I do some trading out that way from time to time, though. My grandmother was Gerudo, so they tend to trade more favorably with me than other merchants. Been difficult getting out that way lately, though, with that big machine causing so many problems.

"Still, though, I wonder where you _are_ from? You're no Gerudo, and I doubt you've been staying out with the Rito. You'd be dressed a lot warmer if you had been. Don't look much like a resident of Lurelin…"

Link didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say? He had the sense that any lie he tried to tell this woman would be seen through almost immediately. Could he just… tell her the truth? That he had no memories of _where_ he'd been from, that he'd been upon the Plateau until recently?

"I…" Link cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the lingering burn that he still felt in his mouth. "I'm not really… sure."

"You're not sure where you're from?" Telma said, leaning forward curiously. "You know, I feel like saying you're a Gerudo might actually go over a little bet—"

"I don't know where I'm from. I just… woke up a couple of days ago in the ruins up the road. I don't remember how I got there or where I'm from."

Telma was silent for a few moments, studying him. "So… you don't know who you are—"

"I know my name is Link."

"Okay, so your name is Link, but you don't know where you are or where you're from."

"…Yes."

"But…" Telma tapped her lip thoughtfully. "You're on your way to Kakariko Village to see Impa. You remember that much."

Well.

"It's… I just know that name and location somehow. I don't know _how_ I know. I just… do." _Yes_ , he thought. _I should have just stuck with the Gerudo story. Much more believable._

Telma gave him a long stare, one red eyebrow raised. When Link didn't reply, she finally just shrugged. "Then I suppose you need to get to Kakariko Village and see Impa. I don't suppose you know how to use that sword, do you?"

Link glanced back over at his shoulder at the sword strapped to his back. He looked back at Telma. "…I do."

"Well, that's curious," Telma said, a strange twinkle in her eye. "It just so happens that I was about to head out towards Kakariko Village myself. Got to do some trading in the village. It's been a harsh winter, and I haven't been out that way in a while. My normal guard just came down with some stomach cramps this morning—fool man shouldn't have eaten that mushroom—so I was looking at a delay. But if you're good with a sword, maybe you could accompany me. Didn't see you ride in on a horse, and Kakariko is quite the hike on foot. We can get there by nightfall by horse, though."

Link felt a flood of relief and he smiled gratefully. "I'd, uh… That would be great, actually, because I don't know… _where_ the village is."

"Not a Yiga, are you?" Telma asked absently, looking at her nails.

"I… what?"

"Just making sure," Telma said before rising from her stool. "Come on, if you're going to play caravan guard for me, then we should get on the road. Just need to get my horse hitched up and we'll be on the road."

* * *

Within the hour, they were on the road. Link and Telma sat at the front of a covered wagon, which rattled along as it winded its way north away from the Dueling Peaks Stable, as Link found out the strange horse-headed building was called. Her horse—a white and black horse that she called Louise—plodded along at a steady pace down the road. Glancing back, Link could see that her cart was piled high with wooden boxes of various shapes and sizes.

"So you're… a merchant," Link said, finally.

Telma glanced over at him, smiling. "Yes, I would say that I am."

"Do you… travel west very often?" Link said, looking up at her—she _was_ rather tall. "When I was walking on the road, I didn't see anyone else. I didn't know if it was just avoided, or…"

"I travel every once in a while, but only when I'm able to pick up some more guards. The roads get more dangerous as you get into Hyrule Field. Too many bokoblins and moblins laying claims to the ruins there."

"Are moblins the…"

"The big ones."

"Ah."

"You must have come across some while traveling east, or at least seen some. They've been particularly aggressive lately near the old Gatepost Town ruins."

"I… tried avoiding them when I could. I fought a few bokoblins," Link said. He patted the sword on his lap, which he'd removed when he got into the cart. "That's how I got this. That's… actually how I got most of this, actually." He motioned at the small bundle of items on the seat next to him, including the unstrung bow.

"You fought them unarmed?" Telma said with some surprise.

"Not… exactly," Link said, face flushing. He needed to think a little more before speaking. "I had another sword, but it broke. In the fight."

"…I see. And did you fight any of the moblins roaming around the area?"

"No, I saw them a couple of times, but was able to avoid them."

"Probably for the best. I saw one of them cleave a horse clean in two once. They're butchers."

They each fell silent for a time after that, and Link looked around at the passing scenery. To the west was the ridgeline that the Dueling Peaks belonged to, but to the east… Link was a little surprised to see evidence of old ruins. These looked far older than the ones he'd seen before. Broken arches and overgrown foundations mostly made up the ruins. Occasionally, he'd see part of a wall still standing, but it was rare.

With a start, however, Link saw the distinct shape of a Guardian among the ruins. "Did the Guardians destroy this place too?" Link's voice was barely above a whisper, but Telma apparently heard him, anyway.

"Those old machines? Not this place. It was a ruin before they ever attacked," Telma said. She was watching Link again, a knowing smile on her lips. "You know, for someone without any memories, you seem to know a lot."

"I know about the Guardians," Link said in reply, still quiet. Was it going to be like this everywhere he went? Ruined lives and broken-down machines? Link didn't elaborate any further, and Telma did not push the issue.

For a time, they rode in mostly silence. Telma would occasionally make comments about a particular landmark, but Link kept mostly to himself, replying only when he absolutely had to. He could remove the image of the Guardian in the field from his mind. How many people died when the Guardians attacked? This was once a _kingdom_ , right? Why was it that the only people he'd seen were a handful of travelers in a waystation? Why couldn't they get enough of a fighting force to keep the roads safe? Link traveled for two days without incident—surely it wouldn't take much to patrol those roads, would it? He'd fought several bokoblins—even several at a time—without suffering more than a scratch on his arm. They didn't seem that smart or adept at combat—a small squad could surely clear out the camps nearest the roads and…

"This isn't good," Telma said, and Link looked up quickly, his senses suddenly sharp. In the road ahead, he spotted a downed tree, which perfectly blocked their path forward. There might be room to go around it, but…

He spotted the bokoblin hiding behind the tree just in time. He pushed Telma to the side, just as an arrow whizzed by, sticking into a box in the wagon behind them. Telma cursed and Link grabbed his bow, stringing it with practiced fingers. Another arrow landed nearby, this one sticking into the wood of the bench they sat on. He looked at Telma. "Keep going," he said, his voice hard.

He stood in the wagon, nocked an arrow, and drew, finding his first target. The bokoblin behind the tree was peeking out again, taking aim. Link loosed and his arrow flew true, striking the bokoblin in the center of its chest. Another arrow flew by and Link quickly nocked another arrow, turning to see another bokoblin that was perched on half of an ancient arch. Link took careful aim, but a bump in the road caused his aim to go wide, the arrow sailing harmlessly past the bokoblin.

The bokoblin seemed startled, nonetheless, and grabbed a horn from his belt. "Oh no…" Telma said next to Link. The bokoblin blew into the horn—an angry, loud sound that sent a shiver down Link's spine.

The next thing Link heard was the pounding of hooves.

Ahead, from around a large rocky hill, two bokoblins rode out on horses. One bokoblin was red and wielding a spear, while the other was blue and wielded a wicked-looking club with a large spike on its end. The blue bokoblin, in particular, looked dangerous. It looked like a mass of scars all over and was missing one of its ears. It seemed that, in retribution for whatever took its ear in the past, though, that it had taken to collecting ears in a crude necklace that it wore around its neck. Some of those ears looked Hylian.

Telma cursed again, sounding truly scared now. "There aren't supposed to be any roaming bands in this area! They must have just moved into the area in the winter!"

Link exhaled slowly and took aim again at the archer atop the arch. At least take out the archer first—then focus on the mounted enemies. This one struck home, catching the bokoblin in the eye and causing it to topple backwards. Satisfied, Link tried to turn his bow on the mounted bokoblins, but they were moving too quickly, and rode past the cart in a wide arc, preparing to come back around from behind.

He dropped his bow and grabbed his sword and shield. Quickly strapping the shield to his arm, he held the sword at the ready. The bokoblin wielding the spear came first, on Telma's side. Telma yelled something that Link didn't hear, and he quickly clambered over her, just barely getting his shield up in time to block the spear from skewering Telma where she sat.

Link tried to right himself in the seat to get better leverage, but the bokoblin stabbed out again, and, again, he had to block it with his shield, which suddenly splintered. A crack appeared in its center. The next spear thrust might just go _through_ his shield, he knew. So, when the bokoblin next thrust his spear, Link swung his shield-arm wide, batting the spear to the side and nearly unseating the bokoblin in the process. The horse and bokoblin pulled away, which prevented Link from following through on this success, unfortunately.

"Link, the horse!"

Link whirled around and immediately spotted the reason for Telma's panicked yell. The blue bokoblin had apparently decided the best way to stop them in their tracks was to attack the horse pulling the cart. After all, it already _had_ a horse—what did it need with a new horse when the real prize were the items in the cart?

It had already pulled up alongside the horse and raised its spiked club to end the poor horse's life. Link swore and, seeing absolutely nothing else to do, held his sword high into the air and _threw_ it at the bokoblin. It spun through the air and, miraculously, hit the bokoblin's club with enough force to knock it out of the bokoblin's hand. The bokoblin yelped in surprise and looked around at Link with a furious expression. It turned its horse around, presumably to retrieve its fallen weapon, but Link didn't have much time to decide his next move, as the spear-wielding bokoblin reappeared behind him.

Its delighted cackle to catch its foe with his back turned was the only thing that saved Link's life. He whirled just in time to catch the spear with his shield again, only this time, like he'd feared, the spear split the shield in two and its point stabbed deep into Link's forearm. Link yelled in pain, ripping his arm free, and when the bokoblin stabbed towards him again, he grabbed the spear by its haft, stopping it mere inches from his chest. He felt splinters from the rough wood stab into his hands as he did so.

Link was quite surprised that worked, as was the bokoblin, who looked completely taken aback. A moment later, it tried to yank the spear free, but Link held tightly to it, trying to wrench it from the creature's grasp. Finally, with one final yank, Link pulled the spear free and then immediately slammed the butt of it into the bokoblin's face. It howled in pain and toppled over backwards.

Before it could pull away, Link caught the horse's reigns with the haft of the spear, and managed to pull the horse a closer to the cart. Link carefully transferred from the cart to the saddle of the horse, holding the spear with one hand. Once in the saddle, Link used his knees to steer the horse. Amazingly, the horse responded to this method of control, and it made a wide turn at a trot. As Link looped around, he saw that the cart had slowed to a near stop as Telma tried to steer around the fallen log—had all of that happened in such a short period of time?

Unfortunately, he also saw that the blue bokoblin had retrieved his club and rode towards the cart, club raised. Link urged his horse on, sending it into a gallop. Carefully, he positioned his spear. He wasn't wearing the proper gear for jousting, so, if he wasn't careful, he was just as likely to knock _himself_ off his horse than the bokoblin. On the plus side, the bokoblin was wearing next to _no_ gear.

The blue bokoblin reached Telma's horse and made a triumphant sound as it raised its club, ready to plunge its spike into the horse's neck. It hesitated, though, as it noticed that Link was not in the cart with Telma.

"Yaaaaaah!" Link yelled as he galloped towards the bokoblin. It turned in its saddle, eyes widening in surprise, as Link thrust the spear deep into its back, just under its ribs. Link gripped the horse tightly with his knees and leaned into the spear thrust for just a moment longer. The bokoblin was driven from its saddle, and Link released his grip on the spear, lest he lose his own balance and fall. His horse leaped over the log in the road, which almost managed to unseat Link anyway, but he hastily grabbed the saddle horn to regain his balance. His fingers fumbled for the reigns and pulled the horse to a stop.

Link turned the horse around and cantered back towards the cart, which Telma had pulled to a stop. She was standing in the cart, looking over its side at the fallen bokoblin, that still twitched on the ground, impaled by the spear. That one was down for good, so, then, what about the last one…? Link saw it, then, rushing towards the cart. It held Link's sword overhead and bellowed some kind of battle cry.

Link spurred his horse to step back over the log and break into a gallop straight towards the lone bokoblin. The bokoblin pulled up short, eyes widening, and dropped the sword in shock. Link grimaced as he ran the bokoblin down with the horse, and then pulled it to a stop once again.

"Good…" Link patted the horse's neck soothingly, which was damp with sweat. It frothed at the mouth as well, blowing heavily out of its nose. Clearly, the bokoblins had been riding the horses hard. Carefully, he dismounted while still keeping a hold on the horse's reigns. He led the horse back to where the bokoblin had dropped his sword and picked it up. Then he led the horse back towards Telma's cart.

Telma climbed down from her cart, looking around at Link with wide eyes as he approached. "Who…" she said, her voice shaky. "Who _are_ you?"

Link grimaced and shook his head. "I honestly don't know."

Telma stared at him for a long time and then seemed to shake herself, regaining some of her previous confidence. "Well… you weren't lying about your skill in combat. I might even believe that you were a Gerudo after seeing that. You _fight_ like one."

Link wasn't sure he was very comforted by those words and looked up at the horse whose reigns he held. It was a large horse with a brown coat, and a black mane and tail. The fur around its ankles grew thicker and white. It also had a white stripe on its face, between its eyes, which were locked onto Link's.

Link made soft hushing sounds at the horse and stepped closer, placing a hand to the side of its face, petting it gently. "Good…" Link hesitated and then quickly checked. "Boy." He began to inspect the horse more carefully and found the unfortunately telltale signs of abuse. It had several scars along its flank and neck, and the bit was clearly far too tight, based on the chafing that Link found around the horse's mouth.

He wasn't sure if the abuse was caused by the bokoblins or the horse's previous owner—for it was obvious from the style of saddle and bridle, not to mention the horse's training, that the bokoblins had stolen this horse from someone. Either way, he intended to correct some of these problems, starting with the bit. He carefully removed the bit from the horse's mouth and gently patted its nose.

"There," he said. The horse seemed to appreciate this and moved forward, smelling Link's hair. Link laughed softly and stepped back, scratching it behind the ears. "Hold on." He turned and walked back to the cart, Telma all but forgotten for the moment. He returned with a pair of apples and offered one to the brown horse. The horse seemed quite eager for this and took the apple from Link's hand with gentle teeth.

Link turned and walked over to the other horse, which danced away from him nervously. This one was grey with brown spots. Link approached carefully, hands up in a non-threatening manner. "It's all right…" he said in a gentle tone. The horse snorted and shuffled nervously. It was backed into a corner, however, with the cart directly behind it. "Shh…" Link took another step forward, his eyes never leaving the horse's brown eyes.

Finally, the horse seemed to calm some, and Link took the last step forward, gently taking the horse's reigns. He led it away from the cart to prevent it from feeling trapped and then proceeded to remove the bit from its mouth as well. Once that was removed, he offered it the apple, which it also took from his hand, though much more hesitantly than the other horse.

"I see you're good with horses as well," Telma said wryly.

"I suppose I am." Link smiled as he watched the two horses eat their respective apples, feeling a sudden sense of intense satisfaction at what he had done. Regardless of their attack, he felt certain that the bokoblins would have eventually killed these animals. Link hadn't just managed to protect Telma, but he'd saved these horses as well.

"You're injured!" Telma said, suddenly reaching over and grabbing his injured forearm, which was still bleeding quite a bit. Link winced at the pain, but allowed her to wrap it with some white cloth that she pulled from one box. Apparently, she had some medical supplies in the cart as well. Finally satisfied that his wound was dressed properly, Telma stepped back, smiling.

"Thanks," Link said, rubbing his forearm with a wince. That was the second wound he'd sustained to his right arm, the first being the cut in his shoulder from the arrow and now he got himself stabbed by a spear. Really, he didn't feel much like a very good knight right now.

They remained there for some time longer as Link carefully checked over each horse for injuries. He couldn't really be sure where this knowledge came from, but he seemed to have an innate eye for horseflesh. Neither horse was in particularly bad condition, though both had signs of abuse, and the grey one was bleeding from a shallow cut on its neck. He considered releasing the grey horse, but the other bokoblins in the area concerned him. If they caught the horse, then it would just be hurt again. Telma suggested, instead, to take it to Kakariko, where it will be taken care of. She even suggested Link try to see if someone might buy it off him.

Finally, once satisfied with his inspection, Link carefully replaced the bits in each of their mouths and tied the grey horse to the back of Telma's cart using some rope that she offered him to use. He then mounted the brown horse, patting its neck gently. Telma smiled over at him from the cart and nodded before clicking her tongue and getting her cart underway. Link rode alongside the cart, feeling far better now than earlier. It felt right to be in the saddle, and the horse seemed to have taken a liking to him as well.

Link supposed he would have to think of a good name for his new companion.

* * *

They arrived in Kakariko Village shortly after the sun had set over the western horizon. They'd traveled most of the rest of the day through a pass that winded through the hills around north of the Dueling Peaks Stable. He and Telma both rode in relative silence—he on his horse, which he named Spirit, and her in her cart. As the sky darkened overhead, Telma had lit a lantern that she hung off the front of her cart, which provided enough light to illuminate the rock walls around them. He knew that they were nearing the village when he began to see the same eye symbol as the one on his Sheikah Slate featured prominently on large wooden arches that they passed under.

Finally, after rounding a final bend in the road, Kakariko Village came into view. The village was located in a fairly lush valley, and it had been split into multiple tiers. The uppermost tiers contained a great deal of farm land, where Link spotted several farmers still out working their farms by the light of large paper lanterns and the large full moon rising over the hills to the east. The spring planting season seemed to be in full swing, and Link saw many men, women, and children in the fields. They all wore similar white and red clothing and many of them had on strange curved hats. The buildings in the village were all made of wood with thatched roofs that were fashioned into domes and arches, rather than peaked corners. Most of the roofs also had large, bowed pieces of wood that Link assumed helped form the roof's structure.

Most of the buildings in the village followed this style of construction, except for one large one at the very bottom tier. This final building was situated on a small peninsula around a small lake that several waterfalls fed. It had at least three stories, and featured a roof made of much sharper angles than the others. Link immediately knew that was his ultimate destination—he would find Impa there.

As they made their way down the winding path, Link noticed multiple villagers, mostly consisting of several children, falling into line behind Telma's cart. Other villagers called out to Telma in greeting or asking if she had certain items, and she replied in warm, boisterous tones. It was clear that she was a welcome sight to see. He recalled what she'd said about the harsh winter and wondered if she was the first merchant to make their way to the village in the spring. He imagined that winter would result in the village growing extremely isolated.

"Hey, Telma, who is your new guard?" one villager—a middle-aged woman with white hair—said. "I like him—he's pretty!"

This startled Link, and he looked around quickly, feeling his face flush. That's when he noticed a group of women, all young-looking, perhaps in their late teens or early twenties, looking at him and talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. They all had similar white or grey hair—perhaps that was just a trait of the Sheikah? One of them waved at him. Link decided to keep his eyes forward after that.

As they rode through the village, he did notice a few villagers with black hair, but the vast majority of them had the same grey-white. Many of them had styled their hair in top knots.

They finally pulled to a stop at the bottom tier, in what appeared to be a town square of sorts. The large house surrounded by waterfalls sat directly next to them, and Link noticed that, opposite the house was a shrine containing another one of the goddess statues that he first saw in the Temple of Time. This statue was on a small island surrounded by water, with a wooden bridge leading to it. Link could see some kind of colorful fish that he didn't recognize swimming in this small pond.

As Link dismounted, one of the two older Sheikah men that appeared to stand guard beside the bridge leading up to the large house, approached him, holding a lantern. "You look like you've seen combat," the man said, nodding towards Link's wrapped arm. Link glanced down at it, noting that some blood had begun to seep through the white cloth.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Cado," Telma said from upon her cart. "We were attacked by some bokoblins while passing by the Ash Swamp. Link here took care of them for me, though. Don't think they'll be bothering any more travelers on that stretch of road." She winked at Link.

"How many were there?" the man, Cado, asked, frowning.

"Four, I think. They tried setting an ambush—almost had us, too, but who knew that the traveler I picked up at the stable would be so handy in a fight?" Telma's voice had a strange air to it. Link picked up on a tenseness that hadn't been there before.

Cado grunted, studying Link with discerning eyes. "A traveler? Where do you hail from?"

"He says he's here to see Impa," Telma said.

Cado took a step back, his expression growing suspicious. Link noticed the other of the two guards stepping up as well, hand on the hilt of a long, curved blade strapped to his waist. _Really?_ Link thought and sighed. He had hoped that he was past suspicion after saving Telma. It would seem, however, that he was only even more suspicious now due to his combat abilities.

"I will repeat my question, traveler," Cado said. His voice was calm, but his eyes had gone hard. "Where do you hail from?"

"I—" Link began, but was suddenly cut off by the other guard next to Cado.

"Cado, look—on his hip." The guard pointed at Link, specifically at the Sheikah Slate still strapped to his belt.

"That…" Cado began, but then his eyes widened. He stood up straighter and looked at his companion. "Go, Dorian, tell Lady Impa." The other man, Dorian, turned and hurried up the wooden bridge towards the large house. Strangely, his footfalls made no sound on the wood. Cado turned back towards Link and now he seemed… nervous? "I apologize for my suspicion. Lately, there have been increasing reports of Yiga activity in the area, and after what happened to Dorian's wife… Well. We must be careful."

"Huh," Telma said behind Link. "After that display back there, I really thought that you might be a Yiga in disguise…"

"This man, Telma, is most certainly _not_ a member of the Yiga Clan," Cado smiled and looked strangely proud. "The device on his hip could only belong to one man—the ancient Hero of Hyrule." He looked at Link, and, shockingly, Link saw what looked like tears in his eyes. "Lady Impa has spoken of your coming for many years, and for you to come now… It is an honor, Sir Link." He placed his free hand to his stomach and bowed deeply at his waist.

Link, quite suddenly, wished he were anywhere but here, in Kakariko Village. He did not want to feel the eyes of Telma, Cado, and a multitude of other Sheikah who had overheard this conversation, on him. He could hear their whispers and caught glances of several pointing at him. Worse yet, he saw several of the Sheikah mimicking Cado's bow.

Above the door to the large house slid open and Dorian stepped out, followed by two women. One was youthful, tall and slender, who bore a curious expression. The other was short and much, much older, and wore a conical hat that flared out with a wide brim. The Sheikah symbol was featured prominently on the hat. She walked while leaning on a walking stick. Even at this distance, Link could feel her eyes boring into him. Silence fell around the crowd of onlookers. Finally, the woman spoke. "Come on up here, boy!"

Exhaling slowly and refusing to look at any of the gathered Sheikah, Link stepped forward past Cado, who backed away from him reverently, and began up the wooden bridge towards the old woman. As he walked, he heard urgent whispers break out amongst the crowd behind him once again.


	7. Chapter Six

**Here's another one for you, dear readers! It was great to finally get Link to Impa and... well, you'll just have to read and find out where he goes next. This chapter isn't quite as long as the previous few, but I assure you that there will be plenty more longer chapters to come for those who like long reads! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I love getting your feedback.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

The room that Link entered was dimly lit by paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling support beams. The walls were adorned with various paintings and tapestries, many of which featured the ancient Sheikah Eye. Down the center of the entry room was a long, dark blue rug, and small, square pillows lined it on either side, forming neat rows that all seemed to face the central dais, which was situated at the opposite end of the room. A large, brass eye hung above the dais, and several pillows had been stacked on it to form a seat for the Sheikah elder, who now sat upon those pillows.

Link slowly stepped forward, noticing that the younger woman, who Link thought was rather pretty, with her long white hair pulled up into a heart-shaped top knot, while the rest flowed down around her shoulders, stood off to the side of the dais. She had her hands clasped over her heart and looked anxious. When she noticed Link looking at her, her face turned very pink, and she quickly looked away.

Link slowly approached the old woman, whom he assumed was the Impa that he sought. She looked… well, ancient. Her face and hands—the only parts of her body visible to Link under her traditional Sheikah garb—were heavily wrinkled, and she had walked with a bow to her back, leaning heavily on her cane.

"So…" Impa said, her lips curling into a slightly toothless smile. She looked up at Link, fixing him with kindly grey eyes. "You're finally awake." He was able to see the purple Sheikah Eye tattooed on her forehead now. "It has been quite some time, Link."

Link hesitantly approached and knelt on the ground before her so that he could look into her eyes better. The corners of her eyes crinkling at she smiled wider. "You are… Impa?" Link said, his voice soft.

"I am much older now, of course, but…" Impa looked at him, considering. "Do you remember me?" Link's eyes fell to the ground, and he gave a small shake of his head. Impa sighed softly, her eyebrows knitting together in a frown. "Do you have _any_ memories of before?"

Link grimaced, clenching his hands into fists. "It feels as though my body remembers—the sword feels natural in my hand, and when I fight…" He trailed off, falling silent for a time. "But I have no memories of… before."

"Hmm…" the old woman pondered, looking at him with her sharp eyes. "That may, perhaps, be a blessing in disguise." Link looked back up at her in surprise. "I'm not sure that many people would like to remember the moment of their death."

Link felt a chill run down his spine. "I… died?"

"Close enough to it," Impa said. "You defended Princess Zelda until you could stand no longer. After that, she used her holy powers to protect _you_ long enough to give directions to have you placed in a sacred slumber."

"The Shrine of Resurrection."

"Yes! So you know what that is, then—good. After you were placed in the Shrine, she went—alone—to face Ganon. Before she went, however, Princess Zelda entrusted me with the task of guiding you when you awoke. She had— _has_ —a plan to defeat Ganon, and she believed that you will play a critical role in that plan.

"I have been waiting one hundred years, Link. One hundred years and I have kept the princess' message, telling no one of her intent, lest we lose the element of surprise."

"Y-you told me, Grandmother," the younger woman piped up. Her voice trembled, as if she was nervous to speak.

"Well, _yes_ , I told you and your mother before you, child," Impa said, suddenly sounding somewhat exasperated. "Of course, I would not risk losing such important information when the future of Hyrule depends on it. But I have kept it within our _family_. Now… go. I wish to speak to Link alone."

The woman yelped and blushed furiously. "I-I thought that I would… Right!" She quickly turned and hurried away. Link noted that she did not go outside, though, but instead, hurried up the stairs beside the central dais.

"Now where was I… My old memory just isn't what it used to be," Impa said. When Link looked at her, a little startled by this revelation, she grinned. That grin faded after a moment, however, and her expression became grave. "Before I go any further, I know that you must have many questions, and you are likely not at all sure of your place in all of this. It does not give me any pleasure to admit to you that I am about to place more burden upon your shoulders. If you wish to rest after your journey, this can wait until the morning. I have already waited one hundred years, after all—what is one more night?"

Link considered this offer, glancing down at the blue patterned carpet. He saw that it was stylized with the Sheikah Eye, though these eyes were more diamond-shaped than the others he'd seen. Finally, he looked up. "I met King Rhoam on the Great Plateau." Impa's eyes widened. "He… asked me to save his daughter."

"And is that your intent?"

"I… yes. If I was—am—her appointed knight, then… it is my duty to do so."

Impa smiled warmly and slapped her knees. "Not a memory to your name, yet you are as intent as ever to charge forward with only courage and duty on your side. You have not changed a bit, Link. Once a hero, always a hero, it seems."

Link felt his face flush. He certainly did not feel like a hero. To him, he felt as though he _had_ to do this. He felt as though he owed a debt. The princess had apparently saved his life. How could he not try to save hers, in turn, even if deep down, he feared that it would be a fruitless gesture?

"Very well," Impa said, growing serious once again. "Why don't you tell me what the old king told you, and I will do what I can to fill in some of the gaps. Then we shall discuss the princess' task entrusted to you and you alone."

Link recounted the tale given to him by King Rhoam, and Impa nodded thoughtfully before telling her own version of the events in a much more practiced air than the king used. She told him of the countless times throughout history that Ganon had been revived or broken free of his bonds, and the equal number of times that the princess who carried the blood of the Goddess, and the hero, wielding the Sword of Legend, fought back against Ganon, sealing him once again.

She revealed a tapestry on the wall behind her. It showed a creature not unlike the beast that flew around Hyrule Castle, surrounded on either side by a man wielding a blue sword and a woman dressed in yellow, as well as hundreds of what appeared to be Guardians. In each of the four corners was another creature, each shaped like a different animal—an eagle, a salamander, an elephant, and a camel—and riding each of these animals was another being, indistinct in its features.

She told him of the conflict against Ganon 10,000 years prior, when her ancestors, at the peak of their advanced technology, had created the Guardians and the four Divine Beasts. The Guardians had protected the hero and princess, while the four Divine Beasts attacked Ganon, weakening him greatly. The hero struck Ganon down, and the princess, using her goddess powers, sealed Ganon away again.

"One hundred years ago," Impa continued, her voice softening. "We strove to follow in our ancestors' wake. A prophecy foretold the return of Ganon, so we sought out the Guardians and Divine Beasts of old. We spent years researching and planning, yet… Despite it all, we underestimated Ganon's power and cunning."

Link knew what had come next. Ganon had taken control of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians, turning them against him and Princess Zelda, and massacring the citizens of Hyrule along the way.

"If Ganon is so powerful… how am I supposed to defeat him?"

" _That_ is where the princess' plan comes into play," Impa said, her eyes narrowing some. "Princess Zelda believes that it might still be possible to free the Divine Beasts from Ganon's control." Link's heart began to sink as she continued. "So her final wish before leaving to seal Ganon was for you, when you awoke, to go to the Divine Beasts and free them of Ganon's malice."

"I see."

"It would be ill-advised to try to face Ganon now, as you are, without the legendary sword, and without the assistance of the Divine Beasts. He has already proven ready for such an attack and I fear he will just turn all of his machines against you again if you try." Impa looked at Link then, frowning, and seemed to take pity on him. Her voice softened. "I am not sure what the princess saw when her powers awakened. She seemed to be more aware of what had happened. I believe that the Goddess revealed some hidden truths to her. She believed in you, Link. She believed that you would be able to cleanse the Divine Beasts and restore them to their original functionality."

Link remained silent, considering this. Perhaps the princess had believed him capable, but surely she had not known that he would lose his memories in the process.

"Oh, she knew that it was a possibility, Link," Impa said after he said as much to her. She slowly rose from her pillow seat, making her way down off the dais with careful steps. She walked to Link's kneeling form and placed a hand against his shoulder. "And she hoped that you would eventually recover your memories. But regardless, she still believed that you would be our best hope to defeat Ganon once and for all."

"But… why? Why me? Why was I chosen?"

"Because you are the only one who can."

Link fell silent once again, disturbed by that statement. If he was the only hope for Hyrule, then he feared Hyrule was doomed indeed.

"Princess Zelda hoped that the images that she left on the Sheikah Slate might help you recall some of your memories. Have you… had a chance to look at them yet?"

Link looked back up at Impa, frowning. "Images?" He reached down to his belt, unhooking the Sheikah Slate. He held it out to Impa at her insistence, who took it and frowned, her fingers tapping the screen. "Don't hit the blue one," Link warned, suddenly worried that she might accidentally destroy her house by accident.

Impa glanced at him with an amused smirk. She frowned after a moment, though, and looked back down at the Sheikah Slate. "The camera is not here… I don't understand. When she was using this, that was the _only_ rune available. Now, there are many more runes, yet no…" Impa sighed and looked at Link. "Perhaps my sister, Purah, might be of some assistance."

Impa nodded and her fingers flicked across the screen rapidly until, finally, she turned it around to show him. It was on the map, and Link could clearly see the icon that indicated his currently location. Impa had added another marker, however, some distance away, to the southeast. It was probably at least a day or two's journey, by Link's estimation, though his understanding of the distances being presented by the map wasn't exact.

"Purah, lives here, in Hateno Village. She's dedicated her life to studying ancient Sheikah technology—the Sheikah Slate and its runes, in particular—and it is possible that she may be able to restore some additional functionality to your Sheikah Slate."

Link took the Sheikah Slate from Impa, frowning down at the blinking yellow icon that she had added. "Wouldn't it be better for me to start towards the Divine Beasts?"

Impa smiled faintly and placed a hand on the Sheikah Slate. "Link. This device is a treasure and will likely be a valuable tool for you on your journey. And I happen to know that, in this device, the princess worked to ensure you would have a place to start from when recovering your memories. If you wish to continue on towards the nearest Divine Beast, I will not stop you. I might even commend you for your dedication. But we need to do everything we can to be prepared; repairing this Sheikah Slate could ultimately prove invaluable." Impa paused, considering. "Besides, it may be good for you to visit Hateno Village, anyway."

Link gazed at her for several moments, but she did not elaborate further. He looked back at the yellow dot on his map and, finally, nodded. He stood, clipping the Sheikah Slate to his belt. "I'll go there first, then."

"I don't mean start towards the village _now_ , you foolish boy!" Impa exclaimed, eyes widening. "By the gods above, you look like you're about to fall over where stand. Honestly, one hundred years, and you haven't changed in the slightest… I'd like to think _I've_ gotten wiser with my years." Impa took his arm and pulled him back down into a seated position. "Paya! I know you're listening up there. Make us some tea."

"It's not… Gerudo tea, is it?" Link said, feeling a sudden rush of heat in the back of his throat. Impa gave him a strange look before shaking her head.

"Now. Tell me all that has happened to you since you woke."

* * *

The next morning, Link emerged from the village inn, feeling far more refreshed than he had the day before. With some help from Cado, Link had been able to bathe, finally, and Cado allowed Link to wear one of his Sheikah robes after the bath while Paya had been instructed to wash Link's clothing. He had tied his hair back into a tail with some blue twine, though he left his bangs to hang down, as well as the hair over his sideburns. It felt right like that.

His wounds sustained during his battles had been inspected by a man that claimed to be the village healer. His forearm had been covered with some foul-smelling salve then was wrapped in a new piece of cloth. His new horse had also been cared for, fed and watered while Link was still speaking with Impa.

When he walked out of the inn, he found himself feeling a strange contentment as he observed the bustle of the busy farming village. A young boy hurried by, carting manure in a wooden wheelbarrow, and, up the hill, an ox bayed as it pulled a plow across a new field. A young Sheikah child—a little girl—ran past Link, laughing and calling for her sister to catch her. Another child, a few years older and presumably her sister, chased after her. As he glanced around, he spotted a young woman standing near the doorway of the building next door, which Link had discovered carried archery supplies. The woman smiled warmly at him and winked.

Link feel his face grown warm and cleared his throat, turning. He saw Telma busying herself with her cart, tying supplies back down. From what he could see, it looked as though she'd done fairly well in selling through many of the supplies that she'd brought, as well as picking up new items to sell elsewhere. When Telma saw him approaching, she stood up straight and smiled broadly at him.

"Link! I'm glad you're here—I have some things to give you." Telma got down from her cart and waved him over. Link obliged, walking over to her. "I never really thanked you properly for saving my life back there, so I found some things that I thought you might need on your journey."

Telma had gathered a small pile of supplies. Link's eyes widened when he saw the things that she had gathered for him. On top, he saw a new tunic, red with white and green accents. There was another shirt under that as well, this one green with long-sleeves. He also saw new tan trousers and a pair of boots and socks. There was also a dark blue hood with a short cape. She also gathered him pieces of leather armor—a pair of leather vambraces, a shoulder guard, and a chest guard. Amazingly, he also saw a new bow in the style wielded by the Sheikah, and a new quiver full of arrows. Finally, rounding out the treasure trove of gifts was a new wooden shield emblazoned with the Sheikah Eye.

"Telma, you didn't… _This_ is too much." Link looked at her, eyes wide.

Telma snorted and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you hadn't been there, then I would have never survived that journey. You saved my life, and besides… from what I've heard since arriving here, you may save all of our lives again by the end of your journey." She squeezed his shoulder tightly. "This is the _least_ I can do."

"I…" Link felt a lump form in his throat, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of shame. Did she truly think he could save Hyrule? He barely survived against four bokoblins—how was he supposed to destroy Ganon? He did not correct her, however, and finally nodded. "Thank you."

"I traded that other horse. I didn't think you would mind." She nodded towards the small stable, where Spirit was being saddled with a new saddle and bridle. "I was able to get some new traveling gear and provisions for you." Link saw that Spirit's saddle now had full saddlebags, as well as a bed roll strapped to it.

Before Link could formulate another response, Telma drew Link into a tight embrace and then released him. "I'm going to be heading back out of the village within the hour. Would you like to travel back with me as far as the stable? I spoke to Impa and she told me that you would be heading east to Hateno, so it will be on your way."

"Yes, of course." Link cleared his throat again and nodded. "I will get things ready."

An hour later, Link sat atop Spirit, feeling awkward once again as what seemed like the entire village turned out to see him off. He was dressed in his new tunic, which fit far better than the old shirt and trousers he'd been wearing earlier. He was grateful to find that the new pieces of armor made it easier for him to strap his shield to his back, and he was able to strap his new bow to the saddle as well. All in all, he expected that traveling would prove easier now than it had been.

He looked back towards Impa and saw her give a small nod. Next to her, Paya waved at Link before blushing and clasping her hands against her chest. Nodding in return, Link looked back forward and spurred Spirit into motion, riding out in front of Telma's cart. He tried to ignore the calls of encouragement from the gathered Sheikah as he rode out and was quite grateful when they entered the pass, leaving the village behind.

* * *

The ride back to the Dueling Peak Stable went by in relative silence and without incident. They stopped for lunch and to rest the horses in the afternoon, which was also when they cleared the pass leading away from Kakariko Village. It was a good opportunity for Link to use his Sheikah Slate to scout ahead, looking for any signs of ambush on the road ahead. After lunch, they got back onto the road, though Link rode out ahead of Telma's cart. Thankfully, no bokoblins or otherwise accosted them on this trip, and they made their way back to the Dueling Peaks Stable by the time the sun had fallen behind the Dueling Peaks, plunging the valley into shadow.

By the time they got back, it was clear that both Telma's horse, as well as Link's, were feeling exhausted from two days of riding such distances. Telma offered to pay to board and feed Link's horse for the night, which he gratefully accepted. She had also helped him determine how much each of the colored gems in his bag was worth, so he was able to pay for a night's rest in one of their beds without embarrassing himself. Not wishing to be interrogated by any other old guards—or to hear Telma telling of his exploits to anyone who would listen after she bought some drinks—he also paid for a small meal before walking back into the room that housed his bed. The day's riding had left him sore and weary, and he was eager to get some rest.

Rest did not come easily that night, however, as Link was plagued with thoughts of his past failure. It didn't seem right that he should feel such shame for an event that he had no memory of, yet he could not escape it. So many people had already placed such faith in him, even waiting for _one hundred years_ for his return, and he felt no true confidence that he could succeed in this task given him. But how could he tell them that? He would try, of course. How could he not? But, deep down, he knew with certainty his journey would end in failure.

He awoke with a start when he heard a rooster crow outside. Early dawn light had begun to filter in through the window slats in the room, and he saw that several of the other beds were still occupied by sleeping men who would likely be nursing hangovers when they awoke. Moving as silently as he could, Link rose and gathered up his belongings. When he reached the large dining room, he found that he wasn't the only one awake, but those that were awake did not seem very keen on talking to him. He was perfectly fine with this and made his way up to the counter in the center of the room.

He paid for a breakfast of eggs and sausage and requested that Spirit be prepared for his departure. After eating his breakfast, he stepped out into the cool morning air, and was surprised to see Telma already inspecting her goods for her own departure, along with another man that he assumed to be her normal guard.

"Already hurrying out?" she said when she saw him. He nodded and she smiled. Telma stepped over to him, placing a hand around his shoulder, leading him away from her guard. "I know you've got a long journey ahead of you. Know that I have said nothing of who you truly are—I am quite capable of keeping a secret."

Link felt an immense relief at these words and he thanked her. At least he would not have to worry about feeling those eyes upon him as he was leaving the stable.

"Link," Telma stopped and turned towards him with a grave expression on her face. "I do not know everything that Impa told you. But _you_ are the master of your own destiny. I cannot imagine what it must be like in your position, and the pressure you are feeling is probably overwhelming. I would certainly not blame you if you decided to take a different path."

Link met her eyes and then looked down. "If not me, then who?"

Telma squeezed his shoulder firmly. "I don't know, son. But we've survived this long. I am sure we will find a way to survive still."

Survive? Was this surviving? The last of the Hylians seemed to occupy a small corner of Hyrule, as did each of the other races from what Link had been able to gather. In the meantime, the largest, lushest portion of the nation was slowly being taken over by malicious forces, and those forces were expanding.

Link took a deep breath, hardening his resolve, and met Telma's eyes again. "Thank you, but… I do not think I could forgive myself for turning my back now. I was… given a second chance. I must do what I can."

Telma smiled warmly and he could tell she was pleased with his answer. "Good man." She patted his shoulder heavily. "Take care of yourself, Link. I am sure that we will cross paths again someday in the future."

They parted ways after that. Telma headed west, explaining that the only road leading to the Zora's Domain passable by cart was on the other side of the Dueling Peaks. Link expressed concern over her journey, but she waved it off and told him that that road was still fairly secure to ensure trade did not falter. Her tone held an edge to it, though, that suggested she was still concerned. The road to the Sheikah village was supposed to be kept safe as well.

Link, meanwhile, rode north on the road until it forked to the east. The eastern road winded around the north side of the large, swampy field where Link had seen the ruins and Guardians the day before. Spirit seemed to be well-rested and Link allowed him to alternate between walking and trotting. As a result, he made fairly good time, moving at a quicker pace than he'd been able to while traveling alongside Telma's cart. He stopped to give Spirit (and himself) a break around mid-day, when the sun was overhead. He sat down with his back against a large, broken stump next to the road and ate a meal of dried fruit and carrots. After he finished eating, he removed his Sheikah Slate.

Impa had told him that the princess had attempted to prepare the Sheikah Slate in such a way that she hoped it would spark some memories… What exactly had she meant by that? He examined the icons available on the screen, considering them for a moment. Finally, he sighed and rose, wincing slightly. He was not sure of how he traveled one hundred years ago, but it's clear that his body _now_ was not used to traveling by horse. After two days of horse travel, it was beginning to ache just moving around. With Hateno being another two days riding away, he sincerely hoped to be able to stay there at least a few days before getting back on the road.

He looked over at Spirit, who was placidly eating some grass, and decided that the horse would be fine for a few minutes. Link stepped further away from him and lifted the Slate, inspecting it. Finally, he pressed the blue Remote Bomb rune.

Again, the glowing blue ball appeared on the ground in front of him. Careful not to press the button a second time by accident, Link knelt, inspecting the explosive device. He reached out with a hesitant finger, touching it, finding it to be quite solid. He placed the Slate down on the ground and picked the bomb up, hefting it in his hands. It was not extremely heavy, but it had a definite weight to it.

After turning it over in his hands for a few seconds, Link looked down the hill he was standing on, making sure there were no people around, and then he threw it. The bomb sailed through the air and then hit the ground. It did not explode, however, and simply continued to roll down the hill, picking up speed as it went.

Link picked back up his Sheikah Slate and pressed the blue bomb rune again. Distantly, the bomb exploded in a flash of blue light and with an audible _crack_ that rang out through the air. A flock of large pink birds nearby took flight, squawking angrily. Nearby, on a rocky shelf, a horned mountain goat bayed. Spirit snorted anxiously. Where the bomb had been, there was now a black circle of scorched grass and earth.

Link decided that this rune _would_ , in fact, be useful in certain situations—as long as he was very deliberate with its use. Otherwise he would be just as likely to harm himself as anyone or thing else. Satisfied, Link hooked the Sheikah Slate back to his belt and gazed out at the field below. It appeared, to him, to have been a killing field. _Dozens_ of broken Guardians littered the area. Some of them were little more than their cylindrical bodies, while others still had all six legs and looked ready to start moving again. Some had partially climbed onto pieces of broken buildings, while others lay on their sides, half-covered by moss.

What had happened here? Why had so many gathered in this place, and how had they all broken down? Neither the king, nor Impa, had mentioned _how_ the Guardians had been defeated. Link felt slightly more hopeful at the thought—the last time they had fought Ganon, they had to contend with _these_ things, right? But if they'd been defeated, then Ganon would be lacking a very powerful weapon that he had before. He wasn't sure how much it was, but it was _something_. At least, he hoped so.

It was late in the afternoon when Link reached a massive stone wall, which he had been told was called Fort Hateno. The closer he got to the fort, the more Link began to dread his arrival. _Guardians_. Guardians were everywhere. They had clearly been to the point of climbing over each other to reach the fort when whatever had destroyed them had been used. But even though they were inert now, the sheer number of them that had closed in on Fort Hateno were terrifying. Link could only imagine what it must have been like for the defenders here as they watched _dozens_ of the metal beasts crossing the marshy field, closing in.

The fort, itself, didn't even look finished. While some sections of it were made of brick and mortar, other sections had been constructed of hastily placed stones and even wood, which had mostly rotted and collapsed in the last one hundred years. The wall had been erected in the canyon between two sheer cliff faces, and extended for several miles, even crossing a lazily flowing river to the south. Behind the wall, Link would see that the canyon continued, with cliffs, plateaus, bluffs, and even a distant mountain.

Eager to get away from the mass of Guardians, Link rode Spirit under the ancient iron portcullis and into what appeared to be a peaceful forest. He glanced back through the fort's gate, still able to see several Guardians that appeared to have been frozen in motion, much like Link's Stasis Rune froze objects in place. They would have destroyed this forest, if they had gotten through. Shuddering, Link looked forward again and continued on.

* * *

He finally set up camp that night some distance past the fort. He had followed the river as it winded around and under a large bluff. Occasionally, he passed some other travelers on the road, who assured him that he was on the right path, but that he still had at least a full day's journey ahead of him.

"I don't know if I would camp here," said one such traveler—an older man—as he rode past where Link had dismounted. "They say restless spirits inhabit this place. Soldiers killed in an ancient war thousands of years ago." He motioned across the road to a break in the ridge, where a small valley had formed in the shadow of the rocky hills. Among the sparse trees and grass, Link could see the shapes of dozens of grave markers.

Link thanked the man for his information but made no indication of moving on. He was tired, as was Spirit. They had traveled enough for one day. The old man moved on, having said all that he wanted to say, and Link continued on making his camp.

Later that night, as he made camp for a second time under the light of the moon and stars, he told himself that he _hadn't_ seen shadowy figures moving among the grave markers, and he most _definitely_ hadn't seen a pair of violet eyes staring out at him in the darkness.

He made camp near the place that the road to Hateno split. One path continued its easterly route while the other led south, looping around a nearby lake. There was a Sheikah Tower in the direction of this southerly path, but Link ultimately decided that he would continue moving east in the morning. If he felt so inclined, he would activate the tower on his way back—assuming he could figure out what use they served. Perhaps this Purah would know better.

As he made camp that night, using the supplies that Telma had given him to craft a simple lean-to, he was struck that his added companion of Spirit still did not quite satisfy the sense in his heart that something was _missing_. Once again, he attempted to reach out to the princess, hoping for some kind of reply. She had spoken to him when he woke—several times. He truly hoped that her hesitance to speak now was not indicative of her own powers weakening. Dire thoughts of what would happen if he failed to complete his journey quickly enough plagued his thoughts that night as he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Well, here we are with a new chapter this week! Apologies for anyone hoping I was going to post an extra chapter this last week. I had hoped to do so, but this week gave me a lot less time for writing than I had expected it would. That being said, I'm hoping to post two chapters this next week! No promises, but I like the pace of two a week as long as I can keep up with that speed in writing.**

 **I don't want to give a lot away about what goes on in this chapter, but suffice it to say, I greatly enjoyed writing this chapter, as well as the next one. Or, really, quite a few of the next chapters... Things start ramping up from here quite a bit. Plus this chapter introduces a character from the game that I liked, but never truly loved until I got ahold of said character and started writing...**

 **Please, let me know what you think about my characterizations! I have tried to work very hard to maintain consistent personalities and voices for the characters from the game while simultaneously expanding on what was presented. As I got further into the novel, I allowed myself to branch out a little more and make the characters my own, which I believe really began with this chapter.**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

The next day brought with it a torrential downpour. Lightning forked across the sky and thunder rumbled. The road Link traveled on quickly became thick with mud, causing Spirit's hooves to stick and suck with every step. Link wore both the hood given to him by Telma, as well as his full cloak, yet it did little to block the rain. Spirit plodded slowly, their path beginning to take them ever higher, and it became quickly apparent to Link that his trip to Hateno Village would almost certainly be delayed by a day.

Still, he did what he could to press on. He rode parallel to the river for a time before it angled away from him and he found himself riding downhill into a valley. He was surprised to see what appeared to be the remains of an old horse track just south of the road he was on. In the center of the muddy track were several old buildings, most of which had collapsed over the years, but a few that still stood. He dismounted, boots squelching in the mud, and began to lead Spirit towards the old track.

As he crossed path a broken gate, he saw a sign that said "Equestrian Riding Course and Training Center." Interested, Link glanced back up at Spirit and met the large horse's eyes. He wasn't sure, but Link thought that Spirit did not seem too terribly impressed. Deciding that, perhaps, he'd already been traveling alone for too long, Link continued towards the building in the center of the camp that appeared still standing.

As he approached, he noticed an orange glow coming from one of the windows—someone had already apparently taken shelter from the storm within it. Link hesitated as he neared the door—did he wish to disturb whoever was in there? Another thunder crash and heavier rainfall gave him his answer. Link knocked on the door.

After a few moments, he knocked again.

When he received no answer after the second series of knocks, he sighed and opened the door. It swung slowly open on wooden hinges. "Hello," he said as he looked into the single-room building. "I wished to see if I could…"

He fell silent. Staring back at him from within the building were not was not a huddled group of Hylians. Instead, a group of bokoblins and two of the larger moblins were gathered around a raging fire that was already likely too large for the meager fireplace. One of the moblins had stood and held a long, rusted blade, and two of the bokoblins were running to grab their respective weapons from a nearby wall, which in this case, seemed to be a pair of pitchforks.

Swearing loudly, Link took several steps back, pulling Spirit back from the house. The thunder seemed to rumble in time with his hammering heart. He quickly pulled his cloak from him, throwing it over Spirit's saddle, and slapped the horse's rump, sending him trotting away. Link pulled his sword from his sheathe and waited for the creatures to come out after him.

The moblin stepped into the doorway, just out of the rain, and roared at him in a loud, threatening tone. It held its sword lazily, its tip against the wooden floor of the cabin. Behind it, Link could see the two bokoblins armed with pitchforks lifting their weapons over their heads and calling out after him. Despite of their threatening postures and, presumably, threatening words, none of the monsters left the dry warmth of the cabin.

Link slowly backed away, still watching the moblin in the doorway while keeping his eyes out to the sides for any potential ambushes. No ambushes came, however, and he soon reached Spirit, who snorted at him in irritation. The moblin roared at him once again and pounded a meaty fist into its chest. _A warning_ , Link thought.

Sighing, Link mounted Spirit and spurred him into motion. The horse responded with the same plodding walk that he had been using all day, clearly as unhappy with their current predicament as Link was. Behind him, he faintly heard the door to the cabin slam shut.

Link was in a foul mood for the rest of the day.

The rain did eventually break around nightfall, but Link could not really find any reason to be thankful about this. He eventually reached the forest that, according to the Sheikah Slate's map, was only a few hours outside of Hateno Village proper. When they reached the forest, Spirit simply refused to go any further, snorting at Link when he tried to keep her moving. Link had thought to try to keep walking to Hateno, but his horse made it clear that was not to be this night.

Later, after he was finished cursing the stubborn horse, and he had built up a weak fire from what little semi-dry wood he was able to find, Link reflected that it would probably be better to ride into town during the day. Riding into Kakariko Village at night had nearly gone very poorly for him, after all. He did make one last grumbled threat towards Spirit before rolling over and attempting to get some sleep while laying on a wet and cold cloak.

A scream woke Link from his slumber early the next morning. The sun had only begun to lighten the sky overhead, and a cool mist had settled around Link in the forest. His little fire had long since sputtered out, and he seemed to be no drier nor warmer now than he had been the previous day.

"Nat, watch out!" A woman's voice, followed by another's woman's voice grunting in pain or exertion.

Link rose to his feet, fighting with the cloak wrapped around him. When he'd finally extricated himself from it, he began to hear the other noises. Snorts and laughs, inhuman grunts, and a familiar-sounding screech. Bokoblins. At least three of them. Link grabbed his sword and shield and took off in the direction of the sounds. It was difficult to see in the misty fog, but the sounds led him. He soon saw what looked like the glow of a torch, and moments later, he came upon the commotion.

Two women, each wearing simple clothes and boots, as well as backpacks, stood back to back in a small clearing surrounded by trees. One of them held a torch out in front of her, while the other had a short sword in her hand, though she did not seem to be holding it very expertly. The one with the sword was favoring one of her legs. They were surrounded by three bokoblins, two of which had clubs and one that had half of an old pitchfork.

The nearest bokoblin, holding a club, turned and looked at him warily, having heard the noises of Link's approach. Its expression grew covetous when it saw his sword. It ran at Link, swinging its club in an easily-predicted arc that Link batted away with his shield. Link stabbed the bokoblin through the chest, dropping it.

 _One._

The other two bokoblins were a little wiser than their fallen brethren and split to come around Link, attacking from either side. The bokoblin with the half-pitchfork lunged forward with a war cry while, at the same time, its brethren on Link's other side swung its club at his head. Link executed a backflip that took him out of range of both attacks, landing on the ground a few feet back. He nearly slipped in the wet grass, but dug his toes in and launched himself forward, first cutting down the club-wielding bokoblin and blocking another stab by the pitchfork bokoblin with his shield.

 _Two_.

When the bokoblin, again, attempted to stab Link with increasingly desperate motions, Link knocked the pitchfork aside and thrust his sword into its stomach.

 _Three_.

With the last of the bokoblins disposed, Link turned back to the two women, breathing deeply. The woman with the sword leaned against the other one, still favoring one of her legs. The woman with the torch eyed Link with a mixture of awe and some fear.

"Wow," said the woman with the sword. She had shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes. "See, Meghyn, I told you that we'd be fine so close to the village."

" _Fine_?" Meghyn had short black hair, and grey eyes. "Nat, we almost _died_. I told you that there had been bokoblins sighted around here and that it wasn't safe to go out until they'd been cleared away."

"Which they now have been." The woman named Nat eased herself down to the ground, placing her sword on the ground, and running her fingers down her leg to her ankle. She winced. "Think I just sprained it. Shouldn't be too bad."

"Are… you both all right?" Link said, feeling slightly bewildered by exchange between the two women.

"Oh!" Meghyn looked back at Link, looking suddenly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, thank you for saving us. My sister _insisted_ that we come out early to look for mushrooms—"

"Truffles."

" _Truffles_ ," Meghyn said, shooting her sister an exasperated glare. "We'd heard that there were monsters in the area, but _she_ didn't think they would come so close to the village."

"You won't be complaining when I'm cooking dinner tonight," Nat said, carefully removing her boot. Her ankle was noticeably swollen. Link sighed softly.

"Are you from Hateno Village?" Link stepped forward so that he was within the light of the torch. The mist still hung around them, making it hard to make out details through the shadows of the forest.

"Yes, I'm Meghyn and this is Nat. You are…?"

"Link. Listen, I have a horse back at my camp. I was traveling to the village anyway, so you're welcome to ride it back. I'll make sure you aren't attacked again."

Nat tried placing weight on her foot again and scowled, swearing softly. She looked up at Link, looking embarrassed. "I guess I should. Meghyn, now that those bokoblins are gone, why don't you keep looking?"

Link hurried away so as to not intrude on the argument that ensued. He was able to find his way back to his small camp after a few minutes of searching and packed up what little gear he had laid out. A few minutes later, he led Spirit back to the sisters. Meghyn had, apparently, won the argument, as Nat looked irritated and insisted that Link be the one to help her onto the horse rather than her sister.

Together, the three of them began the slow walk back to the village. He quickly found that it was better to keep quiet, lest something he say spur the sisters into another argument. Regardless, he found out some about the small village, which relied heavily on dye exports and farming to sustain itself.

When asked, neither of the girls knew of any old women named Purah, however, which concerned Link. When he asked about ancient Sheikah technology, the sisters mentioned an old building on a hill overlooking Hateno Village. Neither of them knew much about what went on there or who lived there, other than the fact that the man that lived there tended to be very secretive about his work, and they thought he had a young daughter. It did not sound very promising to Link, but it was a place to start.

It only took a couple of hours before they reached the village. By then, the sun had properly risen, driving away the early morning mist, and blessedly, bathing the trio in warm sunlight. When they rounded a bend in the road, the village finally came into view.

The entire village appeared to be built on a series of hills of varying heights. Everything in the village had been built on the slopes of the hills, with the buildings nearest the entrance built at a considerably lower elevation than those further away. Beyond the village, Link could see several larger hills with paths leading up to their peaks, and, further than that, a massive snowy mountain.

The buildings of Hateno were all made of simple brick and plaster, all with red tiled roofs and very tall chimneys. Several windmills dotted the hills and fields. Near the village's entrance, several new buildings were in the process of being built. Oddly, these clashed with the other constructions in the village, built with vibrantly painted wood and brick with multiple stories and flat-topped roofs. They looked out of place in the otherwise idyllic village.

The village bustled with activity. Farmers worked their fields, children played in the streets, men and women called out to each other, and a group of fairly large men walked with purpose towards the half-constructed houses. Link found himself smiling as they passed under a wooden arch that marked the entrance to the village. A sleepy man stood there holding a pitchfork, seemingly standing guard. The man was introduced by Meghyn as Thadd, and it was his job that day to keep an eye on the road to Hateno.

Thadd asked about Nat's injuries, growing increasingly bewildered when she assured him that it was nothing and that he shouldn't worry about the bokoblins in the forest anymore. Exasperated, Meghyn tried to explain, but Nat insisted they keep moving, spurring Spirit into motion with her good leg. This resulted in a confused Thadd taking off his straw hat and scratching his head as they walked away. Link grimaced inwardly—would he quickly become known in this village as the savior of these two women? He supposed that was better than being known as the Hero from legend—at least he could remember saving the women. Still, it was more attention than he wanted.

He was pondering this when he noticed a strange structure tucked behind a few other buildings and houses in the village. It appeared made entirely of black stone and was shaped into a roughly conical shape with a flared base and a flat top. A glowing orange Sheikah Eye had been emblazoned upon it, over what looked a lot like one of the doors from the Chamber of Resurrection, still closed.

What was _that_?

"Oh, that?" Nat said when Link asked. "No idea. Just started glowing like that, what, a week ago, Meghyn?" Link felt a shiver run down his back. A week ago. How long had it been since he woke? Had it been a week? He could do little to investigate it now as Nat continued leading them deeper into the village. Somewhere along the way, she'd taken Spirit's reins from him and rode with a reasonable degree of confidence, though it was clear her ankle still pained her.

Nat and Meghyn's house was located next to a large open-fronted shop decorated with colorful sheets, banners, and clothing. The Hateno dye shop that Link had heard about from the women. According to Meghyn, the dyes made by this shop were exported as far as the Gerudo Highlands and Rito Village. Link found the sight of the shop to be a little fascinating. Inside the open-fronted shop, he could see fabrics of an impressive array of colors displayed outside, with even more examples of colors inside.

Once they reached the house, Link assisted Nat in getting down off of Spirit. Meghyn took her arm once Nat was on the ground, supporting her. Once seeing the women safely home, Link moved to take Spirit's reins in hand again.

"You're going already?" Meghyn stopped him with wide eyes. When Link looked at her, her cheeks flushed some. "I mean, you saved our lives. We should do something to repay you."

At once, Link felt incredibly awkward. He didn't want repayment of any kind. He'd seen them in need and stepped in to help—any decent person would have done so, right? He certainly hoped so. "It's… really all right. I need to try to find the person I came here for."

"At least let us cook you a meal," Nat piped in. Link was somewhat surprised. Of the two women, Meghyn had been the more grateful one thus far. Link had expected Nat would just want to go inside and rest.

"Yes, it won't take long. I can get started on it right away, as soon as I get Nat settled." Meghyn nodded enthusiastically. _Ah_ , Link thought. Meghyn would be the one doing the actual cooking. Nat's willingness to offer made more sense now. Regardless, Link wanted to continue on, _but_ … well, a meal wouldn't hurt. He hadn't eaten anything that day, and it was already late in the morning.

"I suppose I can stay for a meal," he said, which seemed to please the sisters, Meghyn especially. After securing Spirit outside of their house and providing him with a bucket of grain, Link followed the women in, feeling excited for a proper hot meal, which he hadn't had since leaving the stable.

* * *

Sometime later, Link left the sisters' house, well-fed and refreshed. They had insisted he come back that evening for another meal, and he told them that he would, if he was able. Beyond providing him food, however, they had also helped him get the lay of the land, including the location of the local inn, and the probable location for Purah—or, at least, where he should start his search.

With this knowledge in hand, Link led Spirit over a bridge that stretched over a small creek that bisected the town and continued up the hill. He spotted the inn—a two-storied building with a large patio. It had a small stable next to it, where a man that looked to be roughly Link's age (not that he was exactly certain of his own age, really) eyed him with hawkish eyes. He wasn't the only person in town that was looking at Link, either. While the town certainly didn't seem to unwelcoming to travelers and visitors, Link supposed that they likely didn't see strangers too often.

Thankfully, none of them stopped him as he led Spirit past the inn and continued on the path that zig-zagged up the hill towards the strange building that overlooked the entire town. It would be a long walk, so he was heartened to see smoke rising from its distant chimney. At least someone was home.

The path that led up the hill ended up being deceptively longer—and steeper—than Link had thought. It took him the better part of two hours before he crested the hill and found the strange building before him.

The building was… odd, to say the least. It looked as though it had once been a large windmill with the wind blades long removed. A house had been built around the base of the windmill, and another structure appeared to have been added to the _top_ of the windmill, with wooden steps spiraling around it up to the room at its peak. A massive telescope had been set up on the second landing, pointing south.

Atop the old windmill's tower was a Guardian. Link stared up at the inert form, its six legs draped down over the tower. It seemed eerie to just see it sitting there. The others that Link had seen had all been seemingly frozen or destroyed in the middle of battle, but this one… It must have been brought here from somewhere else, but how could they have lifted it and placed it all the way up there?

Link sighed and approached the door to the building. Hesitantly, he raised a fist and knocked. He waited for a few moments before the door was flung open by a little girl. She was Sheikah by the look of her grey-white hair, wore on bright red glasses, and had a truly _strange_ looking golden bow in her hair made to look like an owl's face, with glowing blue eyes and a beak.

She looked up at Link, seemingly irritated, but then gasped sharply. She took a step back from him, eyes wide. "Oh!" She eyed the Sheikah Slate at his hip and then she gazed up at his face, studying him. " _Oh._ You must be here to see the Director." The look of shock was masked by a sudden business-like expression.

Link wasn't sure what to make of the little girl before him. She didn't look like she could be any older than six or seven, but there was something to her eyes that made him feel strangely uncomfortable. "I… yes. I was sent here by Impa, of Kakariko Village. She told me to look for her sister, Purah. Is she…"

The girl's lips twitched and he noticed that she was grabbing the hem of her little white dress with both of her fists. "Oh, yes, the Director is in the back." She thumbed over her shoulder at another figure at the back of the room. It was a Sheikah man, who was looking at Link and the girl with pursed lips.

"Oh, I was hoping to find Purah here…" Link said, frowning. He looked back at the girl. "But I will, ah, talk to the Director. Thanks." He began towards the man when he heard the girl behind him snickering. He frowned and glanced back, just in time to see her straighten and force a serious expression on her face again. Link sighed and continued towards the Sheikah man, who, he noted, looked slightly exasperated now.

As he walked across the spacious room, he began to notice the objects inside of it. Off to the one side was one of the large stalactite-like stones and pedestals like he'd found on the towers. There were also some pieces of machinery that looked a lot like pieces of Guardians. Mostly, however, there was just an incredible number of books and loose sheets of paper with cramped writing on them scattered all about the room. They formed piles and stacks all over the floor, on the table in the center of the room, on the shelves and desks to the peripheries of the room. It was chaotic. The only place that _wasn't_ chaotic was the corner where the Sheikah man stood. His corner was neat and well-organized, with books lining a large number of bookshelves. Link wondered how he could keep his corner so clean while letting the rest of the room fall into such disarray.

"Good afternoon, sir," the Sheikah man said when Link reached him. Link saw him glance down towards the Sheikah Slate on his hip and grew self-conscious when a look of recognition passed over the man's eyes. "Oh! That is the actual Sheikah Slate, isn't it?" He looked back up at Link, eyes discerning. "That would make you Master Link, would it not?"

"Yes," Link said, trying to keep himself from grimacing. Yet another person that seemed to know of him while he still felt blinded by his lack of memories. "I was sent here by Impa."

"Oh, yes. Lady Impa did warn us that you would be coming soon. We received a pigeon from her just yesterday. I assume she probably sent one to Master Robbie as well…" The Sheikah man looked thoughtful, tapping his lips with his finger. "Perhaps I should do so, just in case. I am certain he would like to know of your return as well…"

Link had no idea who this Master Robbie was, nor did he particularly care at the moment. "I was sent here to speak to Purah. My Sheikah Slate is not working properly, according to Impa. She told me that Purah might be able to fix it."

"What?" The little girl ran up to him and, before Link could react, snatched the Sheikah Slate off of his belt, inspecting it.

"Hey!" Link said, alarmed. The girl ignored him, however. After turning it over in her hands, she turned and hurried over to the table in the center of the room, climbing onto a tall stool and setting the Sheikah Slate down. She began to tap the screen furiously.

Link pursued the girl, suddenly worried that this little child was going to break his Sheikah Slate before he even had a chance to speak with Purah. "I _really_ don't think you should be playing with that. Why don't you give it back to me before—" He trailed off. Instead of showing the various runes available, the screen on the Sheikah Slate now showed a great deal of text, which the girl was apparently reading avidly.

The Sheikah man stepped up behind Link, looking over his shoulder at the girl and the Slate. When Link looked back at him, he merely shrugged, smiling wryly. "Master Link, my name is Symin. I am actually the Director's assistant. Let me introduce you to the _real_ Director, and the woman you seek—Miss Purah."

"Check it!" The girl turned in her stool to grin up at Link. She winked at Link in a childish way. "I had you fooled! You really thought that Symin was the Director, didn't you, Linky?"

 _Linky?_ Link thought, staring at the girl with a confused expression. He looked back at Symin. "I think there might be some kind of misunderstanding. Impa told me that I was looking for her sister."

"Uh-huh," said the girl.

"She told me that her sister would be here, at Hateno Village."

"Yep." The girl didn't even seem to care that Link was addressing Symin and kept interrupting Link as he spoke.

"And I don't see how Impa's sister could be so…"

"Adorable? Sweet? Cute as a button?"

" _Young_."

"Well, snappity snap, that's a fun story!" the girl said, snapping her fingers to finally draw Link's attention back to her. "You see, I was experimenting with a rune that would reverse the aging process, and… snap! Here I am! The youngest one hundred and twenty-or-so-year-old woman you'll ever meet!"

" _You're_ Impa's sister."

"The one and the same!" Purah snapped her fingers as if suggesting to Link that he needed to keep up. "Impa's my baby sister!" She seemed to find this quite funny, as she giggled after saying it. "My _much_ older baby sister."

Somehow, Link found himself accepting this. He, himself, was over a hundred years old, he'd spoken to a spirit and a bodiless princess, fought monsters, and found out he was supposed to defeat an ancient evil monster. What was one more surprise?

Symin brought him another stool, and Link gratefully sat down. "Then… Impa asked me to come see you. She said that the Sheikah Slate was missing some of its runes and that some of them might actually be able to help me recover my lost memories."

"Oh! So we were right—the Shrine of Resurrection _did_ cause memory loss. Good to know!" She grabbed a piece of paper and a quill, scratched a line beneath a paragraph that she'd already written on it, and began to quickly scribble notes under that line, speaking softly to herself as she did so. "As expected… After one hundred years in the Slumber of Restoration, subject has lost all memories… Noted!" She punctuated this statement by tapping the quill on the page and replacing it in the inkpot.

"Do you think she's right? Will the other runes help me recover my memories?"

Purah looked at Link with a raised eyebrow. "How am I supposed to know? I work on machines and ancient technology—not Hylian brains!" Her eyes fell back down to the Sheikah Slate, tapping her lip curiously. " _Now_ , I need to figure out why these runes disappeared. They were there one hundred years ago when I put you in the Shrine of Resurrection."

" _You_ put me in the Shrine?"

Purah sighed heavily and grabbed her piece of paper and quill, beginning to write again. "Subject appears to be very… _persistent_ after one-hundred-year slumber… Perhaps side effect of the memory loss? Uncertain. Will consider further _after_ work is complete on Sheikah Slate."

She put the quill down and looked at Link, smiling sweetly. "Yes! I did! Well, _we_ did. Carried you all the way to the Great Plateau; you were _heavy_ , too. Then we put you in there, locked the Sheikah Slate up with you, and then went our separate ways in hopes that at least _one_ of us would still be alive when you woke up. As luck would have it, _all_ of us are still alive. Funny that. Sheikah _do_ tend to have longer lifespans than Hylians, but that seems particularly fortuitous."

Link opened his mouth to ask another question, but Purah cut him off. "Now, why don't you be a sweet little boy—" Link found it incredibly surreal to be called a _sweet little boy_ by what appeared to be a six-year-old girl. "—and go outside and play. Practice swinging your sword or chop wood or something. Whatever it is you do when you're bored, alrighty? I'll set about to fixing the Sheikah Slate."

With that, Link was dismissed. Purah turned back to inspecting the Sheikah Slate, waving one hand at him in a shooing motion. Feeling confused and more than a little frustrated, Link did as she suggested, walking back outside to give her space. Before too long, Symin brought out a cup of tea, apologizing for Purah's eccentricities, but assuring Link that she would get the Sheikah Slate fixed in no time.

* * *

It was some time before Symin was sent out again, this time to inform Link that Purah would be keeping the Sheikah Slate overnight to keep working on restoring its full functionality. He lamented the fact that they did not have a guest bed, and that Link would probably be more comfortable down at the inn in the village. As the air had already begun to cool noticeably with the late afternoon, Link had to agree with him.

Link began back down the hill. The descent went by much faster than the ascent, thankfully, and he was able to reach Hateno Village before the sun had set, though just barely. Link's first stop was the inn, where he paid a pretty young woman named Prima a handful of his rupees for a bed and a spot in the stable for Spirit. She also offered him a meal, but he declined, remembering his promise to visit Meghyn and Nat for supper.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly for Link. Though he did not particularly enjoy being thanked for saving them again, he enjoyed spending time with Meghyn and Nat. The two sisters seemed to fight more often than not, but they clearly cared for one another. They also had plenty of stories to share. Nat, particularly, was able to tell Link of several notable legends in the area, including that of an evil demon-possessed statue that was supposed to be hidden somewhere near the village and of a hero from their village that bravely fought off dozens of Guardians at Fort Hateno before perishing. This story made Link distinctly uncomfortable, and he quickly changed the subject.

The story stuck with Link as the night wore on, however, and he was still thinking about it as he lied down at the inn that night. Village legends spoke of a hero that had grown up and lived in this very village. A knight that fought the Guardians in one grand final battle at Fort Hateno. He ultimately died, but his sacrifice prevented the complete destruction of Hateno Village, as the Guardians had been on their way to raze Hateno to the ground as they had done with so many other towns and settlements.

It struck too close to home for Link. He had no memories of living in Hateno Village or battling Guardians, but Nat had assured him that the story was true and that the old hero's house remained to this day, unoccupied. He decided that he would have to ask Purah about the story in the morning. That decided, he fell into a fitful sleep.


	9. Chapter Eight

**This chapter was one of my favorite chapters to write. I put on the soundtrack for the Guardians of the Galaxy to get the mood just right when I was writing it... So hopefully you find it as entertaining as I did! Really, any scene that Purah is in is just a delight to write. Hopefully you all agree that I do her justice. Thanks for the reviews and follows! Keep them coming. I'll have another chapter posted later this week.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Enjoying the feel of the soft, warm bed, he remained in it the following morning until the sun had risen high enough to banish the morning's dew. He remained in it long enough for the few other patrons of the inn to rise and go down for breakfast, which _did_ smell good. But, no. The bed was soft and inviting, and after several days of hard travel, it was just too nice to leave. Breakfast could wait.

Unfortunately, someone else had other ideas.

"Oh, _Linky_ …"

A singsong voice. High-pitched and cheery. Childish. Link did not open his eyes. Perhaps if he just continued to pretend to be asleep…

" _Linky_ …"

He felt a finger poke his leg. He still did not move. Just a few more minutes…

"Linky!"

Something soft hit him in the face, and he jolted, eyes opening. He sputtered and looked around in surprise, hair hanging down over his face. He reached up, sweeping his hair back and shooting the diminutive Purah a glare. She, in turn, clasped her hands behind her back and gave him a sweet smile.

"Oh, good, you're up!" Purah said, clapping her hands together in front of her. "I hoped you would be." She walked over to his bed and, despite his protests, yanked the bedsheets back.

"Purah…!" Link said, face turning red as he rolled out of bed. He was only wearing his undergarments.

"Oh, please." She snorted but had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm a _very_ old six-year-old. Nothing there that I haven't seen before. And, snap! It's not like we put you in the Shrine of Resurrection with clothes on, so…" Link's face began to grow warm at the thought, but Purah, unfortunately, was not finished. "Wait, you didn't wake up _with_ clothes on, did you? Because that… _that_ would be interesting."

"No," Link said, grabbing his trousers and pulling them on. His tunic followed. "No, I did _not_ wake up with any clothes on. Thank you for that."

"Anytime!"

Link sighed and sat on the bed, his back to her, to pull his socks on. "Why did you come all the way down here? I was planning on riding back up to the lab right after I ate breakfast."

"Breakfast? There is _no_ time for breakfast!"

Link's heart sank at this and he looked back around at her. "…Why?"

"Because I've just about got the Sheikah Slate fixed! There's just one more thing I need to do, and I need your help to do it."

"And it can't wait until after breakfast?"

"Nope!"

"Surely it can wait ten minutes."

"Science waits for _no one_." She placed her hands on her hips, striking a pose with her feet slightly more than shoulder-length apart and chin raised. It looked very comical to Link, but he chose not to say something lest she throw another pillow at him.

"Well, science sounds pretty damned rude." Link said, grumbling as he laced his boots.

" _Linky_!" Purah said, gasping. He stiffened, looking back at her, suddenly worried that he'd offended her somehow. "I don't think I've heard you make a joke before!" Link felt his face flush, not sure what to think of that at all. Purah ignored this, however, tapping her lip. "I wonder if that is a side effect of the Slumber of Restoration or the memory loss… Or, perhaps, you just never showed that side of yourself to me! Hard to say… How _does_ a person's personality change after such a traumatic event and subsequent memory loss?"

Link, suddenly, felt no desire to continue this conversation any longer, much less make wisecracks around her. He stood up from the bed, tapping his boots on the ground to settle his feet in them better. The leather had mostly been broken in after his days of traveling, thankfully, though he expected they would feel far more comfortable after a few more days. They were, at least, much more comfortable than the boots he got on the Great Plateau. Those had left blisters on his heels after his first day of walking.

"Oh, good, are you ready? It's about time! Come on, come on!" Purah hurried to the door that led out of the communal room Link had rented a bed in. When she opened the door, the savory scents of bacon and eggs filled his nostrils. His stomach growled, and he rubbed it miserably.

He had rented the bed for at least two nights, so he didn't bother bringing all of his supplies, but when Purah saw him, she stopped him. "I'd bring your sword and shield, honey."

"Are we going somewhere dangerous?" Link frowned at her, thinking of the bokoblins from the day before.

"Snappity snap! You never know what kind of trouble is going to find you! Always got to be prepared."

Not at all sure that he liked the sound of that, Link did as she suggested, grabbing his sword and shield, as well as his small waist pack with supplies, quiver of arrows, and unstrung bow. As they walked down the stairs and into the inn's common room, he saw quite a few people had come to the inn for what looked like a delicious breakfast. Fresh cucco eggs, bacon, and biscuits were piled high on wooden plates. Some of the people drank from steaming cups of tea.

Pursing his lips, Link sat resolutely down in a chair. Purah looked back at him, eyebrows raising. "What are you doing?"

"Science can wait for _this_ man." Firm. That was good. She had made him wait outside for hours the day before. He wouldn't let her push him around today. Purah looked at him in irritation, crossing her arms. She began to tap her foot impatiently. Link chose not to meet her eyes but waved at Prima as she looked in his direction. She came over and took his order.

" _Ten_ minutes," Purah finally said, looking every bit as threatening as a six-year-old little girl can.

"Ten minutes."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Purah pushed through the morning bustle of Hateno Village, fists clenched at her sides, Link following behind. At one point, a boy who seemed very excited to meet a new little girl his age ran up to her, but she simply shouldered past him, ignoring him. Link shot the boy an apologetic look, who responded by sticking his tongue out at Link. _Little brat,_ Link thought as he hurried to match Purah's pace. For such a diminutive girl, she moved rather quickly.

They made their way down the hill until they reached the large silo. Link began to suspect her ultimate destination, and his suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Purah turned them past the silo, to where the conical Sheikah structure stood just behind it. It was situated on a small ridge, which ended up being easy enough to climb, though Link had to help Purah up one particularly steep section.

When they stood in front of the structure, Purah grinned up at it before looking over at Link. "We tried for years to activate one of these shrines. Princess Zelda, Robbie, and I." When she spoke, her tone was different than before; excited, but thoughtful. Reverent. "Robbie was always more interested in what kind of weapons and artifacts might be within, of course, but Zelda and I… We were interested in the _science_ of it. In the history. The technology that was lost long ago, and what we could recover through its discovery."

Purah stepped onto a circular platform in front of the Sheikah shrine and walked over to a pedestal just like the ones inside of the Shrine of Resurrection, which was placed just next to the closed door. She reached out one small hand, touching its cool surface.

"Nothing we did worked. For years, we did everything we could, hoping to find a way in. Of course, we also hoped something inside them could be used to stop Ganon, but…" She looked back at Link and he was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes behind the bright red glasses. She blinked rapidly and turned away, taking her glasses off and rubbing her eyes. When she replaced them and looked back at Link, she seemed to be back to her normal self.

"Of course, we never could figure out a way to power them, but we were missing something, weren't we? Snap, I'll bet those towers that popped up all over Hyrule has something to do with it, don't they? Did you activate those?"

Link stepped up to Purah, looking up at the shrine curiously. "I just… found one on the Great Plateau. It was partially buried, but it had a pedestal like the one back in your lab. I placed the Sheikah Slate in it and…" He made the motion of something rising from the ground with his hand.

"I'd bet that the earthquakes that happened when Calamity Ganon broke free revealed it! Snap, if we'd spent more time on the Great Plateau after placing you in the Shrine, we might have even found it… But with Zelda running off to seal Ganon, we couldn't stay long. I wonder… but I suppose we couldn't have activated them, anyway! We sealed the Sheikah Slate in the Shrine with you, didn't we?"

Link reached out and touched the pedestal thoughtfully. "And you think this will fix the Sheikah Slate?"

"What?" Purah looked at him incredulously and then, after a moment, snapped her fingers. "Oh! No, of course not. I already _did_ that. Upgraded the existing runes on it, too. That was easy."

Link looked at her, exasperated. "I thought we were here to fix the Sheikah Slate."

"No, we're here to activate the shrine!"

"Well… what does the _shrine_ do?"

"No idea!" At Link's deepening frown, Purah shrugged. "I mean, we have _theories_."

"Well… what are your theories?"

"We thought that maybe these were placed by the ancient Sheikah over ten thousand years ago to help train the Legendary Hero— _you_ —to defeat Ganon. But really, that's just a theory." She paused. "A theory backed up by years of research, fragments of ancient texts, and the brainpower of yours truly, so it's probably pretty accurate." She shrugged again.

A shrine to train the Legendary Hero. Link felt that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach again. Was this yet another task he would have to complete on his journey to defeat Ganon and free Princess Zelda?

"Is this the only one?" he said, looking back up at the orange Sheikah eye above them. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Of course not! We've got these things all over the country, though I think most of them have been hidden by time. We excavated some of them, but I don't think we even came close to finding them all."

"And I need to find them all?" Link grimaced, suddenly feeling any hope of accomplishing this task drain out of him. If he had to find these to defeat Ganon…

" _What_?" Purah looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you insane? We're _way_ past training you to be a hero, Linky! I suppose if you find some others out there, it wouldn't hurt to check them out—might even be fun! But you don't have time to go trying to dig these up _now_."

Link wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or not. It was good to know that he wouldn't be expected to go find each of these ancient shrines, but if they'd been built for the express purpose of making sure he was ready to face Ganon, then was he setting himself up for another failure by not doing so?

Purah brought him back out of his introspection by snapping her fingers at him. "You get distracted more easily than Symin. Pay attention!" She pulled the Sheikah Slate from a small bag she had slung over her shoulder. "Snappity snap, we're going to make history today. Linky! Give me a good snap!"

"I… what?"

"Snap! Give me a snap! A good one."

Link opened his mouth, utterly confused by this. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Um…snap?"

Purah gave him a look of disgust before rolling her eyes, mumbling something under her breath. Then she straightened, looked back at the pedestal, and placed the Sheikah Slate against its flat surface.

The pedestal flashed a brilliant blue, followed by the circular platform they stood on. The shrine shuddered as the door, which was made up of a series of horizontal, interlocking stone blocks, swung open with the sound of stone grinding on stone.

Purah whooped and laughed, jumping up and down as the shrine came to life. Link couldn't help but smile some at the exuberance shown by the little girl—until he remembered that she was actually well over a hundred years old, which made the sight seem a little strange.

Surprisingly, there did not seem to be much of interest inside of the shrine, however. A simple glowing platform sat in the small rock enclosure. It was clearly Sheikah in design with its blue glow and was much smaller than the large circle on the outside of the shrine. There wasn't even another pedestal with which to use the Sheikah Slate.

Purah grabbed Link's hand with her own small one and pulled him forward onto the circle inside. As they stepped on it, the floor shifted under their feet. Link stumbled, his eyes widening as the glowing blue circle under their feet began to sink into the ground.

Purah laughed again, her eyes wide with unbridled excitement. Link, for his part, felt naked and unsure. He had his weapons, yes, but they were entering some kind of underground cavern, it would seem. He had no idea what to expect, and, to make matters worse, _Purah_ was with him. He would possibly have to protect her as well.

The floor beneath them continued to sink, and, soon, they were surrounded by rock walls. The only light came from the soft blue lights on the platform and the increasingly distant circle of light above them. Link wondered if any of the other villagers would investigate the shrine. What if one of the children fell in? He felt sick just thinking about it. Had they been irresponsible trying to do this without properly warning the villagers? As if sensing his concerns, the circle of light far above grew suddenly dark. Distantly, Link could hear the sound of the stone door closing again.

 _Well_ , _at least that takes care of that. Now we just have to find a way out,_ he thought, his heart sinking further.

For a few seconds, the only light came from beneath their feet, and Link could just faintly make out Purah's excited expression. Light suddenly flooded the small shaft they were descending into. The platform had cleared a lip in the rock and now floated down in a brightly lit cavern. Link's eyes widened as he took in the sight.

They were in some kind of cylinder made of stone rings and vertical beams of light. He couldn't see anything that was actually _controlling_ the platform they were standing on, but it continued to slowly descend without any trouble. Outside of the cylinder, however, was a large cavern. Really, cavern probably wasn't the right word for it, as it was _clearly_ not natural. Familiar glowing orange lights and lines formed strange patterns reminiscent of celestial constellations covered the otherwise plain black stone walls. The ceiling was a strange mass of blue light crisscrossed with support beams that didn't appear to support anything that Link could actually make out. The floor was the strangest thing, however.

The floor wasn't a floor at all. Instead, the _actual_ floor appeared to be so far beneath them that it was impossible to make out. They were descending toward some kind of large platform, blocky and solid. He couldn't see any way that it was floating, other than being attached to the one wall at Link and Purah's backs. It seemed far too flimsy for the platform's mass, yet it stood without any difficulty. There were others like it as well. In fact, the platforms in the room were of many different shapes and sizes and appeared to have different purposes. For example, directly after the platform that Link and Purah were descending to, there was something that looked like a pair of windmill's blades, turned on their sides to form rotating platforms. This rotating platform crossed a large gap leading to the next solid platform, attached to the wall at its side.

Purah gasped as she took it all in, taking out her notebook and scribbling furiously with a small charcoal pencil. She didn't speak out loud as she wrote—it would appear that this was all too much to even warrant that. The look of concentration on her face might have even been comical, with her eyebrows furrowed and tongue sticking out, caught between her lips, but Link felt too overwhelmed. Who _were_ the ancient Sheikah? How could they make something like this? And to hide it underground, to mask it under perfectly normal-looking terrain features… It was astonishing.

They reached the ground with a soft thud and the strange light that had guided them down faded, providing them the way out onto the large platform. As Link stepped out, a sudden sound like a gong rang out, causing him to tense, eyes wide, as he looked around for the source of the sound. A voice, loud and booming, seemed to come from everywhere at once, filling Link's ears with its deep, resonance.

"To you who sets foot in this shrine…" Link glanced back at Purah in utter confusion, but she, too, seemed taken aback by the voice. "I am Myahm Agana." Purah gasped next to him and began writing again. "In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial." Link heard another gong, and then nothing. Silence.

Finally, Link turned to Purah, opening his mouth to speak, but she shushed him violently, shaking her head. She kept writing, reaching the bottom of the page she was on before flipping it over and beginning to scribble on the back. Her hands moved far faster than Link would have thought it possible for anyone to write. After filling in half of this new page, she finally tapped her pencil and looked back up at Link. She looked flushed, and he wondered if it was due to the intensity of her writing.

"Okay!" Purah shoved her the paper and small pad she'd been writing on into her pack and pulled out the Sheikah Slate, looking at it quietly and then up at Link. She looked back at the Slate, considering. Finally, her shoulders slumped and she held the Slate out to Link. "These shrines are to train _you_ , Linky, so you might as well have this."

"Thanks." Link took the Sheikah Slate, clipping it to his belt, which seemed to annoy Purah somehow. He stepped up to the ledge, looking at the rotating platform before him. "Do you think we need to cross this?"

"Oh, _probably_ … Unless the ancient Sheikah wanted us to just stand here for a while." Her sweet smile was at complete odds with the sarcastic bite in her tone. He ignored it.

He sized up the rotating platform. It was moving quickly, connected by a spinning pole to the wall. He had absolutely no idea how it worked—or even if it would properly support his weight. But if he leaped onto it just as the first fin reached the proper height, he could sprint across and leap across. Hopefully before the angle grew so steep that he slipped and fell down into the bottomless pit.

Link backed up, taking a deep breath, readying himself, but then he hesitated. It was foolish, of course. Nigh suicidal! One misstep, running just a little too slowly, and he would plunge into the depths. What would Hyrule do then? Who could save the princess? It was _foolish_.

"Purah, maybe we should just go back up." Link shook his head, straightening. "This isn't… safe."

"Click, snap! Of course, it is!" Purah grinned at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"There is no way I can run across that without falling," Link said, feeling exasperated. "And, besides, _you_ would have to get across too, and I just don't think—"

" _Run_ _across_? What, are you blind? We're not going to run across!" Purah's grin remained, a strange twinkle in her youthful eyes. Link suddenly got the sense that he was missing something very important.

"Look, if you know something, just… say it." Link felt a headache beginning to form between his temples. He really wished he had a chance to eat breakfast that morning.

Purah sighed and walked over to him. She tapped the Sheikah Slate at his waist. "You know how we could not get in here without this? Maybe—hear me out here— _maybe_ you should use this _in_ here."

Link gave her a blank stare for several moments, considering her words, and then pursed his lips. Of _course_. He pulled the Sheikah Slate from his waist, looking at the runes available. He noted immediately that there were a few additional ones that hadn't previously been there, but he ignored those, for the time being, instead selecting the yellow Stasis rune. At once, the screen grew translucent and he gazed through it at the rotating platform, which was highlighted in a bright yellow light. At just the right moment, he selected the rune and the platform flashed brightly before going perfectly still, forming a perfectly stable platform for them to cross on.

Purah laughed happily and did a little dance as she crossed the platform. Link saw the timer counting down on the screen and hurried across after her, feeling relieved once back on the stable ground of the next platform. Once he was safely across, Purah grinned at him, showing teeth.

"Come on, come on!" She turned and hurried down a shallow slope that led to another gap between platforms. This one had two stone tracks connecting the platforms with a pair of metal platforms that were placed along the tracks, though neither of them was close enough to jump onto. She looked back at Link as he approached, smirking at him. "Can you figure this one out?"

Switching over to the Magnesis rune, Link shot out the strange beam and connected to the nearest metal platform. Using the Sheikah Slate, he brought the platform closer, and Purah happily danced onto it. Link followed and then used the Slate to bring the other platform closer. They crossed onto this platform and, using Magnesis, moved the previous platform forward enough to cross back over onto. Using the twin metal platforms like stepping stones, they crossed the gap without any other incident or word.

* * *

The next hour or so passed in much the same way. Link found that the shrine appeared to mostly be a series of simple exercises to make sure he was familiar with the functionality of the Sheikah Slate. They crossed a waterfall using Cryonis, formed a bridge with Magnesis, and had to freeze several more moving platforms with Stasis before they reached the other end of the chamber they were in.

Just when Link was beginning to feel that the exercises being presented him were, perhaps, a little simpler than he had expected from such a lofty place, they crossed through a door into a much larger room. There was no real floor in this next room—just a handful of stable platforms among a series of moving platforms, metal blocks, and several waterfalls. It was clear this was to be the real challenge of the shrine.

For the next two hours, they carefully made their way across the room. It was slow going and quite a bit more dangerous than the previous room. Even Purah's quips seemed to dry up after one particular platform that acted like a seesaw broke out of its Stasis before Purah had made it all the way across. As it began to tilt down, she screamed and leaped for the platform Link was standing on. Only Link's quick reaction in grabbing her by her wrist kept her from falling down into the seemingly bottomless pit below. They took a break after that before, finally, continuing on and reaching the final platform. Relieved, Link leaned against the wall, exhaling slowly.

"Do you think that was it?" Link said after catching his breath. Purah shrugged and shook her head. She was breathing heavily as well, cheeks flushed. Finally, they continued on down a set of stairs that led into a large open room. Several stone pillars reached up to the ceiling, and there was a conspicuous square-shaped hole in the center.

"Linky!" Purah said. Link looked back at her, eyebrows raised. "To answer your previous question—nope!" Link sighed and moved forward into the room, holding his Sheikah Slate carefully. He spotted a few heavy-looking metal crates off to one side of the room, but their purpose was not immediately obvious to him.

A rumbling noise from the center of the room brought his attention back to the hole. As he watched, the missing piece of the floor rose into place from the depths of the hole. It clicked into place, completing the room's floor. Located at its center was some kind of mechanical creature that looked somewhat related to the dead Guardians that Link had seen throughout Hyrule.

It was smaller than the Guardians that Link had seen, thankfully—shorter than Link's own height—with three spider-like legs and a squat body connecting them. It had a domed head with a single blue eye. Link's initial thought was that it did not actually look very threatening.

"It's a Guardian Scout! I haven't seen a functioning one in, what, sixty years or so?" Purah seemed quite excited by its presence and grabbed out her paper and pad to write on. "Its coloring is orange. _Fascinating_!"

At Purah's voice, the Guardian's domed head swiveled around, and its blue eye fell on Link. To Link's dismay, the head suddenly rose upon a cylindrical extension of its body, rising to be about Link's height. To make matters worse, two thin mechanical arms extended out from its body. With a flash, a pair of strange weapons appeared in its hands, if they could be called such.

The weapons appeared to be a sword and shield, but they were glowing and slightly translucent. As the Guardian moved them, they buzzed and hummed. Neither of them seemed terribly threatening—the sword was shorter than Link's sword, and the shield was fairly small as well—but Link didn't trust the way they looked. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and his breath quickened. He knew at once that this small, simple automaton was _dangerous_. And its eye was focused on him alone.

Link hooked his Sheikah Slate to his belt and unsheathed his sword and shield. The Guardian Scout appeared to wait for Link to arm himself before moving forward on its legs. The legs moved fluidly, made up of dozens of small joints that gave them great flexibility and speed. It crossed the distance to Link much faster than he had expected, and Link dodged back, narrowly avoiding a horizontal slice by the Guardian that would have taken his head off at the neck.

Breathing quickly, Link leaped forward, swinging his sword towards the Guardian's blue eye, but it moved its shield into place with a surprising quickness. Link's sword bounced harmlessly off, and he barely had time to get his own shield up in time to block the follow-on attack. The Guardian's sword struck his shield with powerful force, sending Link stumbling back a few steps.

Relentless, the Guardian advanced on Link, and he was forced to dodge and deflect more attacks. When he thought he saw another opening, he swung out, but again, his sword only found the blue, crackling shield.

From her place, sitting on the stairs that led down into the room, Purah called out to Link, but he ignored her. The Guardian paced around Link in a circle, the shield held defensively in front of its body. It seemed to be waiting for Link to make his next move. Link feinted left, and it swung its sword down through the air in a chopping motion, right where it thought Link should have been. Instead, Link stepped towards the right and stabbed his sword out, the tip slipping past the Guardian Scout's shield to find its way home to the Guardian's exposed central body, where it bounced off harmlessly.

For a frozen second, Link stared with wide eyes at the utter lack of damage dealt to the Guardian, and then it swiveled its shield around, catching Link's sword and wrenching it from his hands. The sword spun away from him, splashing down in the water that now covered the floor. When had _that_ even happened? As Link stumbled back, he was surprised to find that the entire chamber was now covered by about an inch of water. Not enough to cause him to lose his footing, but enough to slow him.

The Guardian advanced relentlessly, its eye never leaving Link. Weaponless, Link had no choice but to keep retreating, looking for any other weapons with which to use. He had left his unstrung bow sitting on the steps next to Purah, who did not seem to be at all interested in assisting him, except… why was she waving at him? And what was she yelling?

"—kah Slate! Use the—"

Link tuned her out again and grabbed the Sheikah Slate from his belt again, pressing the Cryonis rune. With a hasty aim, he caused a block of ice to rise up right underneath one of the Guardian's legs. It tipped, nearly falling over, but then righted itself, walking around the block of ice to continue its advance. Link, however, had managed to gain more ground on the Guardian in the momentary distraction, and he was able to raise up two more blocks of ice in front of the Guardian, blocking its path for another few precious moments.

When it came around the block again, Link pressed the Stasis rune and, suddenly, the Guardian flashed with the comforting yellow light, freezing in place. Feeling a sudden rush of giddy joy, Link's fingers danced across the screen, selecting the blue Remote Bomb rune. The bomb appeared right in front of him, and he kicked it towards the frozen Guardian before running back several paces. As soon as the Stasis rune broke, he set off the bomb, which sent the Guardian flying backward in a heap of tangled limbs. To Link's astonishment, its two arms were sheared off in the blast, leaving the Guardian unarmed.

Feeling as though a weight had lifted off of his shoulders, Link grinned and lowered the Sheikah Slate. That's when he saw its eye flash white. His body moved of its own accord, diving to the side as a beam of light shot from its eye, striking the ground where Link had been standing moments before, sending a cloud of hissing steam into the air. The Guardian did not give Link much of a chance to recover after that and launched another volley of deadly light at him, narrowly missing as Link stumbled through the water.

Link ran around one of the stone pillars, which blocked the next two volleys from the Guardian, though it shuddered worryingly in the process, sending light dust and debris raining down on his head. Link could hear the Guardian's clawed feet splashing through the water as it approached him and he looked quickly around for another weapon he could use. His eyes fell on the large metal crates nearby.

There seemed to be something wrong with how the Magnesis rune worked. Link was no scientist, but he felt that it was strange that he could use the rune to lift such a large metal box into the air while feeling none of its considerable weight in his own arms. It didn't make a lot of sense. Of course, at that moment, Link really did not care very much.

He swung the Sheikah Slate violently to the side and the metal crate, obligingly, slid through the water with the terrible sound of metal grating against stone. The Guardian's eye turned to look at it as it approached, but it did nothing to dodge the box as it collided with the Guardian hard enough to send the automaton flying through the air. It fit the ground in a roll and settled some ten feet away. Link eyed it cautiously, still maintaining his mysterious hold on the metal box and, when it began to shudder back to its feet, he lifted the box high over its head and brought the box crashing down with enough force to shatter both the box and the Guardian underneath.

Breathing deeply, Link stumbled back and leaned against the stone pillar. Across the large arena-like room, one final door slid open. The water began to drain from the room, flowing into small grates that had opened at the room's edges. Over on the steps, Purah wrote furiously on her paper.

When Link finally approached her, she looked up at him and grinned. "Good job, Linky! That was some quick thinking! For a moment there, I thought we were going to have to find ourselves another hero…" She tapped her lips thoughtfully with her charcoal pencil. It left black smear on her lips. "I wonder what you would have done in this shrine had I not come with you…"

 _I'm only here because_ you _insisted_ , he thought. He did not speak that aloud, however, and merely shook his head. "That should be it, right? There can't possibly be anything else after… _that_. What did you call it?"

"A Guardian Scout!" Purah shot to her feet and hurried across the floor to the mangled remains. "A Guardian Scout that appeared to _not_ be under Ganon's control." When Link gave her a blank look, she scowled at him. "Link, don't you understand? We didn't know that _any_ Guardians remained outside of Ganon's control! Somehow, the shrine… _protected_ it. I need to study this." Her voice took on a singsong tone as she rubbed her hands together. "This could bring about a _breakthrough_ …"

Deciding to leave Purah to her investigation of the Guardian, Link walked over and retrieved his fallen sword. He noticed with some irritation that its tip had been chipped in his failed attack against the Guardian. It was still usable for a time, but he worried that point of weakness would weaken the rest of the blade over time. Deciding there was nothing he could do for it now, he sheathed his sword and shield before, out of curiosity, walking over to where the Guardian's limbs had been blown off.

The arms, he found, had hands with three spindly fingers each. These fingers gripped a strangely designed sword hilt and a disc that he assumed was the Guardian's shield. They both appeared to be made of the same black metal that made up the Guardian's body, with familiar-looking Sheikah designs on them. Link bent down, prying the Guardian's broken hand open and pulling the sword hilt out. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting its smooth black surface. Finally, he found a small switch on its side. Carefully positioning it away from his body, Link pressed down on the switch.

With a flash of blue light and a hum, the sword's blue blade appeared. Gasping, Link's eyes widened. He carefully turned the blade, noting with amazement that it appeared to have no thickness to it at all. It was thinner than he thought possible, and he wondered at its cutting power. If this blade had caught him, it would have likely sliced through any of his limbs with ease. It was probably a miracle that his shield had survived a blow from this.

He placed the blade against the Guardian's broken arm and applied pressure. With surprising ease, the blue blade cut cleanly through the metal arm. With some surprise, Link found that the cut ends of the arm were glowing red with molten metal. Was the blade _hot_? It didn't seem to have any heat radiating off of it, but Link decided against testing it against his skin. He deactivated the Guardian sword and slipped it into his belt, determined to experiment more with it later. He picked up the small disc that he assumed was its shield, attempting to test it out in the same way. It seemed to have been damaged in the fight, however, and would not activate. He left it next to the discarded limbs and walked back over to Purah.

"Look, Linky!" She stood up from the Guardian's wreckage, holding a small yellow sphere with a smirk. "The core survived your beating! Hopefully, I can pull some important data from it. Get your new toys? Good. Let's hope we can get back to the lab so I can examine this."

They turned and walked towards the newly opened door, which revealed one more, smaller room. A set of stairs led up to a raised dais, where a large glowing blue cube sat. Curious, Link approached it and found, with some surprise, the old, desiccated remains of an ancient Sheikah sat within the cube. The Sheikah was thin enough to see its skeleton underneath its papery skin, with sunken eyes, nose, and mouth. In the center of its head was a white Sheikah symbol tattooed on its skin. It was seated cross-legged with its hands held up at chest height, fingers and thumbs forming a triangle. It wore simple Sheikah robes and pants, and its long white hair had been pulled up into a top knot.

Purah stepped up beside him, staring at the Sheikah with wide eyes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she had no quips to make about this seemingly mummified member of her tribe. The man appeared to have been dead for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Which was why it was so surprising when the Sheikah's eyes suddenly opened, revealing empty sockets, and its mouth opened, showing a dark, toothless maw.

Link and Purah both stumbled back, and Purah released a series of curses that sounded extremely inappropriate to be coming from such a young girl's mouth. Link wrenched his sword free from its scabbard, alert for another trial or attack. But no attack came. Instead, the Sheikah in the glowing cage spoke with the same, resonant tone that they'd heard upon entering the shrine.

"Your resourcefulness in overcoming this trial speaks to the promise of a hero…" The ancient Sheikah moved slowly, uncrossing his legs and standing. As he moved, his bones cracked and popped, and Link was amazed that he could move at all. What kind of magic sustained this Sheikah's life for so long? The Sheikah stood, stooping slightly. "You have taken the first steps necessary to defeat the evil plaguing this land. Now, go. Hone your abilities. Save what remains."

Link slowly sheathed his sword, watching the Sheikah. To his amazement, the Sheikah man clasped his hands together and bowed at the waist. Link, hesitantly, did the same, bowing in more than a little reverence for the old man who had, to Link's approximation, waited in this shrine for far too long. When the Sheikah stood, it turned its empty eye sockets on Purah, and its cracked lips formed a smile.

"Be strong, little one." It bowed towards Purah, who looked on with a shocked expression. Finally, she seemed to come to her senses and clapped her hands together, bowing with a practiced air. When the Sheikah rose, it spoke again, still looking at Purah. "Guide the hero. Do not fail as we did."

The Sheikah fixed its empty gaze forward and then began to fade. Link and Purah both gasped as the Sheikah's body dissolved into thousands of glowing blue-green particles, which floated away before fading completely. The blue shield that had surrounded it faded as well, leaving an empty dais. Link glanced down at Purah, struggling to find words.

Whatever he might have said, however, was lost when he noticed that Purah's feet, like the ancient Sheikah, were breaking apart into the blue particles. Purah cried out Link's name, and he saw that the same was happening to his own feet. The sensation traveled quickly up his body, causing his legs and torso to disappear. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, but then the sensation reached his head and everything went white around him.

Moments later to Link's approximation, the world took shape around him once again. The white faded to reveal a bright blue sky overhead, full of puffy clouds. Trees swayed in a soft breeze, and birds sang happily with the day. The day had warmed considerably in the time they had been in the shrine.

Link gasped and looked around, finding that he was, again, standing upon the base of the Sheikah shrine. The orange glow of the Sheikah symbol upon its face had turned blue, and the door remained closed. He looked down and saw Purah beside him, patting herself down as if to make sure she was all there. She looked up at him, eyes wide, and, for a moment, still seemed unable to speak. That did not last long, however.

"Click, snap! Instant transportation! I've read of it before, of course, but to actually _experience_ it… I _must_ do more to study this. Perhaps figure out a way to activate it on my own Sheikah Slate…" She pulled the paper out of her bag again, scribbling several notes, muttering to herself as she did so. When she finished with a flourish of her wrist, she put the paper and pencil away, looking up at Link with a grin. He could see, though, that the experience they shared still haunted her, as it did him. The grin did not quite reach her red eyes.

"We should go back to the lab. I need to examine your Sheikah Slate one more time before I can let you go, alrighty?" Purah began down from the shrine, pointedly ignoring the few villagers that had gathered to see how it had changed. Link wasn't sure if any of them had seen Purah and him arriving again, but he hoped not. He did not want to answer the questions that would follow. The villagers, thankfully, chose to part around them as they passed, though Link heard several whispered conversations breaking out behind him. He briefly caught sight of Meghyn, who watched him with wide eyes, but she, too, kept her distance. Link and Purah walked in silence up the path to the inn's stables, where they retrieved Spirit and Purah's mule.

* * *

It was sometime later before either of them spoke again. Both of were deep in thought following the shrine, and the slow, plodding pace of their mounts only seemed to encourage the thoughtfulness. Finally, though, Purah broke the silence.

"Linky, I am surprised at you." She looked over at him from her mule, which she appeared to have named "Mule", and smiled.

"Why?" Link frowned slightly, unsure of what he had done this time.

"Well, yesterday, you wouldn't stop pestering me with questions, but you haven't asked any _today_."

Link did not particularly think he had been _pestering_ her with questions the day prior, but he left that subject alone. Instead, he considered what he might ask. Before he could ask anything, though, Purah continued.

"Do you… want to know anything about your life before? I didn't really know you _that_ well, but the princess was…" Purah smiled in such a way that made her look much older than the six-year-old body would suggest. "We were close. She was like my younger sister. And _you_ were always two steps behind her."

Link's face flushed and he looked down towards Spirit's lazily bobbing head. He felt Purah's gaze on him but wasn't sure he wanted to meet her eyes.

"Come on, _Linky_ … There must be _something_ that you want to know. Do you want to know what the princess really thought of you? She might have let something _slip_ one late evening when you were sleeping."

"The villagers mentioned a hero from the village that died defending it against the Guardians. Was that…"

"You? Yep!" Purah bounced a little in her saddle. "You were—are—the grand hero of Hateno Village. Not a very _fun_ question to ask, but sure. You used to live here."

Link finally looked up at her, briefly, and then out at the village stretching below them. Of course, he could not recognize it at all. Nothing about it even seemed familiar to him.

"Really, I guess your _family_ lived here. You probably wouldn't even remember much of it, even if you had your memories—your father was a knight in the Royal Guard, after all." Link's head snapped around to look at Purah again. "So you spent most of your life living in Castle Town or the castle. Still had some land here, though." She gave Link a sly look. "In fact, I think you and the princess even stayed in your house when you visited this area…"

"I heard that my old—" He hesitated and then cleared his throat. "—the hero's old house was still around. Is that true?"

Purah shrugged. "Do I look like someone that goes into town often? It was a few years ago, but…"

"Do I… still have any family alive?"

Purah's expression fell. "As far as I know, your entire family was near the castle when Calamity Ganon broke free."

Link's heart sank, but he couldn't find it in himself to truly mourn this. He didn't even remember his own parents or any other family he might have had. How could he truly mourn strangers?

For a time, silence fell between them again as they slowly made their way up and around the hill towards Purah's lab. She eventually broke the silence again, pointing at his Sheikah Slate.

"I _did_ fix that. If you look at the runes, you'll see few more! The green one is the camera rune—you can take photographs with it." Link had no idea what photographs were, so he pulled the Sheikah Slate from his belt and clicked the rune. At once, the screen turned transparent again, and he was reminded of the telescopic rune that it had. When he pressed the green rune again, however, the screen flashed and he was presented with a still image of what he had been pointing it at—Hateno Village from above—perfectly captured in all of its detail. The still image remained for a few seconds before disappearing, replaced by the transparent screen again.

"You can look at the photos you've taken by clicking the rune next to it. That's the photo gallery. There's…" Purah hesitated, her voice hitching. After swallowing and smiling, she continued. "There's actually a lot of old photographs on there. We didn't clear them before…"

Link did as Purah said, opening the gallery. He immediately saw the photo that he'd taken first, but beyond that, he saw… himself. Clad in a blue tunic, hair styled much the same way it was now, though perhaps a little shorter. He was sitting in front of a fire, tending a cookpot with a long stick. He could see several pieces of meat cooking in the pot. His expression looked… content. A small smile played across his lips in the photograph. He began to flip through the different photographs.

There were dozens of them. Some were pictures of beautiful sunsets or interesting landmarks. There were pictures of ancient Sheikah shrines, of Guardians standing in non-threatening manners. Animals, insects, and even rocks and trees. There were pictures of beings, unlike anything he ever recalled seeing—a tall bird-like man with a beak and feathers, a shorter woman with warm eyes with fish fins, a massive brown-skinned being with an equally large grin, a tall woman with vibrant red hair and a dangerous-looking air about her. And there were pictures of _him_. Riding a brown horse, cleaning a beautiful sword with a purple hilt, or just sitting and standing. Many of them were taken, apparently, without his knowledge, as he was often turned away at the time.

Finally, he stopped at one photo showing a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing white dress. She was standing before a large pool of water with rock walls around her. Her golden hair parted around her round face, falling down past her shoulders to her back. Her green eyes shown with an expression that seemed sad, even though she was smiling in the photograph. Link's heart clenched, and he quickly closed the gallery rune. A lump had formed in his throat and would not go away. He did not know _why_ the sorrow he felt all of a sudden came upon him so powerfully at that moment, but he found himself unable to speak. He could not get the sight of the woman's sad eyes out of his mind.

 _Zelda._

He knew her name. He thought that he might have known it, even had King Rhoam, Impa, and Purah not all mentioned it many times in his presence. He had no memories of her, nothing he could point to and explain how he knew… But he longed for her. He knew, in that moment, why nothing had felt right since he awoke. Why he felt lonely when making camp. He knew what was missing. He may not have had any memories of his time with her, but his _heart_ remembered.

Purah looked at Link for several more seconds but said nothing more. Perhaps she could see something in his expression that suggested that he did not want to speak any further, or perhaps she just suspected what looking at the photos would do to his mind. Either way, she gave him the silence that he desperately needed in that moment.

Link gripped Spirit's reins with a vice grip. His knuckles were white. He tried to remember. He _tried_. He wanted to remember something— _anything_ —yet his mind only showed him a black hole where memories should have been. Shouldn't he be able to remember _something_? He clenched his teeth hard enough to make his jaw hurt. If he traveled so much with her—if she meant so _much_ to him—then why couldn't he remember a single _thing_ about her? He knew her voice because she'd spoken to him since waking, he knew her face because of the photo, but what of _her_? What of their travels? Why did his heart ache so when he saw her, yet he found nothing— _nothing!_ —when he tried to remember a single thing about her?

The remainder of the ride passed in silence. Purah made no more attempts at conversing with Link, and Link was happy to keep his thoughts to himself. When they reached the tech lab, she took the Sheikah Slate from him once more, retreating inside while Link remained outside, gazing out at the unfamiliar land stretching before him that had once been his home.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Wow, my last chapter ended up being a popular one, based on the reviews and followers I picked up as a result. Thanks! I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy it. Purah is a blast to write, and it seemed to me that she would have never let Link go down into that Shrine without her. It took me a long time to figure out how I would describe the Shrines, finally settling on something closer to how the game showed them than I initially thought I would. I figured that they could be giant puzzle rooms, but this will likely be the only one I ever actually describe in any detail, though I will definitely have Link visiting others as needed.**

 **Just going to respond to a couple reviews here...**

 **Shinshinjane: Thanks for the comments! I'm glad you're liking how I'm describing Link thus far. I always felt that Breath of the Wild was a more somber game in its tone, and I definitely want to capture that, while also maintaining a degree of hope. I think you'll find that in abundance in this chapter as well.**

 **Xmana033, I appreciate the compliments and hope that I keep portraying Link in the good way you like. I've grown very fond of the character I've tried to make with him, with all his strengths and flaws. The game portrays him as such a strong warrior that I knew I needed to try to double down on some of his other flaws. Thankfully, it gave me a great place to start with in the diary entries. Now, about those spelling and grammatical errors... I'm going to go crazy now thinking that I've missed some. Thanks for that.**

 **OnePunchFan8: Thanks for the constant encouragement! I agree that BOTW lacked some in story, though I feel its characterizations were good, if not shallow. It feels like just about every major character in the game has a good level of personality, yet they just weren't given quite enough time to fully realize them. I guess that's where fanfiction comes in, though.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

The sun had dipped with the late afternoon into the evening and, finally, into the first suggestions of twilight. The air had cooled some, which prompted him to pull the dark cloak around his shoulders. He could have gone inside, he knew—she would have only yelled at him if he interrupted her work. Maybe. He actually wasn't as sure on that concept as he thought. But still, he didn't need to stay out here.

But stay, he did. He sat in the grass, his back towards an old tree—apples again, he had noted with a wry smile. This country certainly had plenty of apple trees. Any mirth he found in this thought was quickly lost, however, as he gazed towards a frozen mountain in the distance. He watched as clouds floated through the sky, gathering around its peak, and then dispersed as the day wore on.

Part of Link itched to look at the photographs on the Sheikah Slate, to see the small glimpses into the life he'd had before everything had gone to ruin. At the same time, he was inordinately grateful to Purah for taking the cursed thing from him. Had he been holding it now, he knew that he would have found the photo of Princess Zelda again, beautiful in her simplicity, and he would have… what? He didn't know.

A noise behind him first alerted him to Purah's presence. A strange sound that Link seemed to recall hearing as he and Purah had teleported back onto the shrine's base earlier. He frowned and looked around the base of the tree, surprised to see a small person being formed of glowing blue particles on a familiar-looking circular stone base in front of the Ancient Tech Lab. How had he not noticed that before? The particles took the shape of a little girl with a strange owl-faced bow, solidified, and then flashed with bright light.

"Aha!" Purah cried, leaping into the air with excitement. "I did it! I did it, I did it! I! Did! It!" She seemed to do a little dance for a few seconds before she noticed him watching. She grinned brightly and laughed happily, running over to him. "Linky, did you see _that_?"

Link stood from his spot on the ground, looking at her in confusion. "I don't… How did you…"

"I just teleported from here to the top of the tower on the Great Plateau, and then back!" He noticed that she was holding his Sheikah Slate in her hands, and he glanced from it to her face.

"The Sheikah Slate can do that?"

"It can _now_." She laughed again, shrill and slightly manic. "That was the only rune I was still having trouble with before we went to the shrine. But when we teleported back, it gave me an idea, so I made some adjustments and _wham_! Instant transportation."

"I don't… _how_ …"

"Well, I _am_ the world's top tier scientist when it comes to ancient technology." She seemed to stand a little taller at this, and Link noticed with some chagrin that she was actually standing on her toes to do so. "And Robbie can just _deal_ with it. I tried teleporting over to see _him_ , but it seems that the Sheikah Slate can only visit places that it remembers being to recently."

"And it can go _anywhere_?"

"No, just places it's been to recently. I just said—"

"I mean, _anywhere_ that it's been recently."

"Well… no." She shook her head and turned the Sheikah Slate to face Link, where he saw a map of Hyrule. Several new icons had been placed on the map, each of which was a bright Sheikah blue color. "You see, that's why I was having so many problems with it before. I was trying to tune it to transport me to anyplace I wanted. Then I thought about how we arrived back on that circle in front of the shrine, and I thought, 'Wait, Purah! What if the shrines and towers were used for teleportation points too?' And so I made some adjustments and… tested it. And it worked!"

Link stared at her, dumbfounded, but aware of the breakthrough that this must have been for her. Not to mention the incredible boon it could be on his own journey if it worked the way he hoped.

"So I could use that to teleport to any of the Sheikah shrines or towers I find? Can I teleport with my horse?"

"Linky, you're probably pretty lucky that it doesn't just teleport your _hands_ , much less a whole horse. I really wouldn't even recommend trying it." Purah wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Link's heart dropped somewhat, his hopes of being able to flit all over the country with ease dashed. "Right now, it is only going to work for just you, honey. Maybe with some more time…" She considered this for a moment but then shook her head, her expression growing more serious. "But no. I can't keep you here any longer than I need to. I have the Sheikah Slate that I made for myself. It isn't nearly as… _amazing_ as yours, but I think I can get the teleportation rune working on it too, now that I know better how it works."

"But I can use it to teleport back _here_ anytime, though? How can you use it to transport to your lab?"

"Click, snappity snap! See that circle on the ground there?" She pointed at the spot she had appeared. "That's why I built my lab here. I actually think that the ancient Sheikah were planning on building a shrine here, too, but never finished it. I recognized it when I first saw it, since I'd already seen some shrines by then, so I built my lab here. It seemed right, at the time, and now I'm _especially_ glad I did it. Just think—when I get it working on my Slate, I'm never going to have to walk back up that hill _again_."

Link gave her an honest smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "I can see that being useful, I suppose."

"You _suppose_ …" Purah snorted. "All you can think of is how it will be useful in battle, I bet."

 _Well, now that she mentions it_ …

"You're going to have to use it to come back and visit me." Her expression had grown serious again. "I need to keep researching your real Sheikah Slate to make sure I get mine just right, and…" Purah's cheeks flushed slightly and she clasped her hands behind her back, digging her toe into the grass. "It's good having you back. Well, you're kind of fun for an old stick-in-the-mud."

"A… stick-in-the—"

"At least, that's what you _used_ to be!"

Oh. She was talking about his former self, then. His mood immediately began to sour again.

"Now, come on! Symin has some stew cooking, and I made sure he made enough for you too." That did improve Link's mood some, and he followed her around the lab to another door that led into a much cozier section of the house, where it was warm and the smell of beef and vegetable stew filled the air.

It was sometime later that Purah and Link walked back outside. He approached Spirit, placing a handful of additional supplies that Purah had given him into Spirit's packs. The horse seemed eager to get moving again, and he nickered impatiently. He grasped the saddle and pulled himself up into it.

"Linky?" Purah looked up at him, that same strange serious expression on her face again. He looked down at her, eyes meeting hers. "I know that you are probably a little… overwhelmed right now. But I think you can do it."

Link gave her the smallest of smiles, though he didn't truly feel it in his heart. First Rhoam, then Impa, Telma, and now Purah. So many of them seemed confident in him, so why wasn't he able to feel the same confidence?

"And we'll help you! Me and Impa and Robbie, too, once we tell him you're back. Impa might have already done it."

Link felt a sudden surge of gratitude for the woman standing beneath him, and he gripped Spirit's reins tightly in order to avoid showing the emotions. It wouldn't due for Purah to see him growing emotional over such a simple statement. But really, he _was_ grateful. Just hearing that someone else wanted to help him was… something that he truly needed to hear right then.

"Purah, you haven't…" Link cleared his throat, blinking rapidly. "You keep mentioning Robbie. Who is he? I don't remember…"

"Oh! Let me see your Sheikah Slate." Link handed it down to her, and her fingers danced across his screen. She handed it back to him a moment later, and he saw that the screen was showing a photograph.

Three people were standing arm in arm in it. Link immediately recognized the woman in the middle, with her round face and blonde hair. Princess Zelda stood in the photo, her blonde hair flowing down her back like the previous photo he'd seen, though now she had a braid that seemed to form a crown atop her head as well. She wasn't wearing the white dress this time but wore a blue blouse with golden trim, a white bodice, and a pair of brown tight-fitting trousers. She was smiling much more brightly in this photograph than the others were. At once, Link's heart seemed to ache at the sight of the young woman, who seemed even younger in this photograph than the previous one.

On either side of Zelda, two more individuals stood. Both were clearly Sheikah by their red eyes and white hair. One was a young woman, a few years older than Zelda, but wearing an altogether familiar cheeky grin and an even more familiar owl-shaped bow above her head. Link glanced down at Purah with some surprise, who nodded with a grin.

He looked at the other Sheikah in the photograph. This one was an unfamiliar man with a shock of messy, yet stylish white hair. He was slightly taller than Zelda and had a curved sword attached to his waist. Even in the photograph, his eyes seemed keen and watchful.

His eyes fell back to Zelda's face. Her cheeks, he noticed, were tinged with what looked like a blush. He squinted at her face, wondering at the redness of her cheeks. Something about the photograph… _Something_ …

 _"Come on, Zelda! No time like the present!"_

 _"Oh, but I'm not—we were just digging and my hair isn't quite—"_

 _"Oh, hush, you look as beautiful as ever! Your knight can tell you, won't you, Linky?"_

 _"What? Purah, that is **hardly** —"_

 _"Get over here! Link, are you ready to take it? Smile, everyone!"_

A lighthouse atop a cliff overlooking the sea. A cool, salty breeze playing across his skin. Two women and a man standing together. The woman in the center was flustered, her cheeks slightly pink, but she smiled, nonetheless. He raised the Sheikah Slate and…

And…

Link gasped sharply and looked around, eyes wide. It was early evening. He was on Spirit. Purah was by his side, and he faintly heard him say his name. She was frowning up at him, concerned.

"Linky? Are you…?"

"Robbie, he… he is the one in this photograph?" Link's voice cracked slightly, and he swallowed heavily.

"Well, _yes_. I just said that. He lives up near Akkala now, in an old lighthouse that he turned into his lab. I think he's been studying Guardians and how to make weapons that are more effective against them. You should probably visit him sometime—maybe if you end up near Death Mountain… Linky, are you sure you're okay? You look a little…"

"A lighthouse by the sea?"

Purah frowned at him, pursing her lips. "Yes. The one in the photograph. We had gone there because we heard there was a Sheikah shrine that had just been discovered there. I heard you and Princess Zelda were in the area, visiting Death Mountain, and I knew she could never pass up the opportunity to see something new that we'd found, so I sent you two a message to join us."

Link looked back down at the photograph, now able to see the lighthouse, though distantly. He was sure that he hadn't noticed that while looking at the picture initially. At least, he didn't think that he had…

"Linky?" Purah reached out, touching his calf with her child-like fingers. "You… remembered something, didn't you?"

Link looked back down at Purah and, after swallowing again, nodded slowly. "I took the photograph."

Purah clapped her hands together in joy. "Linky, that's great! Keep looking at those photos—maybe some more of your memories will come back! Just like Impa thought, actually…" She made a face as if she didn't like the idea of her little sister being right about something. "Still, when you see her, you should mention that you were looking at _my_ picture when you had your first memory."

"I'm not sure when I'm going to be getting back to see her, but—"

"She didn't tell you?" Purah's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "The old hag must be getting senile in her old age." She cackled to herself softly. Link merely waited for her to finish, which she did a few seconds later. "She asked that you stop back by Kakariko Village. She has something that she wants to give you, and besides, there's a shrine hidden up in the Kakariko hills. It wouldn't hurt to activate that one so you can easily transport back there too."

 _If she wanted to give me something, why not just do it while I was there?_ Still, Purah made a good point. If there _was_ a shrine near Kakariko, then it might be very useful indeed to activate it, if only to be able to seek Impa's advice while on his journey. She certainly seemed to be the one who knew the most of what he needed to accomplish to defeat Ganon—Purah had not seemed to know much of Zelda's plan in this regard when he asked her during dinner earlier.

Finally, he agreed to make one more trip to Kakariko Village before continuing, as Impa had originally suggested, north to visit the Zora—whoever _they_ were. He bid Purah one final farewell and began the long ride back down the hill to Hateno Village. Once he reached the town, he paused at the inn, thinking to stay there one final night, but the sight of the evening crowd in the common area made Link rethink the decision.

He found that he truly did not want to be around anyone at that moment, especially if they might have questions about what he and Purah had been doing with the shrine earlier. Instead, he simply gathered up the last of his things that he had left up by his bed, managed to purchase some simple travel provisions, and set out into the evening.

* * *

He eventually made camp in the woods that he'd made camp in on the way into Hateno Village. There, he made a small fire and pulled out the small cookpot that Purah had given him—inspired by the photograph of himself cooking. He set out to prepare a simple meal of fruit and vegetables, but he then noticed a large, dark grey truffle growing nearby, illuminated by his fire. Curiously, he approached it, smiling faintly at the memory of Nat and Meghyn arguing over finding some of these truffles in this forest. He decided to add the truffles to his meal and was quite satisfied with the end result.

After eating, Link spread out his simple bedroll and, for a time, he lied there, gazing up at the stars overhead. It was a clear night, with a light breeze causing the tree leaves to shiver. Nearby, an owl hooted.

"Princess Zelda?" His hesitant voice cut through the quiet. "Princess, can you hear me? Can you speak with me?"

Like before, his voice seemed to fall on deaf ears. He received no response to his queries and felt irritated with himself for even trying. Rolling onto his side, he closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Rest, however, did not come easily that night. After for what seemed like hours of tossing and turning, Link finally reached for and turned on the Sheikah Slate. The brightness of the screen blinded him at first, causing him to squint in discomfort at the colorful icons that filled the screen.

He touched the gallery rune, which brought back up the dozens of photographs left behind on the Sheikah Slate. Impa had suggested that they were left there by Zelda in hopes that seeing them might spark some kind of memory in his mind. Clearly, she had been wise to do so, as he believed that just such an occurrence had happened earlier that night, though the memory was little more than vague flashes in his mind. He wouldn't have even known who any of the people were in the memory, had Purah not told him.

Still, though… If had been something. The _first_ something since he'd woken the week prior.

Link spent a long time looking through the many images on the Sheikah Slate. There were many more of him, several of Zelda, and quite a few of the other four beings that he'd seen the night before. Something about them seemed vaguely familiar to Link, but no amount of effort on his part awakened any distant memory. At one point, he found a photograph of the six of them—himself, Princess Zelda, and the four other beings, all wearing similar blue scarves or sashes. He and Princess Zelda were in the center of the photograph, surrounded by the others around them. The large tan creature with the wide grin stood behind the others and seemed to be embracing them all at once, which had clearly caused some commotion among the others, based on their positions and shocked expressions.

The photograph made Link smile. He certainly could not remember anything about this image—the only one in the Sheikah Slate that showed them all together at once—but it warmed his heart nonetheless to see the apparent friends together. It also occurred to him that he thought he might know who the four beings were.

Mipha, the Zora. Daruk, the Goron. Urbosa, the Gerudo. Revali, the Rito. The four Champions that Rhoam had spoken of. The four Champions that had traveled with Link and Princess Zelda. The four Champions whom, to Link's horror upon realizing, had perished in the Divine Beasts when Ganon had broken free.

Link shut the Sheikah Slate down, placing it over with the rest of his things. He felt sick to his stomach. Where there had once been six, now there remained only one. His heart ached with shame for a failure that he could not even remember. If he had worked harder, could he have stopped their deaths? Could he have stopped the Calamity Ganon?

Could he now?

That night, Link got very little sleep, kept awake long into early morning by his haunted thoughts.

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur for Link. He tried to avoid looking at the photographs in the Sheikah Slate, though he did occasionally flip through them, wondering if any other memories would be sparked. None were and even the one that he had remembered was little more than a fragment of one.

As he journeyed back towards Fort Hateno, he spotted, again, the orange Sheikah Tower near Hateno Village. He had considered again going to activate it, but when he scouted it, he saw that several groups of monsters had made camps around its base. He decided to keep moving at this time but felt some concern over their proximity to Hateno Village. The tower was at least a day's travel away from the village, but it was close enough that it could be a viable staging point if they did want to attack.

Deciding that there was no immediate danger to the village or roads—the tower was a good way off from the main road—Link left things as they were. With the Sheikah Slate, he could always come back to check on the monsters' activity from time to time. He certainly didn't know if he could clear all of the bokoblins and moblins by himself, though the story of the Hero of Hateno Village came him some pause. Surely, he hadn't been alone in that battle, right?

As the sun set over the ridge separating the Blatchery Plain from Hyrule Field at the end of his second day of travel, Link made camp just across the Kakariko Bridge, before the land started sloping upward into the mountain pass that led to the village. He had considered turning south to spend the evening at the Dueling Peaks stable but decided that the additional hours of travel that would have required wasn't worth it. That evening, he had managed to shoot a rabbit with his bow, so he ended up well-fed before the last leg of his journey.

Mid-afternoon on the third day brought Link under the wooden arches into the village of Kakariko. He felt the villager's eyes on him as he climbed down from Spirit's back and led him through the village. A couple of them greeted him, and one lady tried getting him to shop at her clothing shop, but he pressed on as politely as he could. Finally, he reached the bottom of the hill, where a familiar pair of Sheikah men stood guard over the wooden bridge that led to Impa's home.

"Welcome back, Link!" Cado called, raising a hand in greeting as Link approached. Dorian greeted Link as well, though he was more reserved than Cado's. Link found that he enjoyed the presence of these two men, after having spent some time in their presence during his last visit. Dorian, he'd found out, was a single father of two little girls after his wife had passed away long prior. Cado had been married, but it sounded to Link that some kind of disagreement had resulted in their separating.

"Cado, Dorian," Link said, nodding to each of the older men. "Is Lady Impa available to speak? I was informed that she wished for me to speak with her again before continuing on."

Silence fell between them as they all seemed to consider Link's mission and ultimate goal. Finally, however, Dorian spoke. "She told us that she expected you to come back soon, and to allow you to see her whenever you arrived."

"I'll have someone take your horse to the inn." Cado stepped up, taking Spirit's reins from Link. "I am assuming that you will be staying with us tonight?"

Link glanced up towards the sky, where the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and nodded at Cado gratefully. He began up the wooden bridge suspended over the small moat that seemed to surround Impa's home. When he reached the top, he noticed that Paya was on her hands and knees next to the door leading inside, scrubbing or maybe polishing the wooden floor.

"Hello, Paya."

When she heard his voice, she gasped sharply, leaping to her feet. "O-oh! Master Link! I didn't know that you were coming back." She paused and her face seemed to turn even redder. "Today, I mean. Grandmother said that you might be back soon, but I didn't know y-you would be back _today_."

Link wasn't quite sure what to make of Paya. From his perspective, she seemed to have a great deal of difficulty speaking around others, and he wondered if she struggled with anxiety on top of that. She seemed charming in her own way, however, and always seemed to be hard at work on some kind of project.

"I just came from Hateno Village. Purah told me that your grandmother wanted me to stop here again."

"Oh, you met my Aunt Purah?" Paya's face lit up some and she stood up a little straighter. "I spent the summer with her five years ago. We write each other. She can be… eccentric at times."

Link couldn't help himself and laughed at this. Paya, in turn, looked somewhat mortified, ducking her head. Her blush reached the tips of her pointed ears. He cleared his throat, feeling somewhat embarrassed by her reaction. "Yes, I think eccentric should about… cover it."

Despite the awkwardness of the moment, Link and Paya both shared a slight smile before she announced—a little more loudly than he thought was necessary—that she would go in and make sure that Impa knew of Link's arrival, and that he was welcome to wait in the audience chamber in the meantime.

When they entered the house, however, both Link and Paya were surprised to find Impa already seated on a pillow on the floor, a tray with two cups of steaming tea beside her. Impa gave Link a knowing smile and a wink before looking at Paya.

"Paya, please retrieve the package that I had brought for Link." Impa motioned to the other pillow across from her, and Link dutifully sat down after removing his sword and shield, laying each of them down on the floor. Paya hurriedly went up the stairs to do as she'd been told.

Impa watched the girl go with a fond expression before looking back at Link. She fixed him with an even stare, lifting the cup of tea to her lips, sipping at it softly. Finally, when she lowered the cup, she spoke. "I trust you saw my sister? Did she restore your Sheikah Slate back to working order?"

Link pulled the Sheikah Slate from his belt and activated the Gallery rune before turning it to show Impa. "I found the photographs. Is that what you—or the princess—meant to help me regain my…"

"Oh." Impa fixed her eyes on the screen, setting her tea down with suddenly trembling fingers. She reached out and took the Sheikah Slate from him, gazing intently at it. Link saw tears at the corners of her eyes, and he was grateful when Paya came down the stairs a few moments later, carrying a package wrapped in brown paper and tied with a piece of twine.

"Grandmother?" Paya said, concern laced through her voice. She knelt on the ground beside Impa, placing a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Oh, is that the…"

"Yes, dear. That is Princess Zelda." Impa's voice was heavy with emotion and Link found himself fixing his eyes on the wooden floor between them.

"She's so beautiful…" Paya, oddly, glanced towards Link when she said this. "Oh! And there is Master Link. And… another one of Master Link."

Link felt his face redden slightly at this. It was not lost on him that there _were_ quite a few photographs in the Sheikah Slate of him. He assumed that was just because the princess had been the bearer of the Sheikah Slate at the time, and since he was always with her, he just ended up being in many of her pictures.

After a few more moments of looking at the pictures, Impa requested privacy for her and Link, and Paya dutifully went back outside, presumably to continue cleaning the deck as she had been doing when Link arrived.

Impa cleared her throat and Link finally looked back up to meet her eyes. Impa's eyes looked slightly red, but any signs of the painful emotions she had felt upon seeing the photographs were otherwise gone. She drank her tea again and looked at Link patiently, apparently waiting for him to speak.

Link, in turn, took his cup of tea, taking a sip of it. It was warm and pleasant—not at all like that awful Gerudo brew that Telma had given him. He did not immediately say anything either, feeling comfortable in the silence that stretched between them.

Finally, Impa did speak. "Have they assisted with your memory loss?"

Link wasn't sure how to answer that. He _had_ remembered something, yes, but the other things that he felt when looking at the photos were far worse than not remembering anything at all. He still remembered next to nothing, but now he _knew_ that he had failed all of the smiling people in those photos.

"I remembered… something. A fragment." He grimaced slightly and looked away. "Nothing of substance or use."

"Link." Impa's voice was firm, drawing his eyes back. "I did not send you to Purah in hopes that you would recover memories that would be _useful_ in defeating Ganon. I doubt there will be much at all _useful_ in the memories locked away in your mind—after all, you did not know how to defeat Ganon one hundred years ago."

Link flinched at that and something must have shown on his face for Impa's voice grew sharper. "Yes, you failed. The princess failed. We _all_ failed. And the kingdom has paid a terrible price for that failure. But you have been given another chance—another opportunity to right the wrong that has befallen Hyrule. Do not be so focused on your failure that you cannot see the hope before you."

Link's face grew hot, and he still did not meet her eyes. Impa muttered something about youth before taking a long draw on her tea. When she brought the cup back down, she continued in a softer tone. "I want you to regain your memories for _you_ , as I am sure the princess wished as well. There is much pain in your history, and remembering it will not be pleasant, but there is also much joy and laughter. You deserve to have those memories back as well."

"It was only one memory. One simple… event. For all of the other photographs that I've looked at, I haven't remembered anything else." He chose not to reveal the strange pull he felt whenever he saw photos of Princess Zelda. Something about that felt more private to him.

"And that may be _all_ you ever remember." Impa nodded sagely. Link felt his heart sink. "But I do not think so. Given time, I believe that you will recover more of your memories. Already, these images have helped you, and I would imagine that visiting the places that these were taken at might have an even stronger effect."

Link felt a stab of worry at this. Was she suggesting that he go to the locations in each of those photos? He expressed these concerns to her, which only made Impa laugh.

"No, fool boy, I do not suggest you try to find each of these places! However, the journey that you must take to free the Divine Beasts is not so different than the one you and Princess Zelda took one hundred years ago. You visited each of the different races in Hyrule to see the Divine Beasts, and that is reflected in these photographs." She turned the Sheikah Slate around to show Link an image of a beautiful white stone structure standing on pillars over water. He could see some of the strange fish-men and women on the walkways of this structure.

"Zora's Domain," Impa explained. "That is where I recommend you go first. It is closest and easiest to reach from here, and I have heard some… troubling news from that region recently. I am not sure of its validity, but the Divine Beast appears to be acting in a strange manner. It is possible that it is related to your awakening, but I am not sure."

Link nodded, troubled by the news that the Divine Beasts appeared to be acting strangely. When Princess Zelda last spoke to him, she indicated that Ganon did not know of his awakening yet. If he _did_ know now, then what did that mean for the princess? What did that mean for his journey?

"So those are Zora?" Link said, finally. Impa gave him a flat look before launching into an explanation that, yes, those _were_ Zora—a race of aquatic people that lived at the mouth of the Zora River. She also showed him the Gorons—the large, rock-like creatures that lived at the base of Death Mountain. The Rito were the avian people that lived to the west, in the Tabantha Frontier. Link was able to guess who the Gerudo were from what little Telma had told him, but Impa informed him of where they lived as well—in the large desert, southwest of Hyrule.

Sometime later, Impa cleared her throat and pushed the small brown package towards Link. "I had this made when I saw that you had awoken. I apologize that I had to call you back here, but I felt that you should have this."

Link took the package, curious. He untied the twine and carefully unwrapped it. When it was unwrapped, he was shocked to see that it was a sky-blue tunic, which matched the tunic he'd worn in the photographs perfectly. White trim formed simple symbols around the waist and sleeves, which he thought might have represented the royal family and the different races of Hyrule, and the trim, likewise, formed what appeared to be an upside-down sword directly beneath his collar. Beneath the tunic was a simple white shirt with bands of red and green color at the collar and around the wrists.

"It is the Champion's tunic," Impa said, looking at Link intently. "Each of you had an article of clothing or ornamentation cut to mark you specifically as Hyrule's Champions. Anyone who would look upon you while wearing that would have known who you were and your purpose."

Link found that he was without words. Distantly, he wondered why Impa would give him this. He was no Champion, was he? In fact, from what he had been able to ascertain, he no longer even had the one thing that set him apart in the first place—he had apparently lost the legendary blade in his battle.

Impa, perceptive as usual, seemed to know some of his thoughts. "I do not believe you ever felt you truly deserved to wear that tunic, even one hundred years ago. But you are our Champion now, just as you were then. I will not mince words with you—we _need_ you, Link."

Link looked back up at her, his voice barely above a whisper. "How can there be no one else?"

"You hold within you the power to defeat Ganon." Impa's expression was gentle, but her voice was firm as always. "Just as Princess Zelda did all along, so too do you. You are the one chosen by the Goddess, as you were in ages past."

Link fell silent. The stylized sword on his tunic almost seemed to mock him. "Impa?"

"Yes?"

"What of the sword?"

She remained silent for several moments—something that Link considered to be a bad sign. "The Legendary Blade has had many names over the years. The Blade of Evil's Bane. The Sword that Seals the Darkness. The Master Sword." Her voice was carefully controlled, but he could tell that his question concerned her. "You were chosen by it—and it _did_ choose you. No one else could have pulled it from its resting place."

"But where is it? Won't I need it?"

Again, Impa hesitated. "I… do not know, Link." His heart sank. "It was damaged in your fight against the Guardians before you fell. I did not see it with my own eyes, but that information was relayed to me by the princess.

"She assured me that it would be repaired in time, and that it would be revealed to you when it again deemed you worthy of wielding it."

Link's fist connected hard with the wooden floor beside him, causing pain to shoot up his arm. He didn't care. "It will be revealed to me?" His voice came out in a hiss between clenched teeth. "The weapon that is apparently the key to my victory was broken one hundred years ago, and now no one _alive_ knows where it is."

"The princess—"

"Won't talk to me! She spoke to me when I woke up, just enough to get me started on this quest, but now, when I try to reach back out to her, she is silent. I can't—" His throat constricted and he closed his eyes. "I do not know how I can be any more successful now than I was one hundred years ago."

Impa stood slowly, and Link thought that she might be about to walk away. He wouldn't blame her. He sounded like a petulant child to himself—how must he look to her? "Link." Her voice was soft, gentle. He looked up.

She slapped him. Hard.

He yelped, placing a hand on his cheek, and staring up at the old woman with wide eyes.

"You complain that Princess Zelda has not spoken to you in the last week? Boy, she has not spoken to me in _one hundred years_. Before you showed up here, I did not even know she _could_ still speak. I did not know if she even still truly lived!

"Our princess was seventeen when the Calamity befell Hyrule. And for _seventeen years_ , she worked—every day—to awaken her sealing powers that would enable her to combat Ganon. You traveled with her for a short time but make no mistake. She had been told since she was a little child that she needed to learn to use her powers. She was made to pray to the Goddess every day— _every day_ —for her powers to be awakened. And they were not."

"But she—"

"They were _not_ , Link!" Impa's voice raised, cutting Link off. "Not until Ganon had risen and destroyed everything and everyone she had ever loved. Not until her closest friends were killed. Not until _you_ fell in battle. Only after all of that, only _then_ did her power awaken.

"So before you speak of feeling unworthy, before you complain that you do not have the necessary tools, know that Princess Zelda faced that every day for her _entire life_. And yet, unworthy, untested, having failed her nation, Zelda— _our princess_ —has kept Ganon at bay for one hundred _years_." Impa shoved a finger into Link's face, causing him to lean back some. "In order to give you time to awaken. Because our princess still needs her knight at her side."

Link stared up at Impa, shocked by her outburst, and shamed to his core by his own. Every word she spoke was like a knife, cutting pieces of him away to reveal the rot underneath. He felt disgusted by himself.

"Now then," Impa said after taking a deep breath. "What will you do? Will you turn away? It is, of course, your choice now, just as it was then."

Link stared down at the blue tunic in his hands and gripped it much tighter now. "No."

"Link." He looked up at her, suddenly nervous that she might strike him again. "This journey _will_ get more difficult. I expect the trials you will face will be difficult—more difficult, even, then the ones you faced one hundred years ago. Is this something you are willing to do?"

More difficult trials than the ones he faced one hundred years ago? One hundred years ago, he died in facing those trials. Link took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before he nodded. "I am."

Impa smiled in a strangely grandmotherly way. "Good." She eased herself back down onto her pillow, picking up her tea and taking a sip of it.

"Impa?"

"Yes, Link?"

"How did she do it? If what you say is true, how did she keep going?"

Impa remained silent for a few moments before smiling. "She was strong. She was stronger than anyone had any right to be. Far stronger than anyone, perhaps, gave her credit for." She paused. "And if you think that is the first time I have slapped a petulant teenager, then you would be mistaken."

Link smiled wryly, rubbing his cheek. "You know, I'm not sure I can be classified as a teenager."

"Yes, well, I am still your elder. That gives me certain rights."

Link looked back down at the tunic, running his fingers over the fabric.

"You should wear it." Impa's voice was gentle. He looked back up at her. "You may not feel worthy, but it will give the people hope. Many may not remember you or what that tunic stood for, but some will. And those some will tell others."

"I will."

* * *

Link stepped out of Impa's house, the blue tunic and shirt folded over his arm. When he stepped out, he saw Paya methodically scrubbing one of the wooden banisters. She straightened when she noticed him.

"O-oh, Master Link! I was told to tell you that your horse has been seen to and that a bed is waiting for you at the inn." Her cheeks were red and it was clear that she had been working hard while he was inside with Impa. Some of her white hair was plastered to the side of her face by sweat.

"Thank you, Paya," Link said, smiling at her. "Have a good evening." He began down the bridge away from the house.

"M-master Link?" Link turned back to face her, curious. "I couldn't help but to… overhear some of…"

"Oh." Link rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks growing hot. He had hoped that no one else had overheard them.

"Grandmother is well known in town for how effective her slaps are."

Link stared at Paya for a second, confused, but then his lips split into a grin, despite himself. "Oh, I can believe it." He rubbed his cheek. It still felt a little tender, and he wondered if there would be a palm mark visible on it.

"I've certainly been on the receiving end of a few in my time…" Paya, for the moment, seemed to be speaking easily. She wasn't looking right at Link, instead she was looking to the distance, a small smile played across her lips.

"Somehow, I can't imagine you ever doing anything to earn one," Link said, looking at the meticulously clean and polished deck. "I don't think I've ever seen you not working…"

"O-oh!" Paya's face suddenly turned a furious red and she gripped the banister so tightly that it looked like it was the only thing keeping her on her feet. "M-master Link, that is _very_ kind, but—"

"Link."

"I… what?"

"You can call me Link. Really. I'd actually rather you do so."

Paya, in that moment, looked quite uncomfortable, and Link worried that he had offended her somehow. She was an incredibly proper woman, very disciplined. He hoped that it was not improper to ask her to drop the "master" when speaking to him.

"I… I-I will. Link." Paya didn't quite meet his eyes, but it was a start.

"Thank you." Link turned and began back down the bridge. "Have a good evening, Paya."

"Y-you as well, Ma—Link!"

Link glanced back at her once more, seeing that she was watching him as he walked away. When she saw him looking back, however, she squeaked and quickly began polishing the banister again. Chuckling softly, Link continued on towards the inn, eager for the warm food and bed within.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Here we go with another chapter for you all. Not much to say today other than thanks for the reviews and follows! Keep 'em coming. Always feels good to get that notification. For the time being, I am going to continue with my two a week posting schedule. I've been pretty consistent with writing two chapters a week lately.**

 **Chapter Ten**

"No, he didn't, Cottla!"

"Yes, he _did_ , Koko! I saw 'im!"

"You know better than to make up stories…"

"I'm not makin' stories! He went in there!"

"How could he have? There's no door."

"There was, though!"

Two young girls, sisters, sat crouched in front of the shrine high above Kakariko Village. The old Sheikah Shrine had always been there, as far as they were concerned. Koko, the eldest of the two, but still a mere child of eight, knew that the old shrine was important because of how Nanna always came up here to clean it of the creeping vines that liked to grow up it. She was observant like that. Her sister, Cottla, was only five and not nearly as observant. She _did_ have a very good imagination, though.

"Cottla, we need to go back down! It's almost supper time, and Papa won't be happy if we're late!"

Their father was known to the two girls as Papa, though the other townspeople in Kakariko Village called him Dorian. Koko and Cottla's mother had died two years prior, though Cottla did not really understand that. Koko did, though, and regularly visited her mother's small gravestone. She did not tell Papa that she knew, though—he had tried very hard to keep them from understanding what had happened to their mother. Koko was observant, though, so she knew.

" _Ko-ko!_ I wanna see him come out!" Cottla drew her name out in just the way that got on Koko's nerves.

" _Cott-la_ , he can't come out… There is no _door_ …"

"Yes, there is!"

The old shrine _had_ changed some in the last two weeks. It had sat there, on top of the cliff overlooking Kakariko Village, black and imposing, for a long time. There was only one way up to it—by way of a steep winding path that led up to the _Magic Forest_ —or so Koko and Cottla called it because of the magical lady. Now, however, it had started glowing orange. Actually, it had changed _again_ , as now the light around its base was blue while the Sheikah Eye up top was still orange.

Still, though, there was no way that Cottla was right about Link going _into_ the shrine. After all, there were no doors—even if it _did_ look like there should be a doorway. Cottla had probably made it up. Maybe she fell asleep and dreamt it. Sometimes, when they fell asleep in or near the Magic Forest, they had weird dreams of a lady with long, blonde hair and a sparkly necklace, who played with them. Maybe this was just like that.

Finally, feeling agitated with her little sister, Koko grabbed Cottla's hand tightly in her own, beginning to tug her towards the path that led back down to the village so that they could go home. Cottla struggled, but Koko was bigger and stronger than she was, so she held on tightly.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light from behind them and Koko quickly turned around, eyes wide, as little blue specks swirled around the circle at the base of the shrine, which was now glowing with bright blue light. The blue specks spiraled faster before coming together, taking shape, and fading. In their place, Link stood. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked sad, just like Papa looked some nights when he thought Koko was asleep. He was wearing a pretty blue tunic. He was dusty, though, and his cheek had a scrape on it that had been smeared with blood.

Link turned to look up at the shrine, which, to Koko's surprise, had now turned all blue, the Sheikah Eye included. She didn't know what that meant, but Link apparently did, as she saw him nod and turn. His eyes fell on Koko and Cottla and he froze, eyes widening.

"M-mister Link!" Koko couldn't understand _how_ Link had arrived, or where he had come from. Could Cottla have been telling the truth? "Did you… Were you in the shrine?"

Link stared at Koko before his posture subtly changed. He stood up straighter, taking a deep breath, and smiling at Koko. He approached and knelt on the dirt in front of them. Koko wondered if that scrape on his cheek hurt—it looked like it must.

"I _was_ in there. I had to get some things done, and Lady Impa told me I could go in." Link hesitated, looking between Koko and Cottla. Finally, he brought a finger to his lips. "But, _shh_ … It's a secret."

Koko nodded, happy to participate in a secret. At least _this_ one was a good secret. Of course, Cottla wouldn't keep the secret at all. She was not very good at it. She would probably tell everyone in the village before the day was up. Koko would try to rein her in, though.

Link smiled warmly at the sisters and then held up one hand, standing up. He hurried over to a tree growing at the edge of the cliff, where he knelt down and picked something up. A moment later, he approached them again, holding a pair of little yellow flowers.

"Here," Link said kneeling back in front of the girls. He held the flowers out to them, one in each hand. "I saw these and thought that you two might like them." Naturally, Koko and Cottla, being little girls of only eight and five, were more than delighted to take the little yellow flowers from Link. Koko stuck hers in her hair, while Cottla just held hers tightly in her fist—she'd probably ruin it.

A few moments later, after Link bade them farewell, Koko gave him her best Sheikah bow—she had been practicing in front of her mirror lately—and led her sister down the path, leaving Link behind on top of the cliff.

* * *

 _Curse the ancient Sheikah_ , thought Link as he sat down against the base of the newly activated Sheikah shrine. He reached up and touched his cheek, wincing at the flare of fiery pain that he felt at the touch. _If I did not know better, I would think that they wanted to kill me._

This shrine had seemed to focus more on utilizing the remote bomb rune, with several sections of wall and doors that he used the bombs to blast through. It had felt strange, destroying parts of the ancient Sheikah shrine, and Link found himself wondering at the wisdom of the ancient Sheikah in making a shrine that existed purely to be partially destroyed. It hadn't been quite as challenging, he supposed, as the first shrine had been, but he learned very quickly how far back he needed to stand when blowing up sections of rock. The explosive blasts sent out pieces of shrapnel surprisingly far, as evidenced by his bloodied cheek and several bruises hidden underneath his clothing.

He wore the sky-blue Champion's tunic, which proved to be an advantageous decision, if not one he was still thoroughly uncomfortable with. It fit well—almost as if Impa had taken his measurements before having it tailored—and allowed him better freedom of movement than the tunic and armor pieces provided to him by Telma. Ultimately, he had decided to wear it, not for its protective value or greater flexibility, but because some of the members of the Sheikah tribe would still know what the tunic stood for. It would give them hope, and Link felt that was the least of what his duty should be.

Even if it was just a false hope.

Sighing softly, he stood, stretching and wincing at a sharp pain in his knee, brought about by another flying piece of blast shrapnel. He would, perhaps, take Impa up on her offer to have a hot bath drawn for him. He had refused that morning, based purely on the fact that Impa seemed to be offering it to Link for the express purpose of embarrassing Paya. She seemed to be very bothered by the thought of Link spending time in their bathing chamber. Now, however, it sounded wonderful. He would remain in Kakariko village one more night and, hopefully, depart the next morning for Zora's Domain, which Impa had marked on his map as being to the north.

As he prepared to walk down the path, something out of the corner of his eye drew his attention, and he glanced towards the forest further up above the shrine. He glimpsed a flash of blue and frowned, his initial thought was that of Sheikah technology. The blue light disappeared, however, so Link decided to investigate.

Walking up the hill, he entered the forest, surprised to find the forest quite dark. The canopy overhead was extremely thick, blocking out much of the sunlight. The darkness was not the only strange thing about the forest either. It had a strange _feel_ to it—it was too quiet and the air felt heavier. As Link walked further in, he noticed something else strange. There were no twigs or leaves on the ground. Thick, green grass covered everything, growing shockingly well, regardless of the perpetual shadow created by the canopy of trees. Flowers of every type, shape, and color grew along with the grass.

The hair on Link's arm stood up as he ventured deeper into the shadowy woods. Nothing seemed disturbed in this place. The grass even seemed to resist his own footprints somehow, springing back up with alacrity after he removed a foot. He _did_ see some animals, however. A large brown squirrel sat on a branch, watching him, and in the distance, through the trees, he could see a buck with massive antlers grazing. The forest seemed frozen in time. Alive and without decay. Ethereal.

Another flash of blue caught his eye, and he turned from the buck, which had lifted its head to gaze at Link, and looked to the path before him. Standing several paces away was a creature of the likes Link had never seen. It was roughly the size and shape of a large hare, with large hindquarters and a smaller pair of front legs. Its face, however, was anything but rabbit-like. Instead, it seemed to have the head of an owl, with shining yellow eyes and a small, pointed beak. Atop its head seemed to be two fern fronds, sticking up much like a rabbit's ears would have. Its entire body shone with a bright otherworldly blue light, and Link could see that the grass around the creature was lit by the light from its body.

Amazed at the strange creature, Link crouched slowly, his eyes never leaving it. The creature, likewise, seemed to meet Link's eyes. One of its "ears" twitched in a way that seemed to imply curiosity, and it tilted its head to the side slightly. After several moments of gazing at Link, it bounded forward a few feet. Link's eyes widened slightly, and he cautiously reached one of his hands out towards the creature. The creature looked at Link's hand, tilting its head, and Link held his breath. Finally, the blue creature took a few more tentative steps forward and leaned its head forward in a curious way. Link felt its beak touch his fingertip.

An electric shock ran up Link's arm and he gasped sharply, his entire body tingling with a strange energy. At his gasp, the blue creature pulled back, looking up at him with wide yellow eyes. Those eyes seemed to see into Link, and he imagined that he could see his own shocked expression reflected back at him in them.

They remained like this for a time, gazes locked, while the strange energy that Link had felt dissipated. As it faded, Link found himself wanting to experience the strange feeling again, and he hesitantly reached his hand forward again. This time, however, the blue creature did not reach out and touch him. At Link's movement, it pulled back, looking at his hand—he could have sworn that it even shook its head very slightly. Then, startling Link with its suddenness, it turned and darted away into the brush. The blue light winked out, and the forest, which had seemed so bright in the creature's presence, grew dark once more.

Link waited for the creature to reappear. It had run into a bush, but surely it would come out again, glowing brightly and bathing the forest in its soothing light again. But as he waited, it soon became apparent to him that whatever the creature had been, it would not be reappearing. Its light seemed to have disappeared completely, not even able to be seen from within the bush it had hidden in.

He stood on shaky legs, looking around the dark forest. It had grown still. Link could no longer see the buck or the squirrel from earlier. The strange heaviness about it remained, however, and he decided that his curiosity had been sated for the time being. As he walked back out, he did not notice that his knee no longer ached. It would not be until later that evening, as he prepared for the hot bath that he requested from Impa, that he would notice that, underneath the dried blood, his cheek was whole and unblemished by the scratch that had drawn the blood.

When he _did_ notice these strange things later that evening, his mind was drawn back to the curious blue rabbit-like creature and the energy he felt at its touch. He felt a surreal sense of wonder at the experience, but ultimately, chose not to bring it up to Impa, not wishing for an explanation.

* * *

The next morning saw Link departing Kakariko Village at the first sign of dawn. Just like the time before, many of the villagers had come out to see him off. Like the day before, he wore his blue tunic, which he had worked to clean of dust and debris from the shrine's challenges the day before. He wore his sword and Sheikah shield upon his back, for good measure. If he were being honest, he would have rather ride out before anyone had woken, but Impa's words to him haunted him. He could provide hope.

He rode out through an alternate path that took Link through another, narrower pass that led out onto a high ground overlooking what Impa had called the Lanayru Wetlands. This route was not nearly as long as the route that Telma had taken to get to Zora's Domain—traveling back out and around the Dueling Peaks before turning north, but it was also one that would have been impossible for her to take with her cart, due to the lack of any consistent road once out of the path and the at-times steep decline that led down before finally reaching the distant road.

As Link rode out of the pass, his eyes were, once again, drawn to the distant Hyrule Castle. He was quite a bit closer to it than he had been before, and he could make out certain details better now. A series of massive pillars that looked distinctly Sheikah in nature, jutted out of the ground surrounding the castle. They appeared to be as tall as the castle's tallest towers and glowed with a strange reddish light, rather than the typical blue or orange. To Link's reckoning, it appeared there were five of them surrounding the castle and town ruins at the base of the castle.

Link sat atop Spirit, rigid, his eyes fixed on the distant castle. Would he see the great beast rise up once again? If Ganon _did_ show himself again, would he sink back down within the castle, as before, or would he finally break free of Princess Zelda's grasp? How much longer could Zelda contain Calamity Ganon? Would Link, despite his best efforts, be too late to change anything? Had he been resurrected just to watch the land fall again?

He grimaced, looking away from the castle, ashamed of his thoughts. Thankfully, as he carefully rode Spirit down the incline to where he could get back on the distant road, Ganon did not rise above the castle. It would seem that the princess was still doing her duty. The least Link could give her was do his.

* * *

The sun was dipping below the western horizon by the time Link reached the Wetland Stable. The first thing that stuck out to Link as he approached the squat building, was that its proximity to Hyrule Field and the castle had clearly governed how this waystation was built up over time.

Situated on a hill overlooking a south-flowing river that ran between the Lanayru Wetlands and the Hyrule Field, the Wetland Stable was clearly built with defense in mind. The forested areas around the stable had been cleared of trees, many of which had been cut, sharpened, and stuck into the ground with points facing outward around the stable. Furthermore, two watch towers had been built, one each to the north and south, and Link could see a guard in each one, armed with bows. Another small building had been built next to the stable, and, from this, Link saw a man wearing leather armor and wielding a spear walk out. Perhaps a barracks of sorts? The stable itself seemed normal enough, albeit somewhat larger than the Dueling Peaks stable.

As Link approached, he noted a patch of burnt grass just inside the stable's perimeter, and several broken arrows sticking out of the ground just outside of the perimeter. Not only was this waystation prepared for battle, but it had also seen it and recently. He felt an odd mixture of apprehension and happiness to see others fighting back.

Link expected to be stopped by the guards in the towers, but no one said anything as Link carefully maneuvered Spirit around the spikes that made up the perimeter. Now that he was closer to the stable, he had begun to hear sounds of music and singing coming from the inside of the stable, which had the immediate effect of lifting his spirits. He quickly dismounted, handing Spirit's reins to a stable boy, and walked towards the stable's entrance.

Once he entered, he was greeted with a sight that was both delightful and slightly confusing. The large common room had quite a few wooden tables set up in rows, and several of the benches were lined with men and women in leather armor, as well as a smaller number of people that looked to be travelers or merchants. Several serving women weaved between the tables, carrying drinks or platters of food. The people in the common room seemed happy, talking amongst themselves, laughing, or singing. The reason for this was clear as Link's eyes swept the common room with some surprise.

In the back of the room, on a platform made up of a large wooden box, stood one of the members of the Rito race. The Rito was tall—significantly taller than Link and broader of chest and shoulder—with blue and white plumage and a large black beak. He eagerly played an instrument like an accordion while singing along with a deep, resonant voice. His clearly enjoyed playing, and though his beak was rigid, a combination of his eyes and other facial muscles seemed to give the impression of a broad smile.

As Link crossed the room to a table to listen and, hopefully, order a meal, the Rito's eyes fell on him. For the briefest of moments, the Rito's music faltered. His golden eyes met Link's blue, sharp and focused, but then his eyes closed; the music continued. If the other patrons had even noticed, they said nothing. Link, however, felt slightly bemused but chose not to worry too much about it.

Several minutes later, the Rito ended his song with a smattering of applause from the gathered patrons. He smiled and gave a slight bow before his eyes roamed over the gathered people. A few of the drunker patrons began to shout out song requests, but the Rito simply raised one feathered hand while precariously balancing his accordion with the other, his eyes, again, falling on Link, who had just ordered his meal.

"Friends!" The Rito lowered his hand to his accordion and played a long, sweet note. "There will be more time for requests, I assure you. The night is young still, after all. But first, I feel particularly inspired to play a song that has been handed down since ancient times. It is a song of heroes and villains, courage and magic, and a great victory. It is a _true_ story, though one from long ago." The crowd responded positively, which caused the Rito to smile and begin to sway slightly as he played additional notes on his accordion, slow and methodical.

"The kingdom of Hyrule is a vast and storied land, oft grasped in the palm of a villainous hand," he began to sing, his voice warm and commanding. The rest of the room fell silent, with even the serving women pausing in their work to watch.

"A dark force of destruction, many times undone, rises once again—Ganon, the calamitous one."

Link's blood ran cold.

"But hope survives in Hyrule, for all is not lost, two brace souls protect it, no matter the cost. A goddess-blood princess and a fearless knight, they appear in each age to fight the good fight. Their battle with Ganon I've committed to song, to keep it through time, no matter how long."

He felt suddenly panicked, wanting to leave this place, to travel through the night. He had not wished to be cornered with his failure once again this night, to be reminded of all that he couldn't remember.

"Now begins the second verse, listen and you'll know, of their battle with Ganon ten thousand years ago. The kingdom of Hyrule was once a land of lasting peace; a culture of such strength and wit, that suffering did cease. But Ganon lurked beneath the surface, strengthening its jaws, so the ancient people of Hyrule set out to help the cause.

"Their efforts bore fruit in an automated force, to help avert Calamity by sealing it at its source. Four giant behemoths for which power never ceased, each of these titans was called a 'Divine Beast.' And free-willed machines that hunted down their prey, these Guardians were built to last so they could join the fray."

Link remained rooted to his seat, though his face felt flushed and his hands gripped his knees tightly under the table. The song spoke of what Impa and Rhoam had told him—of the legendary hero, his predecessor, that had _defeated_ Ganon so many years ago. He felt a strange mixture of shame and relief to know that the song was, at the very least, not about him personally.

"To guide the beasts in battle, warriors were needed, so four Champions were pledged to see Ganon defeated. Divine Beasts, Champions, princess, and knight, their plan to rout Ganon was looking airtight. And when Calamity Ganon reared its head, Hyrule rose against it, the optimism of Hyrule all the more incensed it.

"Ganon raged in its assault, boiling with hate, it gnashed its teeth and thrashed about, but it was all too late. The Guardians kept the heroes safe through every hour, the Divine Beasts unleashed attacks that weakened Ganon's power."

The song seemed… familiar to Link. Something, in the dark, impenetrable recesses of his memory seemed to click into place. Even though he could not remember anything specific, he was _certain_ that he had heard this song before, but when? The Rito had stated the song was from ancient times—could he truly have heard it in his past?

"The hero with the sealing sword struck the final blow, and the holy power of the princess sealed Ganon so. And that is the story of the brazen attack, on Calamity Ganon 10,000 years back."

The Rito stopped singing, playing his slow, somber tune for several additional seconds before finishing one with final, long note. For a long time, silence reigned in the common room. The silence was eventually broken by one man, whose words slurred with drunkenness.

"Hey, Kass! I thought you said that was a _true_ story!"

The Rito named Kass turned to the man and smiled, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "I did."

"Then why, in the gods' names, is that castle standing destroyed, and why do I have to fight off monsters every other day?"

Kass' smile faltered slightly, but he nodded again. "This song, of course, spoke of the ancient hero and princess from ten thousand years past, who achieved victory against the Calamity Ganon. These were not the same individuals that fought against Ganon one hundred years ago, before the Age of Burning Fields."

"Obviously!" A woman near spoke this time, and several others muttered agreement with her. Link felt his heart sink even further.

"Friends," Kass said, holding up one more calming hand. "The story from one hundred years ago is another tale, indeed, and not one that I am prepared to tell this evening. However, in the defense of the princess and her knight, the Calamity Ganon _has_ been subdued, at least for a time."

The woman beside Link snorted derisively. "And a good lot that has done us! You can't walk one hundred feet into Hyrule Field without being ambushed by monsters, or _worse_. No princess, no hero, and that creature hovering over the castle… My daughter keeps having nightmares about it!"

Link abruptly stood from the table, causing a handful of people to glance at him, Kass included. He stepped over the bench and stepped outside of the stable, taking a deep, shaky breath of the cool night air. It had gotten dark, and both stars and fireflies alike had emerged in the night air. Link leaned against the outer wall of the stable, wishing he could just melt into it and disappear. He wondered if, perhaps, he should just use the Sheikah slate to teleport back to Kakariko Village or even Hateno. Or gods, maybe the damned Great Plateau. Perhaps another hundred-year slumber would do him some good.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying not to think of his lost memories, his failure, or his shame and, of course, thinking of all of these things in turn. He heard the soft footsteps approaching and, with a sigh, opened his eyes. With some surprise, he found Kass standing beside him.

"Good evening." Kass bowed his head to Link in greeting, which Link returned, hoping that might be the end of it. It wasn't. "You are an unfamiliar face to me—I tend to pride myself in knowing most of the travelers in this region of the country. They tend to have some of the best stories, you see."

Link considered his words carefully, having learned his lesson about poorly thought out lies. He knew some things a little better now, at least. "I'm from Hateno Village. Have you… been there?"

Kass tilted his head slightly. "Hateno? No, I must confess that my travels have not yet taken me that far east, though I hope to do so soon."

Link relaxed and allowed himself a small smile. "It is a nice village. Home." He reflected as he spoke that he hadn't yet told a lie, even if his intent had been misdirection. He _was_ from Hateno Village—just the Hateno of one hundred years prior.

"If you do not mind my asking, what brings you so far west and north?" Kass had a very refined way of speaking with a deep voice that Link had, frankly, not expected from a race of avian people. What had he expected, though? Squawks?

"I'm traveling to—" He hesitated for just a moment before deciding the truth would serve him just fine in this case. "Zora's Domain."

Kass' eyes widened and he smiled. "To Zora's Domain, you say? What a wonderful coincidence! I, too, have begun a trek to Zora's Domain. I've heard of some troubles with the ancient Divine Beast there, and I wished to see it for myself."

Link's heart sank. This seemed to be quite an unfair turn of events. "You are… investigating the Divine Beast?"

"Oh! You know of the Divine Beasts, then? Wonderful! Many people that I have spoken to from your region are not exceptionally aware of such things. Of course, one hundred years is not quite enough time for their existence to fall into legend, but some are simply… unaware of their veracity. In fact, many children I speak to—oh!" Kass seemed suddenly embarrassed, the feathers around his neck puffing out slightly. "I did not mean to compare you to a child, please forgive me."

Link shook his head to indicate no offense taken, after which Kass looked relieved. He smiled.

"I merely meant that, unless you live in the shadow of one such creation, it is easy to dismiss them as fables or exaggerations. We Rito, naturally, have lived with Vah Medoh for the last one hundred years, so their truth is not lost on us."

Vah Medoh. The Divine Beast piloted by the Rito, Revali. A Champion that perished at Ganon's rise. The facts played through Link's mind like a mantra. He had done his best to commit these things to memory since leaving Kakariko Village.

"But of course, you asked me a question, did you not? You asked if I was investigating the Divine Beast, Vah Ruta? That is not my intent, exactly, no. You see, I am a traveling minstrel, as I am sure you may have guessed. I once studied under the renowned Sheikah poet, Rao, who was the Court Poet for the Royal Family before their fall one hundred years ago."

Kass turned, glancing towards the distant castle. The red haze shone around the castle, lightly illuminating its lower sections. Thankfully, no beast rose up over it. "He long wrote and sung of the time and heroes from before the Calamity, you see. Specifically, of the princess Zelda, her knight, and the four Champions that fought to prevent Ganon's rise."

 _Oh, that is just fantastic_. "Is that so?"

"And I am continuing my late master's life work in my travels. I am traveling to Zora's Domain now with the hopes that I may discover more of Mipha, the Zora Champion, in order to continue my master's epic, which he left, tragically, unfinished when he perished many years ago."

Link hid a grimace, looking at the grass by their feet while considering Kass' words. Absently, he wondered how this kept happening to him. He supposed that it shouldn't have been too surprising—one hundred years wasn't so long that his failures would just be _forgotten_ , even if most of those alive today did not know his identity.

"Is… everything all right?" Kass looked at him curiously, and Link felt his face flush. "You look concerned."

"Oh, I just—" Link faltered. "It's just… sad. What happened to her, and the other Champions."

Kass nodded sagely. "Yes, indeed. A true tragedy. Such hopes were placed upon the six, and for it all to end so direly…" Silence fell between them for a time before Kass continued. "Of course, I do not fully believe that all hope is lost."

Link looked up at Kass, eyebrows raised. When Kass saw his expression, he chuckled softly.

"Well, perhaps it is my tendency to prefer stories with a happier ending, but I believe that these things work themselves out more often than not."

"But they _lost_."

"Did they?"

"They all died."

" _Did_ they?"

Link's voice caught, and he stared up at Kass' golden eyes. Those golden eyes seemed too knowing to him. Finally, Kass smiled and shrugged his feathery shoulders.

"Of course, the six are no longer with us. Certainly, the four Champions perished in the battle. The Knight, legends tell, fell at the princess' feet in the shadow of Fort Hateno. The _princess_ , however…" Kass looked towards the castle. "From what I have been able to gather, she went, alone, to the castle and faced Calamity Ganon with her sealing powers. And here we are; alive, so many years later."

"What about what that woman said? The monsters _are_ terrorizing travelers. From what I've seen, few even venture west of the Dueling Peaks."

Kass nodded in acknowledgment. "What you speak of is true. But I would suggest that the proliferation of monsters along our roads is not the fault of the six." When Link opened his mouth to object, Kass held up a hand. "Please, let me explain. From what I have heard, it is true that the monsters have gained strength since Ganon's reemergence. But they existed prior to his rise and will likely continue to exist if he is defeated.

"Before the fall of Hyrule, the king did not rely on Princess Zelda to patrol the roads for moblins, however. That duty was left to common soldiers. Now, of course, we lost much of the organized military to Ganon and his Guardians. But you cannot tell me that others cannot rise up to fight back!

"But if all the soldiers and knights died—" Link said, but Kass had, apparently, not finished.

"You look as if you are a warrior. I would hazard a guess that you have, indeed, fought some of these creatures, have you not?" Link nodded reluctantly, and Kass smiled in triumph. "See? If we simply had more individuals like you, perhaps we could secure these roads once again. _All_ of the races have warriors. The Sheikah are still renowned for their abilities in stealth and precision, Gorons are capable of repelling entire groups of enemies alone, the Zora are swift and still have a standing military force, the Gerudo are an entire race of warriors, and we Rito are known as the finest archers in the land. You Hylians, of course, are also well-known for your history of great and noble warriors.

"So what excuse do we have? The Great Calamity was disastrous, yes, but it was also one hundred years ago. However, instead of reclaiming the sections of our land that have been lost to Ganon's minions, we, instead, appear to be waiting to die. Or, perhaps, to be rescued."

Link remained silent, eyes focused on the distant castle. He didn't know how to respond to all of that. He wanted to take hope in what he said, to be able to pass some of the blame for the nation's state on to others… but he could not. How could he? This would have never even happened, were it not for his failure.

Kass did, eventually, break the silence with a softer tone. "I apologize if I caused any offense. I did not mean to imply that individuals such as you should be doing _more_. Only that we, the various peoples of Hyrule, should be working together, rather than taking refuge in our homes."

Link shook his head, exhaling slowly. He still wasn't sure what he could say, so he chose to say nothing.

"It also occurs to me that I never asked your name. That seems inexcusably rude on my part, so, please. You know my name; might I know yours?"

"Link."

"Link?" Kass' tone was curious. Link's blood ran cold and he inwardly cursed himself. Why would he have used his real name when talking to this person, who _clearly_ knew much of the past? "It is fascinating, then, that you wear that tunic."

"Is it?" Link tried to keep his voice carefully even, but he still refused to meet Kass' eyes. He did not want to see that knowing expression.

"It appears to be the same color worn by the Champions of old, based on what I have been told. And Link was the name of the princess' knight and wielder of the Master Sword."

"I… didn't know that." Link glanced briefly up at Kass and tried to give him something of an innocent smile.

Kass met his eyes, still smiling. "Yes, well, such details are often lost to time. The hero's name, especially, often appears to change in stories and myths, depending on the person telling the story. Some even mistakenly call him by the princess' name, as silly as that might sound." Kass chuckled softly at this, and Link forced himself to smile. "But I have it on good authority that the knight was named Link, as you are."

"That _is_ strange." Link looked away from Kass again, and, this time, Kass allowed the silence to stretch.

Sometime later, Kass cleared his throat. "It is clear that these subjects give you pause. I apologize for any discomfort caused by my musings."

Link sighed and looked over at Kass, shaking his head. "No, it's just… I have a lot on my mind. It isn't your fault."

Again, Kass gave him that piercing stare. "Then, perhaps, can I suggest you try the Volt Fruit ale? I have heard from many patrons that it does wonders. It tends to do wonders for my purse as well."

Link stared back at him for a long moment, confused, and then his lips pulled into a smile. Kass opened his beak in what was clearly a grin. The rest of the night passed much easier for Link than it had begun. He and Kass did eventually go back in, and Link enjoyed listening to Kass' music and storytelling, none of which featured him or his previous incarnation.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Here's another chapter for you all to digest. Unfortunately, if you thought Link meeting Kass in the last chapter left him feeling awkward, then it's about to get worse for him...**

 **Also, to my reviewers, wow! You folks all responded very positively to the last chapter. I'm glad! Kass is one of my favorite characters in the game, and I assure you that he is going to be a reoccurring character throughout the novel. I have plans. Also, several of you caught that little joke about calling Link Zelda. I'm glad-I was rather proud of that one.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

Kass did not travel with Link the next day, as Link rode while he flew. Link found that he liked the Rito, for all the discomfort that their meeting had caused the day prior. Thankfully, Kass seemed to understand that the subject of the Calamity was a sensitive one for Link, and he did not bring it up again. Link did not know what Kass knew of Link's actual past, if anything, and never asked. With those uncomfortable topics behind them, however, they were able to speak much more comfortably with each other, and he was able to find out some key information about Hyrule that he hadn't gotten yet from the others that he'd met.

Still, though, as Link set out the next morning, he found himself hoping that Kass would have moved on from Zora's Domain by the time he reached it in three days. It would make it much easier for Link to engage with the Divine Beast without having to worry about a traveling minstrel passing word of his deeds all over the land. That was, of course, assuming he would be able to figure out what exactly he needed to do with the Divine Beast. And assuming he would even survive.

As the day wore on, the sun having begun its slow progress towards the west, Link saw the first signs on oncoming rain. The dark mass of clouds were just visible over the mountains surrounding Zora's Domain.

"I guess we've got another soggy night ahead of us," he said, patting Spirit's neck. The horse turned its head, looking back at Link with one large, brown eye. "If I can find shelter, I _will_."

Spirit snorted, looking forward again. Link pursed his lips but then thought better of it. _He_ was the one who had taken to talking to his horse and interpreting its responses, after all.

The rain, surprisingly, did not come that night. In fact, it didn't seem to have moved at all for the rest of the day. When he woke the next morning to see mass of roiling rain clouds still ever-present over Zora's Domain, he realized that this was something different. Concerning. Potentially far worse than a cold and wet night.

The river that he traveled parallel to gradually began to grow higher—and the current stronger—as he got closer to Zora's Domain, finally reaching the point that it was beginning to spill over its banks. More than once, Link had to carefully guide Spirit through shallow water that had spilled out onto the road.

Finally, in the early afternoon of his third day out from Kakariko Village, the world grew dark and wet. He had ridden into the rain, which had still not moved on. The clouds, nearly black overhead, spat rain in an unending deluge that almost immediately soaked through Link's cloak and clothes. The road grew muddy and treacherous, and Spirit's hooves made loud, sucking noises every time they lifted up out of the muck.

Link could see a Sheikah Tower in the near distance but didn't dare try to climb it. Instead, he leaned low over Spirit's saddle, patting the horse's neck with a comforting hand. Spirit had seemed agitated ever since entering the rain, and Link couldn't blame him. Nothing about this rain felt natural to him. It was too heavy to be this constant. But for all the heavy rain, there was no other indications of a storm. No lightning, no thunder, and no wind to speak of. Just a steady, torrential downpour.

He wasn't at all sure how long it took before he saw the bridge through the rain. It crossed over the river, which had grown extremely violent now that he was in the midst of the rain. The bridge appeared to be made of white stone and was flanked on either side by a pair of beautiful watchtowers. The watchtowers each had a base made of slightly translucent crystal with shone with an inner blue-white light. Grey stone crisscrossed up the white crystal before forming the platform that made up the actual watchtower, as well as a central pillar that rose up, topped with another crystal that, likewise, shown with blue-white light. The effect was stunning, and Link knew that when he crossed the bridge, he would be within Zora's Domain.

Disconcertingly, Link did not find either watchtower manned by one of the aquatic race—something that he felt was probably a bad omen. Kass had spoken of troubles with the Divine Beast, and now this rain… Link worried that he had, somehow, been too late.

The roar of the river under them nearly drowned out the sounds of Spirit's hooves as they crossed the stone bridge and into Zora's Domain. The muddy road continued right after the bridge, circling around a wider section of river that had partially spilled over its banks, covering part of the road in water. Grimacing, Link pushed Spirit on through the water, to where the road circled around the face of a sheer rock wall.

Something felt off as Link rounded the rock wall, the river roaring beneath him. He felt a prickling at the back of his neck, as if he were being watched. He looked around, frowning. He had rounded another corner as the path looped back, climbing to the top of the wall he had just passed by. Thick trees lined either side of the road, their branches bending low under the weight of the rain water. Puddles formed on the path, and Spirit's hooves splashed loudly as he crossed through them.

Cautiously, Link drew his sword and shield. Instinct told him that he was being watched, and his eyes scanned the trees all around, looking for anything to support that feeling. Nothing moved. Rain continued to fall, making it hard to see very far in front of it, and water dripped into his eyes, forcing him to blink it away. His sodden hood sagged and he reached up, attempting to straighten it. It did not help much.

To make matters worse, night had clearly begun to fall. Everything had grown dark, the shadows obscuring the further trees and making it harder to make out the details of the nearest trees. He _was_ being watched. Link was certain of it. He felt their eyes on him, waiting for the opportune to strike. And he was largely helpless.

After several tense minutes of waiting, Link chose to press on as the trees around him fell into shadow. He had no torch or lantern—and neither would likely work well in this rain—so he was forced to rely on his own limited night vision to see the path. Spirit, thankfully, needed little guidance and seemed to feel the same unease that Link did. He moved at a brisker pace than before, regardless of the fact that his hooves sank deeply into the mud with every step.

The rain's muffling effect was likely the reason he didn't hear the battle much earlier. In fact, it wasn't until he was nearly upon it that he saw the hazy blue lanterns that had been thrown to the ground and heard the clash of metal weapons upon metal shields. However, as he rounded a small bend in the trees, seeing these things, several things happened all at once.

Movement ahead. A group of shapes, some standing tall with silvery weapons and shields, and some hunched low to the ground wielding weapons of black metal, clashed with surprising speed. Something hissed from the trees to Link's left. Someone screamed. Something hit Link with enough force to drive him off of Spirit's back and to the ground.

The fact that he'd had his sword and shield ready is probably what ultimately saved his life. For a moment, Link thrashed with the thing on top of him, which seemed to be all sharp teeth and claws. The thing's attacks were wild, however, and Link had his shield between his body and the thing attacking him, which protected him from the worst of the attacks. The attacks weakened after a few moments, and the creature released a pained hiss before finally, slumping against Link. His sword had pierced the creature's gut when it pounced on Link, and the creature's own thrashing attacks likely only hastened its demise.

Disgusted, Link shoved the creature, which was larger than he by at least a head, off of him and rolled to his feet. Nearby, Spirit stamped his feet nervously, and, ahead, the two forces clashed. Vaguely illuminated by the blue lanterns on the ground, Link could see that the taller individuals matched up with what he'd seen and heard of the Zora—skin of varying hues of blue and red, with long legs and arms ending in webbed appendages, fins at the elbows, and heads of various shapes, each with their own fins and tail-like protuberances at the back. The enemies that they faced were large and lizard-like, with long, hunched torsos, long snouts with razor teeth, and claws on their feet and toes.

The Zora were outnumbered, surrounded on all sides by their lizard foes, who appeared to have attacked from the trees. Regardless of their inferior numbers, however, the Zora were clearly the more skilled group, having fallen into a circle formation with their backs to each other, each wielding a long silver spear and silver shield with enough sharp edges to be a weapon in its own right. Their blue lanterns had each been dropped in a circle around the group of Zora, providing enough illumination to see any approaching enemy.

As Link watched, one of the lizards lunged forward, trying to stab a Zora with a spear of its own, but the Zora blocked the attack with her shield while her partner beside her thrust his spear into the lizard's chest. In Link's brief estimation, it seemed to him that the Zora, with their strong defensive line and coordination, would be the victors in this fight without his assistance. However, a moment later, he saw a flash of yellow light from within the tree line.

"Shock arrows!" The cry came from someone within the Zora circle, and the group immediately broke, diving for cover. A yellow-tipped arrow shot out from the trees, landing in a puddle right where the group of Zora had been standing. There was a flash of light and yellow arcs of electricity danced across the puddle. One of the Zora was too slow, his foot still in the puddle when the arrow struck. He screamed in agony, body growing rigid as the arcs of electricity shot up his body.

"Rivan!" One Zora that stood slightly taller than the rest, with red skin and colorful epaulettes at his shoulders, threw aside his spear and dove for the Zora that had been frozen in place by the electrical current. As he struck the electrocuted Zora, he cried out in pain but succeeded in tackling the other Zora out of the puddle and to the relative safety of the muddy road.

Link sprinted into the forest where the arrow had come from. He found a dark-skinned lizard preparing to string another of the yellow-tipped arrows—its last, as evidenced by the empty quiver at its waist. Link thrust his sword into the creature's side, causing it to hiss in fury, dropping the bow and arrow before leaping back and pulling free of Link's sword. The creature placed a clawed hand against its pierced side, looking down at it and then up again at Link. Its eyes seemed to catch some faint light and shone in the dark night.

Link really _had_ hoped that his thrust would have been fatal. It would appear, however, that this night just wasn't going the way he had hoped.

The lizard rushed forward, zigzagging across the ground in shocking speed. It had no weapons, so it brandished its claws in a deadly manner. Thinking to end the fight quickly, Link slashed, but the lizard dodged to the side easily before leaping towards Link, hissing loudly. Link swung out with his shield, managing to deflect one of the clawed hands. The other struck home, however, and Link felt pain flare on his exposed arm. He set his jaw against the pain and stumbled back.

The lizard gave him no chance to catch his breath. It leaped forward, teeth-filled maw open and aiming for Link's throat. Link ducked and sidestepped, narrowly avoiding its attack. They traded blows for a time, neither gaining the advantage. He managed to catch the creature's tail, cutting off the last foot or so of the writhing appendage. The lizard hissed furiously, whirling and slashing its claws at Link. One of its hands grabbed the lip of Link's shield and ripped the shield free of Link's hand.

Link spun away from it, swinging his sword in a warding arc, and the lizard jumped back. It bent low, hissing its threat while its eyes glittered in the night. Link waited. The lizard didn't. It leaped, its clawed feet forward, talons angled towards Link's chest. Link stepped to the side and swept his sword up, into the monster's chest, cutting deep. The lizard's body folded over his blade, and its momentum ripped Link's sword out of his hand. The lizard hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

Link, gritting his teeth, reached to his waist and pulled free the Guardian sword he received in the Sheikah Shrine. The blade appeared, glowing brilliantly blue and humming, and Link turned it upside down, plunging it down into the lizard's prone body. The lizard spasmed violently, kicking out with clawed legs and arms, but then suddenly fell still.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Link turned back towards the sounds of battle. He retrieved the sword that had fallen with the lizard and stowed the Guardian sword back on his waist. That sword, he knew, was an arguably stronger sword—it was certainly sharper—but its balance seemed entirely off in Link's hands, and he did not fully trust his ability to use it as effectively.

Link found the spot where the lizard had been providing overwatch on the battle below and found with some dismay that the battle had gone poorly for the Zora after the electric arrow's strike. Two of the Zora were down, their status unknown, and the remaining Zora had formed up around them, but injuries or exhaustion had clearly slowed their reflexes. As Link watched, one of the lizards rushed forward, dodging a spear thrust, and slashed one of the Zora in the thigh with its claws. That Zora yelled, falling to one knee, as her companion warded the lizard back with his spear.

Link clenched his jaw and sheathed his sword and shield. He snatched up the lizard's discarded bow and yellow-tipped arrow. He drew the arrow, surprised to see its tip burst into light, crackling with electric energy. His arm spasmed as the electrical energy, not contained to just the arrow tip, lanced back and through his arm. The shock nearly made Link release his grip on the arrow, but he set his jaw and turned his aim on a group of lizards that were preparing to launch another attack on the Zora. Remembering the tactic used earlier, Link aimed low for the puddle of water they stood in and loosed the arrow.

The relief in his arm when he released the arrow was immediately, and Link released the breath he had been holding, dropping the bow and flexing his fingers. The arrow flew true, striking the water with a small splash and a bright flash of electrical light. The lizards, caught completely unaware, all stood in the puddle, and all hissed in agony as arcs of electrical energy ran up their bodies.

The combatants all froze as the remaining Zora and lizards turned, confused to see the state of the other foes, who began to collapse, still twitching from the electric shock. Then the Zora rallied, releasing war cries, and sprinted forward. The remaining lizards, confused by their fallen brethren, stood no chance and were quickly cut down by the silvery Zora spears.

Link stepped out of the trees slowly, and when the Zora contingent turned their spears on him, he raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. Like he expected, the Zora all glanced at each other before lowering their spears. What he hadn't expected was one of the Zora to suddenly say, "Link? Is that _you_?"

"Link?" The Zora with the hurt leg looked up, eyes widening. Her skin was a pale violet color, different from the others.

"Link? It can't be Link. He died when…" Another Zora looked at him, his expression confused. The light of recognition shone in his eyes. "By the Goddess…"

Link stood, frozen in his place, alarmed by the reaction that his presence had caused among the Zora. Somehow, these Zora—at least some of them—seemed to know exactly who he was. The group of Zora seemed to see the confusion on his face, and one of them with dark blue skin approached, smiling.

"It's me, Bazz! You… might actually not recognize me. I was a lot younger when you last saw me, and it's been one hundred years. It…" The Zora named Bazz frowned. "It's been _one hundred years_. And you don't look a day different from the last time I saw you. That's not normal for Hylians, is it?"

"I-I don't…" Link sputtered, eyes wide. He suddenly regretted ever agreeing to Zora's Domain. Why hadn't someone _told_ him that there would be Zora alive that still recognized him? How was that even possible? He didn't know much (or, really, any) about Zora physiology, but shouldn't they look _older_?

"Gaddison, it _can't_ be him," one of the Zora said, looking at the violet-shaded female Zora. "He's dead."

"Rivan, _look_ at him," said the violet Zora named Gaddison.

"I _am_ and—"

"I don't remember any of you," Link said, face growing warm. There was no point in letting this go on longer than it needed to. "I _am_ who you think I am, but I… I don't have any memories."

Silence followed his pronouncement. Several pairs of Zora eyes fell on Link, and he cursed whatever gods brought him to this point. He cursed Impa and Purah for not preparing him. He even began to curse the princess for even saving him in the first place but stopped himself.

A pair of webbed hands clapped together, causing the contingent of Zora to stand up straighter. The tallest Zora with the epaulettes on his shoulders walked around from behind the other Zora, smiling broadly and revealing a row of sharp teeth.

"Well I, for one, don't care _who_ you used to be," he said, walking over to Link. Abruptly, Zora reached out, taking Link's hand, and shook it enthusiastically. "Because you just saved our lives! If you hadn't come along when you did, I'm not sure we would have all made it out of there alive."

The tall Zora, still shaking Link's hand, looked back at the others. "Guardsmen! We owe this Hylian our lives, but it wouldn't do to just stand here waiting for another group of lizalfos to ambush us, would it?" His voice carried an air of relaxed authority. "Spread out! Search the woods. I think we've patrolled far enough for this day, so we will begin our trek back home in the morning."

The other Zora saluted by placing fists to their chests before spreading out and walking into the trees on either side of the road. As he passed, the Zora named Bazz placed a hand on Link's shoulder, squeezing it firmly before continuing on into the trees.

Once the other Zora were gone, the taller Zora finally released Link's hand, still grinning. He glanced around briefly before lowering his head and speaking in a softer tone. "Better?" Link looked up at him in confusion, but the Zora seemed to get the answer he was looking for because he stood tall again.

"Link, is it?"

Link nodded.

"Excellent! I am Sidon. Prince of Zora's Domain. And _you_ are exactly who I've been looking for."

Sidon had a unique look about him. Two ridges extended to the sides like small, rigid wings from his snout just above his eyes, and the tail fin on the back of his head ran all the way down to the middle of his back. Unlike the other Zora that Link had seen, he also had an additional dorsal fin extended up from the top of his head, as well as a piece of silvery ornamentation that Link thought might be the Zora version of a crown.

"You knew I was coming?" Link said, frowning.

"Oh no!" Sidon seemed to always be smiling, his voice cheerful. "But we Zora have been in a bit of a _spot_ lately—"

"The Divine Beast?"

Sidon laughed heartily. "So, you've heard! Yes, Ruta has been quite _angry_ lately. She is the one causing all of this rain, and I am worried that, if we do not put a stop to it soon, the east reservoir will overflow, flooding both Zora's Domain and a good portion of Hyrule at that."

A chill ran down Link's back. Flood Zora's Domain? Flood Hyrule? "That's why I'm here, actually. I've been sent on a… mission. To regain control of the Divine Beasts."

" _Excellent!_ " Link started at Sidon's outburst, but the Zora Prince didn't seem to notice. He clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Really, that is wonderful. I am certain that my father will be thrilled to hear of it. And maybe now the old Demon Sergeant can stop electrocuting himself with shock arrows."

"Prince Sidon, I—"

"Oh, you can just call me Sidon. Everyone does."

"All right. Sidon, if you could tell me how to get to the Divine Beast, I will begin that way and—"

"Oh no! It's much too late for that, man. We will make camp tonight and begin back to the Domain in the morning. My father will like to speak to you. He always spoke very highly of you, and well…" Sidon's composure faltered, but only for a moment. "I am sure that he would like to speak with you about my sister."

"Your… sister?"

"Mipha."

It felt as if a hand wrapped around Link's heart and squeezed. Prince Sidon. Princess Mipha. The Zora king. Impa must have known, hadn't she? She would have known what Link was walking into. Why hadn't she said anything? Why hadn't anyone thought to _prepare_ him for this?

Absently, he nodded, which Sidon readily accepted with another exclamation of, "Wonderful!"

Link felt anything _but_ wonderful at that moment.

* * *

It rained all night—something that hadn't seemed to bother the Zora at all. They had all slept easily on the ground while Link huddled under the tree with the thickest canopy that he could find. His attempt at a lean-to did not provide much, if any, relief from the rain, and there was no hope to crafting a fire either. The Zora caught fish from the river, eating the fish raw. They offered some of the river's bounty to Link, but he shook his head, choosing to eat his leftover travel rations.

Thankfully, no more lizalfos attacked that night. Several of the Zora had received minor injuries in the fight, but none were serious, though Rivan still appeared dazed from the shock he received. It was clear to Link that the Zora were very susceptible to electrocution—a fact confirmed to him by Sidon, who asked with some amazement at the way Link was able to use the lizalfos' shock arrows against them.

Many of the Zora that followed Sidon had, apparently, known Link before the Calamity. In fact, to his surprise, Bazz told him that Link was actually the individual that taught several of the Zora how to fight with both sword and spear. Sidon had perked at that, telling Link that his personal guard were among some of the best warriors that Zora's Domain had to offer.

Reluctantly, Link told the group of Zora his story. He and these Zora had, once, been friends, and he felt that he owed them the truth. They listened with rapt attention, and once he was finished, each of them declared with no uncertainty that Link's lack of memories didn't matter to them. They were just happy that their friend still lived.

Link hadn't been sure how to respond to that and remained silent.

The morning brought a grey dawn and more rain, but Link felt eager to get back on the road. After much discussion amongst themselves, Sidon sent several Zora swimming upriver back to their city to inform the king of what happened and of Link's coming. Sidon and the remaining three Zora—Bazz, Gaddison, and Rivan—remained with Link as he rode Spirit. He had initially resisted riding while they walked, but it became clear to him that they did not have nearly the same amount of trouble he had moving through the mud. Even though they were taller than Link, their webbed feet seemed to enable them to walk on top of the mud, rather than sinking into it, and the footprints they left were shallow.

That day passed more pleasantly than Link had expected. The group of Zora that walked with him were clearly old friends, including Sidon, who laughed and joked as much as the rest of them. They told Link some stories from one hundred years past, too.

Link had, apparently, been just a boy when he first came to Zora's Domain with his father, the knight. Bazz, Gaddison, and Rivan had just been children then, and had eagerly played with the boy Link. As years passed, Link grew older, but Zora aged much more slowly than Hylians. Gaddison admitted that she looked to Link like an older brother, which made the other two Zora laugh for some reason.

It was because of this apparent maturity gap that Link had taught these three Zora how to fight. They had been considered much too young to learn the ways of combat, but Link had known much, even as a child, and had gladly shared his knowledge with the children as he got older.

"Of course, then you visited with the Princess and didn't really have as much time for us," Rivan said off-handedly.

"He made time for Mipha, though!"

"Well, of course."

Link didn't respond to this exchange, but Sidon had looked thoughtful. He admitted that he didn't have any real memories of Link from before—he was younger than the rest of the Zora by at least twenty years, and any memories he had from before the Calamity were hazy at best. Link wondered if that meant that he didn't have any memories of Mipha as well. That seemed tragic to him.

It wasn't until later that the group of Zora and one Hylian encountered another group of lizalfos. These ones were not as well-organized as the previous group and had no shock arrows, thankfully. Still, though, Link was grateful that he linked up with the group of Zora. He wasn't sure that he would have ever been able to make it up the river without them. Lizalfos fought far more viciously than bokoblins, like instinct-driven beasts without fear of death.

After the fight, Link asked about the lizalfos' presence in Zora's Domain.

"Zora and lizalfos have been sworn enemies, going back countless generations," Sidon said in response as he wiped his spear clean of green blood after dipping it into a small pond a little off of the road. "Legends say that, long ago, before Hylians or Gorons ever walked the land, Zora and lizalfos were at peace with each other. However, in that time, the land was a hot, arid place, with little water. The Zora people lived in the water, while the lizalfos occupied the burning land. Over time, the lizalfos began to covet the cooling waters of Zora's Domain, and demanded that the Zora give them half of the waters.

"The Zora, at that time, agreed to share the distributaries off of the main river, but were unwilling to give up the river itself, where their children played and the best fish were to be had. The lizalfos did not accept this, however, and decided to attack the Zora, determined to drive them out of the river entirely.

"The two tribes clashed many times, but the lizalfos were never able to achieve their ultimate goals and drive the Zora from the waters. Eventually, while the Zora grew older and wiser, the lizalfo tribe split due to infighting. Some traveled west to the desert, hoping to find another source of water on its other side, while others migrated to the mountains, hoping for relief from the burning heat of the land on the snowcaps.

"Some, however, would forever remain near Zora's Domain, remembering the time, ages past, when Zora and lizalfos fought over the great river. Though the land is no longer arid, and many of the streams have now become rivers in their own right, these lizalfos still seek to drive Zora from the land and claim the river's source for their own."

There were a few moments of silence after Sidon's tale ended before the prince grinned toothily. "Or so the stories say. Personally, I think that they are merely a bunch of stupid lizards with a desire to meet the end of my spear."

The other Zora laughed and cheered their prince, and Link smiled faintly. Sidon waited for a few moments for his guards to move away back towards the road, preparing to continue their journey north. Once they were out of earshot, he looked at Link, his expression grimmer.

"The truth is that the lizalfos are growing stronger," he said. Link looked at him with a frown. "They used to be little more than animals and were easy to deal with, but lately, they have been gathering together in larger bands. Twenty years ago, they would have never created an ambush like the one we found ourselves in yesterday. They've grown smarter, and their tactics are changing."

"How bad is it?" Link said, moving a step closer.

"It's hard to say, but I'm not sure I've ever seen such a large group as the one we just fought this far up the river. I will have to report it to my father and arrange for more patrols. Vah Ruta's rain has only seemed to embolden them."

Sidon, with a grim smile, placed a hand on Link's shoulder before moving off to join the other Zora. Troubled, Link walked back to Spirit, gripping the sodden saddle carefully and pulling himself up. Spirit snorted, clearly as unhappy with the rain as Link was, and Link patted the horse's neck soothingly.

"Almost there, boy."

* * *

The late afternoon brought with it the first sight of the Great Zora Bridge. The day's travel had taken them across several bridges, each a beautiful work of stonemasonry, but nothing compared to the final bridge spanning the last leg of the river to its above-ground source. As they rounded a mountain called Ruto Mountain, Link was surprised to see just how high above the river they were now. A rock bridge crossed from the mountain across the river far below to a rocky island pillar in the middle of Zora River.

It was from this pillar that the Great Zora Bridge began. The bridge, itself, was at least a mile long, if not longer—a marvel of engineering in its own right before one considered the fact that it had no apparent supports. Instead, it was built into the side of the pillar and extended all the way up the rest of Zora River, over a massive waterfall, to connect with the large city of Zora's Domain. The city was far enough away that the rain obscured it, leaving Link with only a few faint impressions of its design and size.

The bridge was made of beautiful white and gray stone, just as the watchtowers had been, with stone arches placed equidistant from each other along its length. Each pillar was beautifully carved stone with a glowing white gem placed at its peak, providing light to those traveling by night. The sight of the bridge alone was breathtaking but walking upon it was even more awe-inspiring—bordering on terrifying, if Link was being honest with himself.

He dismounted Spirit when they reached the bridge, taking the horse's reins and guiding him onto the bridge. He wasn't at all sure that he would want to _ride_ across this bridge, if he could help it. The river was incredibly far below them—Link wasn't even sure his grip on the paraglider could hold out long enough for him to reach the bottom if he fell off. Any fear that he felt, however, was quickly overshadowed by the simple amazement that he felt as they walked across the stone.

"Ah, to be able to see it for the first time," Sidon said, smiling. "Or, at least, the first time you can remember."

Link glanced towards him, and for the first time in a while, the mention of his lack of memories didn't really bother him. Sidon was right. This _was_ a spectacle that he was glad that he couldn't remember seeing before.

"Just wait," said Bazz, nodding towards the distant, shadowy shape of their city. "You haven't seen anything yet."

They walked along the bridge, rain pouring down upon them in sheets, for the next ten minutes before Zora's Domain began to take shape. As they got closer, Link began to see hints of platforms and walkways, stone pillars, and something massive rising up in the center. The closer he got, the more of the city came into view, and the less he even noticed the rain pouring down on him.

Even under the shadow of rain clouds, the city was beautiful. The main city was built in several tiers in the shape of rings, with various stone walkways that circled around the rings in a complex system of walkways and platforms. The center of the first tier, which the bridge connected to had upon it a large fountain that Link could only just barely make out. This tier was the largest, extending far out to either side of the bridge, and was connected to several other branching platforms through the winding walkways.

A pair of half-circle staircases rose from either side of the central platform, rising up to the second tier of Zora's Domain. Here, from what Link could see, was a hub for many of the city's walkways to converge. Bridges connected to the distant walls ringing the basin that Zora's Domain was situated in, and, in the far distance, Link could make out even more Zora structures built along the bridges and along the walls.

The city's final level was taken up by the magnificent shining palace. This was a building that Link _had_ seen before, in the photo gallery on his Sheikah Slate, but a photograph had done nothing to show the true majesty of what he saw now. It was designed like an enormous fish, its tail flipped up and curling over its head. Hundreds, if not thousands, of silvery scales had been carved into the fish's body. Its tailfin glowed brightly in the same blue-white way that many other Zora structures had, shining its hazy light down on the palace from above. The fish's mouth made the entrance to the palace, open for all to see, though the rain made it hard for Link to actually see inside.

The entire city was suspended above a large pool of water below—the source of the river—by large, white pillars of stone. The pillars seemed far too thin for how large the city was, but Link knew from what he'd been told that it had held for thousands of years without fail. It was surrounded on all sides by massive cliffs of stone and shimmering crystal that reflected the grey clouds overhead.

The city was _beautiful_. And Link had, most certainly, seen it before. Not just in a photograph, nor in a memory. But somewhere, deep in the recesses of Link's mind, he knew that he'd been here before. He'd seen that palace before. He'd walked upon the walkways. He'd played…

 _"Come on, Bazz! You'll need to be faster if you want to beat me!"_

A flash through his mind. Sprinting along a walkway that overlooked a great lake. One misstep and he would fall over the edge, but when did a child think of such things?

 _"Slow down, Link! If you're not careful, you'll—Link!"_

A flash of pain in his foot, a lurch in his awareness of the world, sudden, open air… And a hand that gripped his arm with a firm, secure grip.

 _"You must be careful, little one. A Hylian such as you would have trouble with that dive…"_

Golden eyes. Red fins that draped to either side of a round face. Golden jewelry that hung down the sides of the fins. A warm smile.

 _"Thank you, Lady Mipha! I tried warning him."_

Zora's Domain. Bazz. Mipha. All flashed through Link's head in a whirl of sounds and colors. It was enough to make him stumble, releasing Spirit's reins and placing a hand against the horse's thick neck for support. Ahead, the contingent of Zora paused, though none looked back at him.

"Why, here comes Muzu! Perhaps the old manta was worried about me?"

He could _remember_ being at Zora's Domain before. He had been young—he had been just a child. And Bazz had been one too. They'd been running on the walkways that extended out from the sides of Zora's Domain—a dangerous place for a Hylian, such as him, to be playing. He'd stubbed his toe on a stair, stumbled, nearly fallen off, and then…

"Prince Sidon!"

Mipha. He could remember her face, outside of a photograph on the Sheikah Slate. He could remember her voice. It was only one brief memory of her—the smallest of glimpses of her warm face—but he hung onto that memory. It was more than anything he'd gotten so far, even if this memory had also been disjointed and confused like the one before.

"What is it, Muzu? Why do you look so alarmed? Has something happened?"

He wanted to remember more of her. He'd been a child in this memory, but what of when he was older? What of their travels as Champions? He thought of the photograph of the four Champions, Princess Zelda, and him, all gathered together. Had they been close? Had they been friends?

"Prince, I implore you. We must _eject_ this Hylian from our Domain at once! _He_ is not welcome here!"

Link's thoughts crashed around him as he focused, again, on the scene before him. Sidon, Bazz, Rivan, and Gaddison all stood in front of him, facing another group of Zoras. The center Zora, with a wide, flat head with eyes far to either side, stared at Link with what looked like barely contained rage. To either side of him were another pair of much older Zora, each carrying a spear. They, too, looked at Link with hatred.

"Muzu, what has gotten into you? Do you know who this is?" Sidon took a step forward, frowning.

"Oh, I know full well who he is, Prince Sidon. This _man_ —" he spat, pointing a trembling finger at Link. "—is the reason that your sister died one hundred years ago."

The beautiful, smiling image of Mipha that Link could still see in his mind shattered.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Hate to admit it, but I almost forgot to post this today! It's been a busy week, and I haven't gotten quite as much writing done as I'd like by this point in the week, but I'm not going to leave everyone hanging! Unfortunately for our hero, things don't really get much easier for him in this chapter...**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

"Doesn't that look like…"

"Mipha died…"

"Responsible."

Whispers.

That is what Link heard as the contingent of Zora, which had doubled in size after the argument on the bridge, led him into the city. Whispers from the Zora around him—from Bazz and his friends, from the older Zora with Muzu, from various other Zora adults that saw the group. That saw him. He was, it seemed, well known in Zora's Domain.

"Could that be Linny…"

"Stole her away…"

"Mipha's killer."

Just whispers.

Though the hour was already getting late, the Zora led Link up the stairs towards the palace. It would seem that, if Link really _was_ entering the city, then the king wished to see him. Link dreaded the meeting with the man whose daughter died because of him.

The worst part, he supposed, was that he did not fully understand the crime he was being blamed for. He assumed that it was his failure in defeating Ganon, which he could certainly understand. But there seemed to be something else to their accusations—something more direct. He wished that he had something more than a single memory from his childhood to fall back on.

The climb to the palace revealed more of the beauty that was Zora's Domain, but also some of the things that set it apart from normal human settlements. For one, Link could not actually see any residences. Though he spotted several shops on the bottom level, including what looked like an inn, complete with a small stable, he spotted nothing that looked like a home.

Another oddity about Zora's Domain was the eternal presence of water. At first, Link had assumed that it was just because of the rain, but it soon became apparent to him that the city was just built in such a way that water pooled on the ground in most places. Water even streamed down the stairs leading up to the second tier and the palace. Link's boots had somehow become even more waterlogged than they had been already.

The answer to his first observation was found as he crested the stairs leading to the second tier of Zora's Domain. He spotted what looked like a group of young Zora being led to some kind of communal pool just underneath the palace, where they were encouraged to lie down in the waters. He could see the forms of several other children that had already fallen asleep in the pools.

Gaddison must have seen his curious glance, because she explained a moment later. "Most Zora live in the waters below the city and in the river itself. However, the current can be difficult for the young ones to navigate, especially while sleeping. So the resting pools were created for the children to sleep in."

"What about the parents?" Link said, glancing back at her.

"What about them? Most of them sleep below."

"Away from their children?"

"Yes, of course," Gaddison said, smiling. "There isn't nearly enough room in the pools for the adults, after all. And adults don't have difficulties with the currents the way the children do. Though many of the Zora from downriver have temporarily relocated to below the city because of the increased current. It's calmer here, even with the waterfall."

As they began up the stairs to the palace, Sidon pressed forward, taking the stairs three at a time. A glance at Muzu told Link that he disapproved of the prince's haste—at least, Link assumed that's what his expression meant—but he continued up at his same plodding pace.

Once they reached the mouth of the palace, the other Zora—Sidon's guards and those that had accompanied Muzu—split off. Several of them were sent off to do other work, leaving only Bazz and one of the elder Zora that had followed Muzu to stand guard at the entrance. Bazz looked at Link and smiled, nodding his encouragement.

Finally, Link entered the palace a few steps behind Muzu. As he did, he looked around in awe. Indeed, the palace was very large, but it was also surprisingly open. Rather than the multiple rooms or chambers that Link had expected, the inside of the palace was a large open room. Several deep pools were set into the floor, forming a semi-circle around the outside of the room. The walls around the palace had several large openings overlooking the city and surrounding landscape, and there were two waterfalls on either side of the room that flowed down to the lake far below. In the center of the room was a massive throne-like construction, made of the same white stone as the rest of Zora's Domain, shaped into a large, shallow bowl. He saw water pouring over the edges of the throne.

Link in took the palace in a glance, but his eyes were soon found the person sitting upon the throne. King Dorephan, whom Sidon had told Link about, was far larger than any of the other Zora that Link had seen.

If the other Zora were fish, then King Dorephan was a whale. He sat upon the throne, and still, his head extended far above Link and even Sidon's head, who stood to the right hand of the throne. His skin was textured navy blue with a white chest, like all of the other Zora Link had seen. Also, like the other Zora, he had thick fins extending from either side of his head—four of them—and a snout placed just above his eyes, that seemed to droop down to the middle of his face. He was also far wider than the other Zora, but Link did not think of him as overweight. Instead, he seemed to be made of muscle—his arms, chest, and shoulders were all massive. His arms, alone, looked to be thicker than Link's body was. The king had several scars along those arms, as well as on his chest and head. He had once been a warrior, if he wasn't still.

The king leaned his head down, listening intently as Muzu muttered urgently in a way that Link couldn't quite catch. The king did not seem to agree with Muzu, however, as he shook his head before fixing his eyes upon Link. Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Sidon motion for the raised platform before the throne, which, blessedly, rose out of the thin layer of water still coating the floor in this chamber. Hesitantly, Link climbed the steps, standing upon the platform.

"So you've returned, at last," King Dorephan said in a loud, sonorous voice. "Link, Champion of Hyrule."

Link stared back mutely at the king. What did he say when speaking to royalty whose daughter whose death he was, apparently, responsible for?

A smile split Dorephan's lips, and he leaned down some so he could speak in more conversational tones. "It's _good_ to see you. I had heard—we _all_ had heard—that you had fallen in combat during the Calamity. I am happy to see that you survived, my friend, though I do wonder at _how_ you survived and where you have been these last one hundred years…"

Link swallowed and licked his lips. "I have been…" He cleared his throat, trying to project a stronger voice. "I _did_ fall during the Calamity. I was placed in an ancient Sheikah chamber that restored me, but—"

"You are telling me that the Sheikah have technology such as this, yet have not shared it?" Muzu said. "Why, with this, we could have saved—"

"Peace, Muzu," King Dorephan said, holding up a hand. "Continue, Link."

"It… restored me to health, but slowly. I have been asleep for the last one hundred years, your majesty. And it… took my memories. I do not remember anything from before the Calamity."

Dorephan's friendly face grew sorrowful. "I am truly sorry to hear that, Link, as I have many fond memories of your time spent here. Is there no hope at recovering your lost memories?"

"I…" Link hesitated, thinking back to the flash of memory he'd received on his way into the city. "I believe that some will return. Already, I have recalled… pieces. But there is no telling how much I will remember or when."

Dorephan nodded, his smile returning. "Well, you spent a great deal of time here, so perhaps being here will reawaken some of them."

"I believe it might, your majesty."

"And what of my daughter, Mipha?" King Dorephan's tone grew hesitant. "Have you lost all memories of her, as well?"

Link grimaced at the question but had expected it from the line of questioning and the procession that had met them at the entrance to the city. He took a moment to answer, wondering if he should disclose the brief memory he'd received when entering the city. Finally, he decided that truth would serve him best.

"I _have_ , but entering the city brought back… something. A fragment. I hope that more might return in time. I understand that she was a true friend."

"A truer friend, I doubt you've ever had, and more." The king's voice grew somber. "You and Mipha were very close, Link. I do hope that being here helps you recover some of that."

"Father," Sidon said from the right of the throne. "Perhaps we can speak more of my sister at a later time. I do believe that Link came here with another goal in mind."

"Oh, yes," Dorephan said, nodding and looking at his son. "Yes, of course. We do have more important matters at hand than reminiscing about better times." The king focused again on Link, leaning forward. "Prince Sidon tells me that you came here with the desire because of our troubles with Vah Ruta."

"Yes, your majesty, but there is more." Link took a breath and exhaled slowly. _Here we go._ "I intend to recapture all four Divine Beasts so that they can be used to defeat Calamity Ganon."

Silence fell. The king gazed at Link, his expression grim. Link met his eyes, hoping to project the confidence that he didn't feel. _Hope_. That's what Impa said he was. Could he be hope?

"My friend, I am sorry for the road you must travel," Dorephan finally said. "But I am grateful for your assistance, nonetheless."

"Your majesty, surely we can find another way to appease the Divine Beast than by relying on the assistance of the Hylian." Muzu spoke with a sudden urgency and a great deal of vehemence. "The last time we entangled ourselves in this… _mission_ , we lost—"

"I am _well_ aware of the cost, Muzu." King Dorephan spoke with an edge to his voice that hadn't been there before, but he did not meet Muzu's eyes. "But this is a greater than the Zora. We have _all_ lost loved ones to the Calamity."

Muzu pursed his lips, clearly wanting to speak more, but the reprimand from the king's voice was clear. Finally, he nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. His eyes fell on Link, and Link could see the smoldering anger that still remained.

"Now," King Dorephan began, turning his focus towards Sidon. "Sidon, the plan that you spoke of last week. At the time, it seemed impossible, but perhaps now…"

"Father, I do not think—that is really more of Zora business, is it not? I do not believe that we should involve Link in something beyond what he came here to do."

Link looked back and forth between Sidon and King Dorephan as they spoke, frowning. He had no idea what it was that they were speaking of.

"Sidon, who do you think it was that defeated the _last_ one that decided to claim Ploymus Mountain for his own?" King Dorephan chuckled softly.

"Your majesty?" Link said, drawing attention the two Zora's attention back to him. "If you have a plan for subduing the Divine Best, I would like to hear it. Whatever I can do to help… I am your sword and shield."

Dorephan smiled warmly at this before glancing back down at Sidon. Sidon sighed softly in acceptance. "Yes, I suppose your help _would_ be appreciated due to the nature of the task," Sidon said, stepping closer to Link. He was tall enough that Link, even standing on the raised dais, was only eye-level with Sidon. "You see, we have made several attempts already to calm Ruta, but nothing has been effective with the exception of one thing—shock arrows."

"Like the ones that the lizalfos were using?"

"Yes, exactly," Sidon said. "We were able to recently discover that a shock arrow, shot with precision at key points on Vah Ruta's body, is able to cause Vah Ruta to shut down. However, as you might have seen during our encounter with the lizalfoes, Zora are particularly sensitive to electric shock. We cannot, safely, use shock arrows ourselves."

Link thought of the electric shock he had received while using the arrow. It had certainly felt uncomfortable, and even hurt, to use the arrow, but it hadn't so bad that he was unable to use it. But if Zora were more susceptible to electric shock…

"That hasn't stopped us from trying, of course, and one of our number was able to successfully use one arrow, though it was at great disk to his own life. When he tried to use a second arrow, it nearly killed him."

"So you need me to use shock arrows to weaken Vah Ruta?"

"Well, yes, but it isn't that simple."

Of course, it wasn't.

Sidon continued. "You see, we Zora do not typically use shock arrows. They are made in the west, using materials found in the Gerudo Highlands. Due to our weakness to the arrows, we do not have any _here_."

"Then where did you find the one that you used in the first place? What about the lizalfos?"

Sidon sighed softly, shaking his head. "That's the problem. We _found_ the one we used against the Divine Beast. And the lizalfos—who knows _where_ they got theirs. I know that we searched any lizalfo camps that we've come across, but the ones used yesterday were the first that we'd seen in a long time."

"Is it possible to buy them off a merchant?"

"Perhaps, but that would require time that I'm afraid we do not have. The East Lake Reservoir, where Divine Beast Vah Ruta makes her home, is already far fuller than is safe. If that dam breaks, then the result would be catastrophic."

Link waited for Sidon to continue, beginning to feel impatient with his hesitance to get to the point. Finally, Sidon did go on.

"So that leaves us with, really, only one viable option. The lynel on Ploymus Mountain."

"Lynel?"

"A fearsome beast that has taken up residence on top of the mountain. It isn't the first time one of their kind has done so. Father is right—the last time one did so, you defeated it at Mipha's bequest."

"I don't really understand," Link said, frowning. "How does defeating the lynel help with the Divine Beast?"

"It has shock arrows."

Oh.

"We have, of course, tried to kill or, at least, drive the lynel away, but it is a deadly foe. Several of our greatest warriors have tried, and not all of them survived to escape." Sidon shook his head, opening his mouth to say more, but then stopped, glancing at his father. Link had the sense that there was more to this story that Sidon hadn't told.

"Link, I know that this is much to ask of you," King Dorephan said gravely. "But we believe that the only way to get past Vah Ruta's defense systems will be through the use of shock arrows. The single arrow that Seggin used was very effective, but it was not permanent. Our scholars believe that, with several more, it might do enough damage to fully shut it down or, at least, revert it back to its previous, dormant state."

Link's gaze flicked between Sidon and Dorephan, taking in each of their expressions, frustrated and imploring, respectively. Finally, he sighed, thinking that he should have, perhaps, expected taming Vah Ruta to be more complicated than he had hoped. He looked to King Dorephan.

"I will do it, your majesty."

* * *

Not long after agreeing to attempt to defeat the lynel, Sidon led Link back out of the palace. He seemed frustrated and waved off Bazz when he attempted to follow, assuring him that he was just going to show Link to the inn. Bazz reluctantly agreed to let them go off alone. Link walked beside Sidon in silence for a time before the tall Zora spoke.

"You know, while you're here, I hear that we're in need of some more luminous stone for new construction projects. Could you take care of that for us as well?" Link looked up at Sidon in confusion, and Sidon met his eyes, breaking into a grin. "I'm sorry, I jest, of course. I just… do not agree with making you solve all of our problems. The lynel is _our_ concern, and not even the most pressing one."

"I thought that you said there was no other way to get shock arrows."

"There _isn't_ , that I know of." Sidon exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "But it shouldn't be you. Not alone, at least." He pursed his lips, considering. "My father has forbidden me from challenging the lynel. He is willing to allow other Zora to face it and _die_ , but he does not want to risk my life."

Link looked to Sidon, frowning. Uncertain of what he should say in response to that, he kept his mouth closed. Sidon glanced at Link and smiled, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to involve you in my problems," he said, and they both continued down the stairs in silence.

The stairs down to the first tier of Zora's Domain led onto a wide town square, with the fountain that Link had seen from afar in its center. Now that Link was closer to it—and paying attention—he could see that it was more than a simple fountain. It was a statue made in the likeness of a female Zora, holding a trident, point down, with stone carving made to look like splashing water on either side of the trident's point. Water flowed out around the base of the fountain, splashing to join the water that covered the ground.

Link's brows furrowed as he saw the statue, taking note of the slender, feminine body that the Zora possessed, the relaxed way she held the spear, the kindly expression that had been painstakingly carved into its face… He gasped.

"Is that…?" he said as he hurriedly splashed across the square to stand in front of the statue.

Sidon followed him, stepping up beside him and gazing up at the statue's face. "My sister. Mipha, the Champion."

Mipha. Link could recognize her face now that he was up close. Vague though his only memory of her was, he could see that the sculptor had worked exceedingly hard to capture every detail of Mipha's face. Absently, Link reached down to his belt and removed his Sheikah Slate. He tapped the screen until he reached a photograph of Mipha, standing tall and looking slightly embarrassed. She was standing in front of a large mechanical creature in the shape of an elephant, with a long truck, thick body, and four legs. The Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

He compared the photograph with the statue, marveling at the craftsmanship that went into creating the likeness. It was remarkable and a testament to just how much the Zora had revered Mipha.

He heard a gasp beside him and, suddenly, Sidon's face was level with Link's. He was looking at the Sheikah Slate with wide eyes, mouth open.

"That is… _amazing_ ," he said, slightly breathless. "I haven't…"

Link glanced at Sidon and looked away again quickly when he saw the emotion in the Zora's face. He focused his eyes upon the Sheikah Slate as well. Something about it seemed to call to him. Something…

"I have not seen my sister like that in one hundred years," Sidon said beside him, drawing Link's attention back to him. Sidon's voice was heavy with emotion. "In truth, I do not even remember her very well anymore—I had not even reached my twentieth year when she was taken, after all.

"I remember only specific memories, for the most part. I remember, for example, when she carried me up the Veiled Falls. Your princess was there, I recall."

Link focused his attention on Sidon, frowning.

"I remember that Mipha… She told me that I would need to protect our home and that she…" Sidon trailed off, and Link could see tears at the corners of his eyes. Link chose not to interrupt Sidon's thoughts, remaining silent.

Finally, Sidon spoke again, voice hardening with resolve. "I will go with you, when you go to face the lynel."

Link stared at the Zora, considering the possible consequences of this action. He had the sense that Sidon's father would not agree and would likely refuse to let Sidon go. In any case, Link certainly did not want to be responsible for the death of another of King Dorephan's children. However, he knew it meant too much to Sidon for Link to refuse this request. Finally, he nodded.

A grin cracked Sidon's lips, and he stood up straight. "Yes, we shall slay the beast together, just as you once did with my sister one hundred years ago. And then, together, we shall tame the Divine Beast and save the land. It will be a glorious conquest!"

Link felt chagrinned at this pronouncement. With a sinking feeling, he was aware that he had just agreed to place another royal child into mortal danger. He had no way of knowing what they would be facing in the Divine Beast. Could they even tame it? If Mipha had been unable to do so…

"Come!" Sidon said, still smiling broadly. "If we are to slay a lynel tomorrow, then we must get some rest. He slapped Link on the back and turned, walking towards the inn. Link glanced back down at the Sheikah Slate and Mipha's smiling face, before replacing it on his belt and following Sidon.

The inn, Link found, was pleasant, but very different than the other inns he'd been in. It, like many of the other Zora businesses, had only half-walls, leaving the inside fully exposed to the night air. As a result, the air in the inn was cool and moist, though a few warming braziers helped to keep it from being unpleasant. The inn had a single, round room with several beds in a semi-circle around it, including what appeared to be a bed with a mattress full of water. He found Kass sleeping on that bed, much to Link's dismay. He _had_ hoped that the Rito would have already moved on by now, but there was no helping it. Kass would almost certainly hear of Link's coming to Zora's Domain and his plan to tame the Divine Beast. He would face that when he had to.

They also met a female Zora named Kodah who grinned brightly at Link, exclaiming, "Linny, it _is_ you!"

Sidon, giving Link a sympathetic smile, bade him farewell, leaving Link to explain to a very excited Kodah what he had been doing for the last one hundred years.

* * *

The morning brought with it a messenger in the form of a Zora child, who informed Link that he was needed back at the palace right away. Thinking that something even worse had happened, Link quickly dressed and went with the boy, climbing the stairs to the palace.

Once he arrived, he was unsurprised to find Kass in the presence of King Dorephan, Sidon, and Muzu. He had noticed that Kass had already been gone when Link rose, and he'd known by the bard's demeanor and goals that he would likely have sought out information about Mipha from her own family—even if that family was royalty.

Kass gave Link that knowing Rito smile, and Link sighed, giving him a small nod. So much for any hope to keep this quiet. After that exchange, Link turned his attention to Sidon, who smiled broadly at Link and subtly indicated that he should speak first with the king. Link obediently stepped onto the raised dais, looking up at the towering figure of King Dorephan.

"Link, my friend, I trust you slept well?" the king asked, smiling benevolently down at him.

"I did, your majesty," Link said. To his side, he heard Kass give a soft chuckle.

"Excellent! Well, I am sure you wish to begin your task soon, but I spoke with Sidon last night, and he and I are in agreement that it would not be right for us to ask you to do this without at least outfitting you in the best that Zora's Domain has to offer."

"I hope you do not mind, but I got a good look at your sword the other day," Sidon said, stepping forward, holding a beautiful scabbard lined with silver and ornamented with a blue sapphire in its center. The base of the scabbard was wider than the tip. A sword's hilt extended out from the sheath. "It looked a little worn." He held the scabbard out to Link, who took it reverently.

He slowly pulled the sword from the scabbard, eyes widening at its beauty. It was silver in color and seemed to shine under the light of the palace. The sword's hilt was elaborate, with a two-pointed pommel and a dual cross-guard shaped like a pair of wings beneath another pair of curved hooks. A sapphire ornamented the center of the cross-guard. The blade made Link think of a knight's lance, flared wide near its base and narrow in the center. Its tip, however, grew wider again like the head of a spear. It was uniquely _Zora_ in appearance and shockingly light, as well.

It was a thing of beauty; though, if Link were being honest with himself, he thought he preferred the more traditional look for a sword. This blade was certainly of higher quality than the sword he had been using, though he _did_ hope that its lightness was not a sign of its durability.

Link smiled and looked up at King Dorephan, sheathing the sword again. He bowed low in the manner of the Sheikah—the only way to show gratitude that he was really familiar with. He wondered what the proper way in the courts of Hyrule would have been. "Thank you, your majesty. This is… a wonderful gift."

Again, he heard Kass chuckling softly and shot him a glance, frowning. Kass looked slightly abashed, straightening.

"Good, good!" King Dorephan said, nodding with satisfaction. "The sword fits the man, indeed. I hope that this will assist you on your endeavors today." He looked towards Sidon. "Now, I believe my son has agreed to lead you to the base of Ploymus Mountain."

Link glanced at Sidon, confused, but Sidon grinned broadly. "Yes, it wouldn't do to just send you off in a direction and expect you to find your way, now would it?" Sidon met Link's eyes and gave him a subtle wink. That feeling of dread that Link had felt the day before only intensified.

* * *

Link and Sidon met up at the bridge leading east out of the city. Link had gone back down to the inn to collect a few additional pieces of gear—his shield, bow and arrows (though he hated using them in the rain), a bag with a day's worth of rations, and his cloak. After a few moment of consideration, he also grabbed his paraglider, thinking that having it at the top of a mountain might not be a terrible idea indeed, if he needed to make a quick getaway for whatever reason. He hoped that wouldn't be the case.

When Link found Sidon at the bridge, the prince smiled broadly at him. He held his spear nonchalantly, haft pressed against the ground, and raised a hand in greeting. Link noticed that he also had a very similar sword strapped to his waist as well. "It's a wonderful day, don't you think?"

Link, wearing the rain-drenched cloak and already feeling cold, did not particularly think it was a very good day at all, actually. Sidon didn't seem to mind his grimace, however, and turned, beginning to walk across the bridge. Link hurried to follow, having to walk quickly to keep up with Sidon's long strides.

"You didn't tell your father that you were coming with me?" Link said, once they were a good distance along the bridge. Sidon looked down at Link in surprise.

"Of course not! I told you—he has expressly forbidden me from doing anything of the sort."

"But if something happens…"

" _Nothing_ will happen. After all, I have the Hylian Champion alongside me, do I not?"

Link stopped, pursing his lips. "Sidon."

Sidon paused, looking back at Link, his smile fading some.

"I don't know what kind of… _tales_ have been told about me," Link said, exhaling slowly. "Honestly, they might even all be true. I don't _know_. But I also have no _idea_ what we're walking into here. I don't have a clue what a lynel is or how to defeat one. I am doing this because I _must_ , not because I'm seeking adventure."

Sidon's smile faded completely, replaced with an expression of mild disgust. "You think I'm doing this for _adventure_?"

"That's not—"

"I have lost _friends_ to this creature, Link," Sidon said, his tone firm. "It has terrorized us for months now, and many Zora have tried, unsuccessfully, to defeat it."

"Why haven't you sent a group of Zora to—"

"You think we _haven't_?" Sidon looked at him incredulously. "Link, we've sent entire _squads_ to try to kill it. But lynels are crafty. That's why it uses electric arrows—if a Zora is hit with one of those arrows, mark my words, it _will_ kill. Rivan was almost killed the other day, and he wasn't even hit by the arrow."

"Then, perhaps, I _should_ go alone," Link said, sighing.

"No." Sidon swept a hand through the air in a cutting gesture. "This is something that I must do."

"Why?"

"Because…" Sidon looked at Link for several moments before looking towards the city of Zora's Domain. "I have to protect my home."

Link wanted to argue further, but the look in Sidon's eyes quelled any further discussion. Finally, he nodded. "Just… be careful."

"I'm always careful," Sidon said, turning and continuing on towards the distant mountain. Somehow, Link doubted that.

They finally reached the opposite side of the bridge and walked onto the grass at the base of the mountain. Ploymus Mountain was a rocky mountain that had a curve to it, resulting in a gentler slope to the north, while the southern slope inverted upon itself and the peak hung over the reservoir where Sidon told Link that Vah Ruta had made its home.

The climb up the mountain would not be overly difficult, but the rain-slick ground would, undoubtedly, make it more treacherous than it would be otherwise. It would have likely taken all day to climb the mountain by himself, but Sidon came prepared.

After they crossed the bridge, Sidon surprised Link by walking over and lifting a large, wrapped bundle from a nearby bush. He placed it on the ground and unwrapped it, revealing several pieces of equipment—a silvery Zora bow and quiver of arrows, a large length of rope, and several climbing pitons.

"You see, for Zora, climbing the mountain is fairly easy. After all, we can swim up the waterfalls. For a Hylian such as yourself, though… Well, I wouldn't suggest trying to climb the sheer rock walls in this rain." Sidon looped the rope around his chest, followed by the bow. He hung the quiver of arrows at his waist—Link noticed that the quiver's design looked like it could be sealed against water—and placed the climbing pitons in it.

"Did you place these out here last night?" Link asked, eyebrows raised.

"Why, yes," Sidon said, standing up straight again. "It would have looked suspicious if I'd walked out with you with all of this, now wouldn't it have?"

Link sighed, shaking his head. "Just… don't die," he said. "I'm pretty sure Muzu would drown me if I'm responsible for another royal's death."

The words escaped his lips before he could stop them, and he grimaced. He was speaking of Sidon's _sister_. His mood must have been terrible indeed, if he thought such black humor was appropriate.

Sidon looked at Link, eyes widening in surprise. But a moment later, his lips split into a grin and he laughed out loud. "You know, I hadn't even _thought_ of that, but you're right! Muzu and the elders would almost certainly try to have you killed if something were to happen to me."

He hadn't even _thought_ of it? Link stared at Sidon incredulously, feeling an irrational urge to hit the prince. Maybe shove him off the cliff. There was water below, after all, right? Sidon placed a finger against his lips, tapping them thoughtfully.

"Well," Sidon finally said. "My father would understand what happened. He knows that I've been trying to challenge the lynel for a while now. In fact, I'm a little surprised that he didn't station a guard out here, just in case I tried to do this… Huh. Well, in either case, I guess I will just have to try very hard not to die."

"Great," Link croaked. "You do that."

A shadow passed over them and both of them looked up in surprise to see a large avian form pass overhead. With a flap of his wings, the figure landed on the grass before them and stood up straight, revealing himself to be Kass. Kass did not carry any musical instruments this day but did have a bow strapped to his back.

"Kass, what are you doing here?" Link said, feeling exasperated.

Kass bowed slightly to Sidon before smiling at Link. "I had hoped that you would permit me to accompany you on your quest," he said, his eyes darting between Link and Sidon, taking in the additional gear that Sidon had acquired. "Though now I wonder if I should be asking Prince Sidon the same question…"

Sidon, for his part, did not seem alarmed at Kass' appearance, but grinned in his typical way. "Looking for inspiration for a new song, bard?"

The wet feathers around Kass' neck fluttered a little, and he inclined his head towards Sidon. "It is as you say, your majesty. You see, when I met Link on the road, I suspected his identity—I apologize, Link, for not saying something sooner. I could tell that you were… uncomfortable speaking of these things. But now that I know for certain, I cannot pass up the opportunity to see for myself."

"This is going to be _dangerous_ , Kass," Link said, rubbing his forehead. He didn't want to deal with this right now. He liked Kass—really—but this was too much. "Can't I just… tell you about it when we get back?"

"I assure you that I will stay well out of danger," Kass said, unperturbed by Link's resistance. "But I would be remiss not to try and see this with my own eyes."

"It should be fine, Link," Sidon said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Link looked up at him and wondered if Sidon was merely trying to prevent Kass from going back to Zora's Domain and telling King Dorephan of his deviation from the plan.

Pursing his lips, Link met Sidon's eyes for a moment before looking at Kass. He sighed. "All right, but Kass, I can't… answer any questions about the past."

Kass looked surprised at this, tilting his head slightly. "I already said that I noticed you were uncomfortable discussing such things. I had not intended on pressing the matter."

"No, it's not… _that_. It's just that I can't _remember_ the past. I lost my memories."

" _Fascinating_ ," Kass said, eyes widening. "You must tell me how this happened." He paused and looked slightly abashed. "After this day, of course. Right now, you must focus on the task at hand."

Resigned, Link nodded. He had a feeling that any hope he had of going about his business without people knowing his true identity was quickly coming to a close. If he survived this, then his return would probably become much more widely known.

"Wonderful! The more the merrier," Sidon said, clapping his hands together. "Shall we go?"

The three of them—Hylian, Zora, and Rito—turned and began towards the mountain.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Sorry for the late post! Had to get some extra work done today before I could start my editing. That being said, I think this chapter is worth the wait. It holds a couple surprises, including a moment that I think we've all been waiting for...**

 **xmana033-I'm happy that you like my characterization of Sidon so far. I had a lot of fun writing him and trust me, he's going to be featured very heavily while Link is at Zora's Domain-and maybe a little beyond.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Link grasped the wet stone with cold fingers, gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain his grip on the stone. The rain had begun in earnest mid-climb—naturally—and he'd almost slipped several times. Next to him, the waterfall roared, falling a surprisingly far distance down to the ground below. He'd learned long ago not to look down, however, and continued to climb, finding the small handholds that he was able to fit his fingers and feet into. Finally, his hand reached the top of the rock face and a pair of red Zora hands clasped his own, helping him climb to the top.

Once at the top, he sighed softly, nodding towards his companion, and looking up the remaining hill that led to the top of Ploymus Mountain. The lynel that had been terrorizing the Zora would be there, likely waiting for its next challenger. Link wondered how many Zora had already perished because of the terrible beast.

"Link, are you sure about this?" said his companion.

Link turned and looked at the slender Zora, meeting her eyes. He appreciated that Mipha was here—she had certainly helped him climbing up a few of the more difficult sections of rock. Ploymus Mountain was not one that had an easy path that led to its peak, as some of the other hills and mountains in Hyrule had. This was a mountain firmly in Zora territory, with several waterfalls supplied by the underground spring that fed much of the river. Simply put, one did not need a path when you could swim up a waterfall. Link was an excellent climber in his own right, but slick rocks next to waterfalls were never particularly easy, even when it wasn't raining on top of that.

Still, though, he wished she hadn't followed him. Didn't she understand that this was his duty? He had been chosen as the protector of the land. The Hero. The Champion. If not his duty, then whose could it be? Still, his friend followed him.

He gave a small nod in response to her question and then turned, looking towards the much shallower incline that led up to the peak. He began to walk again and heard Mipha fall in behind him. He expected that she would hang back—the lynel was known to have shock arrows, and Mipha didn't have the resilience that her teacher, Seggin, had. And even he had been unable to defeat the lynel, forced to leap off Shatterback Point into the eastern reservoir to avoid death.

This lynel, it would seem, was a particularly vicious one. This worried Link. While he had never actually spoken with a lynel—they did not speak Hylian, but some claimed that they did have some kind of primitive spoken language—he knew them to be intelligent creatures. They were territorial, to be sure, but also fair. If someone ended up in their territory by accident, they would usually give warning, and only attack if that warning was ignored. Not this lynel, from what Link had been told.

Shatterback Point, the peak of Ploymus Mountain, was preceded by a fairly flat, lush patch of land, situated just beneath the peak. It was a favorite spot among Zora, both for recreation and romantic rendezvous—at least, that's what some of the Zora had told him. Grass covered the small plateau, and a small grove of trees grew near the peak. There was a path that circled around the mountain up to the northeastern side of the flat expanse, which is the path that Link and Mipha took. As they approached the top, Link crouched, looking through the tall blades of grass for any sign of his quarry. He saw no immediate sign of the lynel and thought that maybe it was hidden among the trees on the opposite end of the plateau.

"So what is our plan? How should I help?" Mipha asked behind him.

 _What?_

Link whirled around, frowning down at her. "It's not safe for you."

"It's not safe for you either, Link."

"I'll be fine on my own. You need to turn back, Mipha," he said, his voice firm.

"I am _more_ than capable of assisting you."

"I'm not…" Link sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm not saying that you aren't _capable_. It's just—this is my du—"

A furious roar silenced both of them and Link whirled, reaching back and unsheathing the legendary sword in one smooth motion.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Link!"

He heard a long, sustained roar. His body grew tense, preparing for a fight. He tried to grip his sword hilt tightly, only to find that it wasn't in his hand. _Why isn't it…_

A waterfall. That was the source of the roar. A _waterfall_. Not a towering creature made of muscle and terror. And he wasn't at the peak of Ploymus Mountain—he was near the base. How had he—

Link gasped sharply, stumbling back, eyes widening as he stared at Sidon's worried expression. That expression was mirrored on Kass' face, standing directly behind him. Rain poured all around them, causing Link's hair to hang limply on his head. Some water dripped down into his eyes, and he blinked it away.

"Link, what happened? Are you all right?" Sidon said, taking a step toward him.

"You froze. We were speaking about the mountain, and then you just stopped moving."

Link looked between them, opening his lips to speak, but found his mouth dry, despite the amount of moisture in the air. How could he describe what he'd just experienced? It was a memory—of that, he was certain. A memory of Sidon's sister. He tried to wrap his mind around it, to parse through everything that he had witnessed. How long had he been standing there? It was difficult to tell time due to the presence of the dark clouds overhead.

"Link?"

Link finally focused on Sidon and tried to clear his throat, nodding. "I'm… all right," he said, his voice a croak. He swallowed and tried speaking again. "I just… witnessed something. I saw… your sister."

"My _sister_?" Sidon said, alarmed.

"In a memory," Link continued. "We were going to fight the lynel. She went with me. I tried to tell her to go back, but then it ambushed us while we were arguing. I don't…"

" _Incredible_ ," Kass said, looking excited. "Of course, that's not how the story is told in modern times—in fact, some of the recent versions of it that I've heard don't even mention your presence—but one should always expect some embellishment in such heroic tales."

Sidon stood silently for a long time, eyes on Link. Link met his eyes, unsure of how the tall Zora would react. Finally, though, Sidon's face broke into a grin, and he reached out, placing a hand on Link's shoulder.

"That's wonderful, Link! I should not be surprised that thoughts of Mipha would cause you to remember some things—you both were so close, from what I have been told. Did you remember anything else?"

"No, just… It was so _clear_. I was _there_. I remember my thoughts, my feelings…" He thought on how he'd regarded Mipha in the brief memory. She had been his friend. A true friend. His heart suddenly ached for that loss, even though he'd only recovered very little. Already, the vision was fading some, like memories did over time. But they had been friends. Of that, he was certain.

"It makes sense, of course." Kass stepped up beside Sidon. "We are retreading your steps. I would imagine that you took this very same route to defeat the lynel one hundred years ago, and here you are again. It is amazing how history has a tendency to repeat itself."

"Yes, it is," said Sidon, smiling broadly. "I imagine that you will have many songs to write after this day."

"Oh, I am sure that I may be able to come up with a couple." Kass said, thoughtful, smiling.

Link finally forced himself to relax. It had been a memory. Not a fragment, not a glimpse of a face or a scent—a true memory, as though he'd _been_ there only moments before. As if Mipha had been alive only moments before. That hurt. He was surprised at how much that thought hurt. He still didn't know her—not truly. He knew only the thoughts and feelings he'd felt in those few minutes, and those had mostly been directed towards the upcoming fight. But it was _something_.

"Well, shall we continue?" Sidon said, rousing Link from his contemplation. Link met his eyes and nodded. Sidon grinned and stretched his arms behind his back before approaching the body of water at the base of the waterfall. Mikau Lake, Sidon had called it. He'd been telling them about the mountain when Link's memory had been triggered. He'd just finished telling him of the mountain's popularity among young Zora couples.

Sidon slung his bow over his shoulders and leaped into the air before arcing into a perfect dive. He entered the water with barely a splash, but a moment later, he burst out of it and into the rushing waterfall. Amazed, Link watched as he kicked his legs with surprising power and speed, using his arms to steer his way up the heavy current. Sidon rose far faster than Link would have thought possible, leaping up through the waterfall like a salmon swimming up river rapids. When he reached the top of the waterfall, he burst out into the air, spinning in a lazy circle before falling back out of view.

Link glanced over at Kass, who also looked up with fascination. He knew he had to ask and hoped that the question would not, somehow, be offensive.

"Can't you just fly up?" he said. Kass was, as far as he could tell, waiting for Sidon to throw the rope down as well.

Kass looked at him and smiled. "Yes and no. You see, we Rito are not actually that proficient at difficult flight. We _can_ fly, but prefer there to be a good updraft for extended flights. Our bones are not nearly as hollow and brittle as ordinary birds. And flying straight up is exceedingly difficult. It would take me a long time to gain enough the proper altitude in fairer weather.

"So, in the case of climbing this mountain with you gentlemen, I will be as flightless as you! However, if I were to take off from the peak, and if it were not raining so heavily, I could likely fly halfway across Hyrule before needing to rest, assuming I planned my flight accordingly."

"I didn't know that. I just assumed…"

Kass chuckled and shook his head. "It's quite all right. It is a very normal misconception of our race. And some are better at flight than others. My wife, for example, is a _beautiful_ flier. She is like a dancer in the air. Compared to her, I am, perhaps, more aptly described as a stone. With wings."

Link couldn't help but to laugh at this, feeling his spirits lifted. He found that he was happy that Kass had come on this trip. Though the Rito knew too much about Link's past for his comfort, he was also someone that Link had grown to enjoy being around, even in the short time they'd known each other.

"Does your wife travel with you?" Link said.

"Oh no," Kass said, his expression growing distant. He looked towards the west. "My wife and daughters had to stay behind in Rito Village. My daughters are just too young to travel by flight yet, and it is too dangerous to travel by road. My hope is to finish my master's song and make my way back there soon—I feel I have already been gone too long as it is."

Link looked at him, able to see the sadness in Kass' eyes, and opened his mouth to speak, though he was unsure of what to say. At that moment, though, a length of rope dropped down from the ledge above and Sidon's head popped into view.

"Hello, down there!" he said, waving. "Climb up!"

Kass looked at Link with a smile and then motioned with a feathered hand that he should be the first. Link obliged, stepping forward and grasping the rope. It was slick from the rain, but he was able to grip it well enough.

Carefully, he began to pull himself up, using the cliffside for footholds. He was able to pick out the requisite foot holds without much difficulty, making the climb surprisingly easy for him. In only a few short minutes, he had scaled the wall and looked back down at Kass. Kass, for his part, climbed the wall without many problems either. The fingers at the end of his wings gripped the rope well, and he used the talons on his feet for added purchase against the cliff.

When both Kass and Link had climbed the wall, Sidon pulled the rope back up, wrapping it around his shoulder and waist before smiling at them. "That worked magnificently!" he said, winking, before walking back over to the pool of water at the top of this cliff. The ledge they stood on was at the bottom of another waterfall, which Sidon immediately set about swimming up. Link wondered just how many walls they would have to scale before reaching the peak. He did not think this was the cliff from his memory, so he assumed there would be at least one more after this one.

* * *

The rain, ultimately, was their worst enemy on the climb up the mountain. There were only three waterfalls along the path they took towards Ploymus Mountain. The first two passed with little incident, but Link's hand slipped on the rope while climbing up alongside the third waterfall—the same one from his memory. Fortunately, he had not been too high up when he fell. Unfortunately, the equipment strapped to his back was still quite painful to fall upon.

Link gasped for breath, rolling onto his stomach. After he caught his breath a few moments later, he groaned and sat up on his knees. Kass crouched next to him, peering at him in concern. Link shook his head, closing his eyes tightly, and reaching around to rub the spot on his back that the sword's scabbard has pressed against.

"Is he all right?" Sidon called down from the top of the cliff. Link's eyes widened and he whirled, motioning for Sidon to keep quiet. He thought that they might still be far enough away, considering the rain, but if the lynel heard him…

The thought of Sidon facing the lynel alone ultimately helped Link push through the pain in his back and stand. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the rope again and began to climb, one hand over the other, feet finding the small ledges and holes to help propel him higher. He almost slipped again—his hands were aching after climbing so much and the rain had only gotten colder the higher they went—but he gripped the rope fiercely, knuckles turning white from the strain.

Finally, a red-scaled Zora hand gripped his wrist and helped pull him up. He thought back to the events of one hundred years ago, and when he'd been in this exact situation with Sidon's sister. Perhaps Kass was right about time repeating itself. That, however, did not seem to bode well for his ultimate goals.

Kass wisely tied the end of the rope around his waist and climbed up without nearly as much difficulty as Link had. For all of their feathery appearance, Rito hands were strong, it would seem.

The three of them looked around to each other, expressions growing grim. This was it, then. They still had a walk before they reached the peak, but realistically, the lynel could appear at any given moment. No more laughing, no more stories. Either they would be victorious, or, very possibly, they would perish. It was a sobering thought.

Together, the three turned and continued their journey up the mountain.

* * *

Link could not remember how he defeated the lynel in the past. At this moment, that seemed, to him, to be the real tragedy of the memory he'd seen.

He had reached the crest of the same hill from Link's memory, and he knew what to expect as he crouched low and peered through the tall grass. This was a problem because knowing what to expect didn't mean that he knew how to _deal_ with it.

Walking tall in the center of the plain was the lynel. Unfortunately, it looked much like the one in his memory had, if not, perhaps, a little bit bigger. It had the body of a large horse, with the torso of a very muscular man, and the head of a red-maned lion. Dark grey fur covered most of its body, with the exception of a few red patches on its hands and arms, its tail, and the its mane. Its body was also scarred in multiple places—patches of white skin where the grey fur did not grow were visible all over its torso, flanks, and arms. A pair of curved horns sprouted from its forehead. Roughly-hewn leather armor covered parts of its body—its chest and flanks—and its long mane had been tied up behind its head in a tail. Strapped to its sides were its weapons—a wide sword that looked half again as long as Link's sword with a flared tip, a shield with sharpened edges, a bow made of both wood and metal, and a quiver of arrows.

It turned towards him, and Link's breath caught as he tried to flatten himself against the ground. He could just barely make out the top of the lynel's head over the grass. He waited… A moment later, the lynel turned, walking further away.

Exhaling slowly, Link edged his way back down the hill until he could safely stand and slink back around to where Sidon and Kass stood, waiting. When he reached them, the three of them drew close, speaking in hushed tones, even if the rain ensured they would not be heard.

"It's there," Link said, his expression grim.

"What is it doing?" Sidon glanced up towards the peak. He didn't look nearly so cheerful anymore.

"Just walking around. It looks on edge."

"It knows that it has been a while since it has been challenged. Most likely, it is standing at the ready to repel an even larger force of soldiers than before." Sidon paused. "Did it still have its arrows?"

"I think so. It had a quiver of arrows."

"Those will be them, then." Sidon grimaced, looking at Link. "I think we should stick with the original plan. If you keep it occupied up close, I can weaken it with arrows."

"Are you a good shot?" Link said, suddenly dubious about this plan. It had seemed solid at first, but now that he thought about it, that would also put _him_ in the line of fire.

Sidon grinned. "I am."

Link looked at Kass, eyebrows raised. The Rito had been quiet while he and Sidon discussed their battle plans.

"I will stay away from the fighting, if I can. Perhaps take up a place of observation on the peak. I believe that I can fly around the mountain to that point without being seen." Kass' voice was tense—clearly, he was as anxious about the fight as Link and Sidon were.

Link nodded, looking back to Sidon. The prince had, perhaps, the most dangerous job—something Link was not pleased about. Sidon would unleash the opening volley towards the lynel, drawing its attention in order to allow Link to close the distance without being shot by a shock arrow. In doing so, he put himself at risk of being shot by such an arrow. Link would have to move very quickly indeed.

Sidon nodded at him in turn, pulling his Zora bow from around his shoulders. He still held his spear in his other hand. This was it. Link slowly unsheathed his sword and strapped his shield to his arm; however little good it would do him against such a beast.

"Good luck," Kass said, placing a feathered hand on each of their shoulders. He would wait for them to engage the beast before making his own move. Once again, Link wondered at the wisdom of bringing him along. Was it truly wise to bring along a non-combatant to such a dangerous situation? It did not matter, he supposed. The die was cast.

Sidon and Link began up the hill, splitting off from each other when they reached the top. Sidon, nearly crawling on his belly, went right while Link angled left, ducking behind a large rocky outcropping. If all went well, Sidon would shoot his arrow to get the lynel's attention, and Link would charge the beast. By timing their two attacks well, they could cause the lynel to freeze and hopefully end its life before it could properly retaliate. It was a good plan. It had a good chance of—

The lynel roared in fury and Link heard the sudden crackling sound of a shock arrow being drawn. Cursing, he rushed around the outcropping to see the lynel drawing upon Sidon, who hadn't even had a chance to draw an arrow yet.

" _Hey!_ " Link cried, banging his sword against his shield.

It had the desired effect, for better or ill. The lynel turned its aim towards Link and loosed the shock arrow. He caught a glimpse of the yellow-tipped arrow flying through the air and just managed to avoid being struck in the chest by it by rolling forward. He heard the snap of a bow string. Link looked up just in time to see Sidon's arrow sink into the lynel's shoulder. The lynel roared in anger, turning again towards Sidon, drawing another arrow.

Link leaped to his feet, sprinting forward, shield out in front, yelling a battle cry to get the lynel's attention again. The lynel, this time, ignored Link and shot the arrow at Sidon, who managed to just barely dodge it.

Link sprinted forward, drawing his sword back, hoping to plunge the blade into the lynel and end the fight there. The lynel looked at him, its flat nose flaring, and swung its bow at Link like a two-handed bludgeon. The bow slammed into Link's shield like a boulder, and Link felt his feet leave the ground as he was thrown several feet to the side before landing in a painful heap.

Dazed, with his right arm aching painfully from taking the brunt of the blow, Link lay still for a moment. He felt, rather than heard, the lynel's massive hooves pounding the ground a moment later. Eyes widening, Link tucked his arms to his body, rolling to the side. The lynel charged past, one of its hooves coming within inches of crushing Link's body under its mass.

Sidon shot another arrow at the lynel, this one sinking into its flank. Once again, this had the effect of enraging the lynel, but did not seem to slow it. The lynel roared again, eyes widening in fury, and it pulled a pair of shock arrows from its quiver. It placed both of them on its large bow and drew, taking aim on Sidon's exposed position. Why hadn't he taken better cover?

"No!" Link yelled as the lynel released its arrows. They both flew at a slight angle, neither aimed directly at Sidon. He seemed to notice this and froze as both arrows struck the ground on either side of him. This, it would seem, was the lynel's intent, however, and Link watched with horror as lightning arced across the wet rock Sidon was standing on.

Sidon screamed in pain as electricity ran up his body, dropping his bow and falling to the ground, body spasming. The Zora prince did not rise as Link watched, and he feared the worst.

Gripping his sword in a white knuckled grip, Link pushed himself to his feet and ran at the lynel. The lynel turned towards him and swung its bow again. Link anticipated this move and ducked low while thrusting his sword up. He did not succeed in running the lynel through, as he'd hoped, but did manage to give the lynel a shallow cut just above inside of its front-leg's shoulder.

The lynel reared back on its hindquarters, and Link rolled to the side, avoiding its defensive kick. When the hooves came back down, the ground under Link's feet trembled slightly. The lynel was far larger than he thought, now that he was up close. His head barely reached its torso. How had he ever defeated this beast?

Link stood, still gripping his sword and shield, and met the lynel's eyes. They were a shocking green. For a moment, the two of them stood still, eyes locked. Warrior and warrior. The lynel strapped the bow to its waist and pulled its sword and shield free. Link exhaled slowly and chanced a quick glance over at Sidon. He still had not moved. Was he even still alive?

The lynel roared its challenge and charged at Link, drawing its sword arm back to cut him in two. Link waited until the last moment before leaping to the side, avoiding both the crushing hooves and the wicked blade's arc. The lynel kept charging ahead, coming back around in a large arc, while Link waited. The lynel turned and charged again, expression one of fury.

Link sidestepped. The lynel was large and powerful, with long arms and a clear height advantage, but Link had the advantage of being far nimbler. As the lynel passed by this time, Link scored a shallow cut on its rear hip. The lynel swung its sword back, but Link was already comfortably out of range.

Angry, the lynel looped back around, its nostrils flared. It approached Link slower this time, not charging, and stopped when Link was just within its reach. It swung its sword, which Link avoided by stepping back. The lynel roared in anger, swinging the other way while leaning forward to give it better reach. Link, however, spun away—again avoiding the devastating blade.

He was beginning to feel more comfortable fighting the beast. Though his mind did not remember fighting the lynel on Ploymus Mountain before, his muscles did. He needed to remain light on his feet, make it angry, make it sloppy. The exhilaration of the fight made his heart race with anticipation. Suddenly, in his mind's eye, he could see how this battle would end.

When he came back around to face the lynel, his eyes were focused, expression set. His fear had evaporated, replaced by certainty. The lynel swung and Link moved just out of reach, thrusting his sword and catching the lynel's forearm as it passed. The lynel's shield was brought to bear as it attempted to slam it into Link's face, but Link dodged, knocking the shield aside with his own.

Yes, he _could_ fight this beast.

Link began to dance around the lynel, his feet constantly moving. While it was difficult to get good cuts of his own in, he knew it was only a matter of time. The lynel was getting angrier. It turned, again, to face him and thrust its sword towards Link's heart. Link moved to the side and used his shield to slam the lynel's blade down, into the ground. Spinning, Link swung his sword in a wide arc that swung just underneath the lynel's ready shield, cutting deep into its front leg.

The lynel reared, roaring in pain, and Link sprinted forward, just under the kicking legs, well past the lynel's guard. He thrust his sword into the lynel's flank, which caused its whole body to spasm in sudden pain. The lynel danced away from Link, placing a large hand to its side, where Link had pierced it. When it brought its hand back, it dripped blood.

The lynel roared in fury, jumping back with a shockingly powerful leap. It landed a dozen feet away and Link prepared for another charge. The lynel, however, did not charge. Instead, it took a deep breath, filling its lungs with air.

 _What is it_ —

It breathed fire.

The lynel _breathed fire_.

Or, more accurately, Link noted as he rolled to the side, the lynel breathed a massive _ball_ of fire. He felt the heat of it as it passed by, burning the wet grass in its path to black ash. The lynel took another breath, and Link's eyes widened. He got to his feet and began to sprint in a wide semi-circle, the fireballs passing just behind him.

He was so focused on escaping the blasts of fire, that he almost didn't hear the hooves pounding the earth again. He turned his head just in time to see the lynel bearing down on him. It no longer had its weapons in its hands, but loped towards him on all six of its limbs, using its powerful arms as another set of legs. Its head was down, those wicked horns pointed right at Link's torso.

Link got his shield up just in time and, rather than being trampled or gored by horns, he was knocked to the side like a ragdoll. He hit the ground in a painful roll. When he came up, his left hand was empty—the sword had been knocked free of his grasp! He looked around, wide eyed, but it was lost among the tall grass of the clearing. The lynel had already turned, its sword and shield free again, and it ran towards Link.

Link jumped back, avoiding the first cut, and then leaped to the side, narrowly missing the second. He had no weapons. He had the Sheikah Slate, true, but hardly had any time to pull it free and navigate its menus. Stasis could be useful, but he was certain that he would be dead long before he could pull it free and select the lynel for the stasis field.

The lynel bore down on him, relentless in its furious attack. Link deflecting one sword attack with his shield, knocking the lynel's sword aside from striking his body. The cost was a sharp pain in his shoulder—he could not keep doing that without dislocating or breaking something.

The lynel swung both its sword and shield at him in tandem, and Link did a backflip, the two bladed weapons passing under him as he leaped through the air. He landed several feet back. This move seemed to surprise the lynel, which eyed him with narrowed eyes. The surprise did not last, however, and it approached again, towering over Link.

With a shock, Link realized that his back was up against a rock outcropping. The lynel seemed to realize it as well, as a smile split its feline mouth, revealing a set of four vicious looking fangs. It positioned its shield to the side, ready to catch Link if he dodged that way, and raised its sword to end him.

An arrow suddenly sprouted from the lynel's shield arm. The lynel roared in pain and confusion and Link bolted, sprinting under the shield. The lynel brought the bladed shield down a moment too late, allowing Link the chance to escape.

Sidon, in the grass not far away, lowered his bow and bent down. "Link!" he cried as he stood and threw something at Link.

The object arced through the air and Link caught it. Sidon's silvery spear glittered in his hand. Its point was shaped almost like a fish's tail, with a pair of curved points and a sharp edge between them, providing both a pointed edge to stab, and a bladed edge to slice.

The lynel charged at Link's exposed back. Link could hear its roar and felt the ground tremble under its hooves. Sidon's eyes widened. Link spun.

He placed the butt of the spear in the ground and angled the point up. The lynel saw its mistake a split second too late, and the spear's point, shining in the dim overcast light of day, pierced the center of its chest, right underneath its ribcage.

This, Link was surprised to find, did not quite kill it. Even though it had been completely run through—and through where he had expected its heart would be—it still swung its sword at Link. He barely jumped back, avoiding being cut in two.

The lynel stood up straight, the spear still impaling its chest. With a shock, Link saw that the spear had actually been rammed all the way through, and the point jutted out from the lynel's back. It roared, but it was a more guttural sound than before. Blood dripped from its red mane below its mouth. It took a step towards Link, but he saw now that its movements were growing sluggish. Its legs trembled, and its shield arm hung loosely by its side.

Still, though, it tried to take another swing at Link, desperately—angrily—trying to kill him before it, too, died. Another arrow flew through the air, lodging deeply in its side. The lynel flinched, but it kept towards Link, causing the smaller man to retreat.

His foot landed on something other than grass and dirt, and he looked down, spotting, not his sword, but another Zora spear. Perhaps, leftover from one of the other Zora that had challenged the beast. He picked it up, surprised to find that its metal haft had been broken in two. It was barely longer than a sword now. It would do.

The lynel swung its sword at Link again, bloody teeth bared in a snarl. Link used the broken spear to knock the sword aside—the lynel's swings lacked the power it had before—and he lunged forward, driving the spear's point into the lynel's gut. He pulled it free and stabbed again at one of the lynel's front legs.

Both of the lynel's front legs gave out and it fell to its knees, groaning. Another two new arrows sprouted from the lynel's flank and back. Link stepped back, watching the now motionless lynel as it knelt. Both of its arms hung limply by its sides now, and it bled from a dozen different wounds all over its body.

It turned its lion head to look at Link, and he saw rage in its green eyes. It tried to roar again, but the only sound it made was a bloody gurgle. Sidon released another arrow and this one struck the back of the lynel's head. Link watched, grimacing, as the life left the lynel's green eyes. Its mouth hung slack and torso slumped forward, suspended by Sidon's spear.

Sidon remained silent as he slowly approached to stand beside Link and they surveyed their gruesome victory. After a few moments, Sidon placed a hand on Link's shoulder, squeezing it. "Thank you," he said, his voice strained. "You've done the Zora— _me_ —a great service this day, Link."

Link nodded, silently, lips drawn into a thin line. Memories flashed through his head. Another lynel, just like this, though smaller. Younger. Dancing around its flashing blade—it hadn't had a shield—and making multiple cuts with his sword. Mipha had helped, too, using her trident to stab with unerring accuracy. Link had been the one to deliver the final blow then, swinging his sword in a powerful spin that severed limbs.

He hadn't felt particularly victorious on that day either.

Another person approached—Kass—walking through the grass and holding Link's fallen sword. He must have seen where the sword landed from his vantage point. Link mutely took the sword and sheathed it. He placed his shield on his back as well, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He was a warrior. A killer. But he had also defeated a beast—a terror that killed many Zora. He could—he _would_ —take solace in that fact.

After a time, Sidon finally looked down at Link and smiled. "Come," he said. "Let us go to the peak. You can see Vah Ruta from there, and we can plan our next steps."

Link nodded before walking to the lynel and gently removing the quiver of arrows from its waist. He pulled one of the arrows out, satisfied to see its yellow tip. Shock arrows. The Divine Beast. There was another reason for this battle today.

* * *

Divine Beast Vah Ruta stood far below Shatterback Point. It stood in the midst of the East Reservoir Lake far below, created by Zora generations ago when they made the dam that prevented the flooding of Hyrule in times of heavy rain. Of course, no one expected, at that time, that they would ever experience heavy rain like this.

Ruta was distant enough that it was difficult for Link to make out fine details, but he could see its large shape in the water. It looked much like it had in the mural on Impa's wall. Vaguely elephant shaped, with a stocky body, four thick legs, and a long trunk. The trunk was currently pointed to the heavens, and, from it, mist and water sprayed. The mist rose into the air, spiraling about itself until it reached the clouds overhead—which where much closer at this altitude.

This was how Ruta was creating the rain, then.

" _Incredible,_ " Kass said from beside him. Link wondered if he could see the Divine Beast better than he could with his avian eyes.

Sidon remained silent for a time. He gazed down at Ruta, his expression difficult to read. Link thought he saw sorrow there, but it was fleeting. Finally, after a time, Sidon looked at Link and then nodded to the distant black wall that made up the dam.

"I think we should just approach from the front. Based on our experiences, Ruta does not feel the need to defend itself until someone enters its waters," Sidon said, pointing. "So, we'll use the dam to climb up to the reservoir. From there, you shall use your shock arrows on key points on Vah Ruta's body. This _should_ disable her systems long enough to get on board. From there…" Sidon trailed off, likely thinking the same thing Link was. Neither of them knew what to expect once Link got on board Ruta.

Link nodded, slowly. "It should work," he said, though he truly did not know if it would or not.

"Oh, I'm confident it will," Sidon said, grinning at Link. Link looked at the prince, eyebrows raised in question. "Link, after today, I am nothing but confident in your abilities to be victorious over anything you face."

 _I can't beat everything,_ Link thought as he forced a smile. _Not after one hundred years ago._

The three looked down at Divine Beast Vah Ruta for a time longer. Far below them, it made a loud trumpeting sound, and a few moments later, the rain seemed to come down even harder.

Sidon cleared his throat and stepped back from the precipice, looking at each of them in turn. "Well, shall we?"

Link and Kass both turned from the Divine Beast, and together, they began to make their way down Ploymus Mountain.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Hope you're all ready for a long chapter, because this is the longest one I've had so far! Lots to cover. Could have split it into two to give a breather between the lynel fight and this, but then you would have had to wait another few days to read the next part. I just didn't want to do that. I'm proud of this one, so hopefully you enjoy it as well. Let me know what you think, and thanks to all my new story followers!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Their return to the city was much easier than climbing the mountain had been. Link rappelled down the cliffsides with Sidon's help while Kass simply glided down on his large wings. After Link was secure on the ground, Sidon would let the rope fall for him to gather before diving off the waterfall or, once, somehow sliding down the falls, feet first, in a fast, but controlled descent.

"Well, it seems that someone noticed that I was gone," Sidon said thoughtfully after they climbed down the final cliff and began towards the bridge leading into the city. Evening was beginning to fall, and Link saw that the mouth of the bridge was occupied by several anxious-looking Zora with holding staffs with glowing blue tips aloft. Link recognized several of them as being from the same group that had accompanied Sidon the day prior. To Link's dismay, he saw that some of the older Zora that had shown him scorn were present as well.

"Prince Sidon!" the one named Seggin called as the three stepped into view. Others echoed the call, and several of the younger Zora, Bazz included, rushed forward to greet the prince.

There was a moment of confusion as multiple Zora began speaking at once, all seemingly demanding answers for why Sidon had gone with Link. Finally, Sidon held up his hands, speaking in a firm, regal tone. " _Enough_." The voices around him died, and he gave a satisfied smile. "I decided to go with Link to slay the lynel."

Seggin turned to Link, holding his spear in a tight grip. His expression was murderous. "After what you did to Mipha, you dare endanger another of the royal family? I should end you where you stand!"

Sidon swiftly moved to stand between Link and the older Zora, reaching out and placing a hand on Seggin's shoulder. "I went of my own volition, Seggin. Link did not encourage this. In fact, he actively tried to _discourage_ it."

"But Prince Sidon, your father forbade you from—"

"I am well aware of my father's commands, thank you," Sidon said, his tone cooling some.

"Well?" Bazz said, his expression and tone growing hopeful. "Did you do it? Is the lynel dead?"

Sidon smiled and glanced back over his shoulder. "Link?"

Link pulled the lynel's quiver of shock arrows from his shoulder and held it aloft for the gathered Zora to see. There was a moment of silence as all considered the meaning of this trophy, which was followed by a cheer from the younger Zora, as well as several of the older. Bazz and the other Zora that Link had once known gathered closer, several of them slapping Link or Sidon on the back and congratulating them on their victory.

Seggin and a few of the other elders still looked disgruntled, but none of them had any other objections to speak aloud. The deed had been done, and the trio had been victorious. Together, the procession began back across the bridge while Kass began telling those who wished to hear the tale of their victory. Link noticed that the Kass embellished the fight somewhat, not only making Link's own actions sound that much more heroic but speaking very highly of Sidon's own contributions as well. Absently, Link wondered if this tale would still be told in a hundred years, as the story of the last lynel he vanquished with Mipha was. He supposed that it would depend on whether or not he succeeded in saving them all from the Divine Beast.

When they reached the city, it would seem that the news of their victory had not yet spread—unsurprising, considering that the only ones aware of their return were present with Link and Sidon. Still, though, it seemed to Link that there was an air of anticipation over the city. Several Zora stood near the bridge, who whispered amongst themselves as the group passed. Link could not hear their whispers, but he had an idea of what they pertained.

They returned from the lynel. _Alive_. It likely meant only one thing.

The group dispersed as they reached the city. Now that Sidon was safely returned, most of them were no longer needed and would return to their families or guard positions. Link imagined that the news of their victory would spread quickly.

When they finally reached the palace, Sidon chose to enter first, explaining to Link that he would explain his own actions before calling Link in. Link was left outside with Bazz and Seggin. The older Zora still wanted nothing to do with Link and went to stand at the opposite side of the entrance.

Bazz stepped closer to Link, glancing at Seggin and then smiling down at him. "So, what was it like? The lynel?"

Link looked up at Bazz, seeing a youthful excitement there. He wished that he could remember their childhood friendship. Finally, he said, "It was big."

Bazz laughed and began prodding Link for more details, which he reluctantly gave, making sure to emphasize Sidon's contributions in the battle. For all that Link had done, Sidon's actions likely saved his life.

After a few minutes, Link and Kass were both summoned inside. The chamber within was largely empty, with the exception of King Dorephan, Sidon to his right, and Muzu to his left. The older Zora scowled at Link when he entered, which Link tried to ignore, focusing, instead, on Dorephan's smiling face.

"Welcome, my friend," King Dorephan said, leaning forward as Link entered. "My son tells me that you have been victorious in your quest. That is twice now that you have slain such a creature in service for the Zora—a feat that will most certainly be recorded in our histories for generations of Zora to come."

Link stepped up onto the dais, bowing respectfully. "Thank you, your majesty," he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. He truly wasn't sure how to address royalty. Distantly, he wondered how he had addressed Princess Zelda while traveling with her. Did they have the kind of easy comradery that Sidon had with his guards?

"It should be noted, though, that Prince Sidon did much to help defeat the lynel as well. I do not know if I could have done it without his help." Link paused, considering. "And it was he that finally put an end to its life."

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Sidon smile. "Oh, I think it was well and dying before I put it out of its misery," he said, though Link heard a distinct note of pride in his voice.

Dorephan glanced towards Sidon and then back at Link. Finally, he laughed. "To hear my son tell it, he did very little, yet you say that he was instrumental in the victory. Humility is an admirable trait in anyone, though, perhaps, misplaced when speaking to a king looking for ways to reward you for your deeds.

"And, as for my son's actions, though I cannot say that I approve of his disobedience…" King Dorephan looked towards Sidon, whose smile faded. "I also cannot deny the service rendered by both of you. Reckless, it may have been, I can hardly blame him. It is the duty of a king to protect his people, after all. You shall make a good king one day, Sidon."

Sidon seemed to swell at this praise, looking up at his father gratefully. "Thank you, father, though not anytime soon, I would hope."

"I should hope not!" King Dorephan laughed before turning his attention back towards Link and Kass. "And, Minstrel, I understand that you accompanied them in order to witness the deed."

"I did, your majesty," Kass said, inclining his head respectfully.

"I hope that I may one day hear the song that will come of this day, then."

Kass smiled. "I have already begun composing it in my head, your majesty. I will certainly return to play it for you when I have it completed."

"Excellent!" King Dorephan clapped his massive hands together and his demeanor changed subtly. He seemed more relaxed all of a sudden, and his tone, when he spoke next, had dropped some of the regality. "Muzu, you have the armor?"

"I do, your majesty," Muzu said, his voice tense. "But are you sure you wish to give this to him? It is a treasure to the Zora, after all, and he—"

"It is _his_ ," Dorephan said. "She made it for him. You know this."

"I am still not convinced—"

"We have already discussed this. I wish to give it to Link, as Mipha wanted. I daresay that I know my daughter's intentions better than you."

As he watched the exchange between them, Link found himself confused. Armor? Mipha? He didn't know what to make of it all. Finally, Muzu, chastised, turned and retrieved a neatly folded bundle of clothing. Sitting atop it was a simple headpiece—a silver helmet with a blue hood draped over it. Link met Muzu at the bottom of the dais, reaching out and taking the clothing—which felt much too light to be considered true armor.

"My daughter made that armor for you, Link," Dorephan said, his voice growing somber. "She finished it while you were still traveling with Princess of Hyrule before the Calamity, but I understand she had a difficult time finding the right time to see that you received it."

The bundle of cloth, leather, and silver in his hands took on a new meaning to Link. He looked down at it to inspect it closer and found that he could see that the chest piece had actually been mostly made of interlocking scales, much like a chainmail. _Zora scales?_ he thought as he touched them. The armor was folded in his arms, so it was difficult to see all of the details in the armor, but it looked like a complicated piece of work. Mipha had made this for him?

"I do not believe she would object to my giving this to you with the hopes that you wear it when you go on to tame the Divine Beast."

Link looked up at King Dorephan, a little stunned by the gift. He thought back to his only true memory of Mipha—climbing Ploymus Mountain to defeat the previous lynel. He'd been told of his friendship with Mipha since arriving at Zora's Domain, but that memory had awoken something in him that confirmed it. He _had_ been friends with her—close friends. This gift, unlike the gifts he received from Telma, which had been in thanks, or from Impa, which had been symbolic, was the gift from one friend to another.

It was the only one that Link, currently, had any memory of receiving.

It was, perhaps, a little absurd. He barely knew anything about Mipha, but he appreciated this thoughtful act quite a bit, regardless. It was enough to make his heart swell and his throat constrict with emotion.

It took Link a moment before he spoke. "Thank you, your majesty," he said quietly. "I… yes. Yes, I will wear it. Of course."

"Very good," King Dorephan said, nodding in satisfaction. "I am sure that she would be pleased if you did. My Mipha, she…" He hesitated, seeming to consider whether or not he should say anything. "Well, she cared for you. She deeply cared for you."

There was something in the king's expression that gave Link a moment of pause. Something that he wasn't telling Link. Something that Link felt as though he should know. What had been between Mipha and him? Thus far, that was all he had seen or heard of, yet it didn't sit quite right with him.

He was roused from his thoughts as King Dorephan announced that they were preparing a feast in Link's honor for defeating the lynel and his eventual taming of Ruta. Link quickly excused himself from the throne room, deciding that he wanted to drop his gear off back at the inn before engaging in a feast. He took the Zora Armor made for him by Mipha, still uncertain of what significance it held. He decided to bring it up to Sidon later, if he had the chance.

* * *

Even though rain still fell from the sky, it was clear that the tribe of Zora had not had occasion to celebrate in some time. While the feast itself took place in the palace—upon tables that had clearly been brought up for Link's benefit—other signs of celebration appeared throughout the city. Several shops announced special sales, while an impromptu diving competition was set up. Link was encouraged to join in, but he respectfully declined. Somehow, he did not think he would be as successful when diving off of the city into the lake below as the Zora were.

The evening had grown late by the time Link finally extricated himself from the feast hall, where Kass had been playing songs of ancient Zora heroes, including one song about King Dorephan himself. As Link made his way down the stairs down to the bottom level of Zora's Domain, and the bed that awaited him, he was surprised to see Sidon standing in front of the statue of Mipha in the center. Link had thought that Sidon had simply gone to bed.

Link approached Sidon, his footsteps splashing through the constant puddle of water. He'd finally relented and just taken his boots off, leaving them back in his room, and had rolled his pantlegs to his calves. It certainly made it a lot easier to get around in Zora's Domain, though the water _was_ chillier than he would have preferred.

Sidon looked at Link and smiled pensively before looking back up at the statue. "I used to be jealous of you and my sister. Did you know that?"

Link looked at Sidon, his brow creased slightly, before turning his gaze to the statue. "No, I didn't. My memory…"

"Yes, of course, I am sorry," Sidon said quickly, abashed. "You act and speak with such confidence that it is easy to forget that you have not yet recovered your memories yet."

 _Confidence? Is that what he sees in me?_ Link wondered with surprise. He certainly didn't feel confident. If anything, he felt even more certain that he could not succeed where Mipha perished. He had no idea what to expect. He did not know what killed Mipha and the other Champions. All he knew was that he had to try. For Mipha. For Princess Zelda. For any number of Hylians, Sheikah, Zora, Gorons, Gerudo, and Rito that were counting on him.

"No, it's… fine," Link finally said. "Why were you jealous?"

Sidon remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "It took me a while to be sure it was you. I do not have many clear memories of my sister, myself, you see. But I have this fuzzy memory of a Hylian swordsman spending time with her. I think I was worried that he was taking her away from me."

Link remained silent, and Sidon glanced down at him, smiling.

"So I suppose I could say that I remember you from one hundred years ago as well, vague though the memory might be." Sidon looked back at the statue of Mipha. "It's strange to think about how things could have been different. To hear father tell it, you and Mipha would have been wed. You and I would be brothers-in-law."

Link started. "What? He tore his eyes from the statue, looking again to Sidon. "Were we—"

Sidon laughed, placing a hand on Link's shoulder. "Oh, I have no idea, so don't bother asking. What I _do_ know—based on the stories that my father has told me over the years—is that Mipha cared for you. _Loved_ you. That is why she made that armor.

"You see, that armor is a tradition among Zora royalty. Zora princesses and queens craft armor for their husbands-to-be. There is a tale behind it, of course, but suffice it to say that the armor is typically given during an engagement. Their husbands—or betrothed—are expected to wear it into battle as a sign of the love and trust shared between them.

"So, you see, when my father asked you to wear the armor into battle tomorrow…" Sidon sighed softly. "Well, it's a symbolic gesture, of course. My father supported my sister's intentions, and this is probably his way of trying to honor her wishes, in a way."

Link tried to process this information. It was not Mipha's affection for him that bothered him, but it was the lack of knowledge that he had regarding his affections for her. Had he loved her in return? When she died, had he lost a friend or a lover? The fact that he did not know seemed horribly wrong. A disservice.

Sidon watched Link as he contemplated. Finally, he spoke again, his tone soft. "I apologize if this has caused you some discomfort. That is why my father did not mention it, I believe it. But I felt that you should know why that armor was crafted for you."

"No, it's not…" Link looked up at the statue, at the exquisitely crafted face of Mipha there. "I just wish I remembered more. I wish I knew if I felt the same way."

"Perhaps you soon will," Sidon said, squeezing his shoulder before letting his hand fall. "In the meantime, I do think that she would be honored for you to wear the armor." He smiled suddenly. "Besides, it will drive Muzu mad, and that is always a worthwhile goal."

Link could not find it within himself to smile at this comment, and after a moment of silence, he asked the question that had been on his mind since arriving here. "Do you know why they blame me?"

Sidon sighed softly, as if he had been expecting this question. "I believe it is because they do not wish to admit that Mipha failed. My sister is held on a pedestal so high that she might as well be infallible. Deific. It is easier to blame you—and your princess—for Mipha's death, rather than admit that she failed in her own duty.

"Calamity Ganon rose. Many Zora lost their lives in the days that followed his awakening, and my sister was supposed to be an integral part in preventing that."

"But we _all_ failed," Link said, frowning. "All four Champions died. I wasn't much better off. It is hardly Mipha's fault that she was killed."

"Yes, but I believe it also gives them an excuse to keep us isolated in Zora's Domain. Rather than venturing out to seek alliances and, perhaps, retake some of the land, we Zora remain relatively protected in our river."

"But you don't agree?"

"Of course not. And I think that many Zora feel the same way I do. But these are not just my father's closest advisors, but also his military leaders. And, though my father does not blame you for Mipha's death the same way the others do, I do think that he blames the partnership between the races. I believe that he and the others hope that, if we stay here, we will be safe."

Sidon sighed, shaking his head, before saying, "For being such a long-living people, we can be shockingly short-sighted at times. Mipha, alone, chose her path. She knew its dangers and knew that she had to do her part to not only save the Zora, but to keep the entire land safe."

Link thought back to when he and Mipha had gone up Ploymus Mountain together. She had been insistent on going with him, on doing her part. But she had gone up the mountain only because he had chosen to do so. The thought nagged at him. Had her decision to become a Champion been the same way? Had she only chosen to do so because he, the man she apparently loved, had also tied himself to that fate?

If that was the case, then it _was_ his fault that she died.

That thought continued to bother Link that night, even after he and Sidon parted and he lied in bed. The armor haunted him, sitting upon a small table by his bed. Had Mipha's love for him gotten her killed?

Finally, the sound of rain outside and the exhaustion of the day overtook him and Link fell into a restless asleep.

* * *

Link did not dream that night, and when he awoke, he felt as though he had not slept much at all. His entire body felt stiff and sore from the previous day's activities, and his right shoulder, in particular, hurt to move. That did not bode well for his task that day.

As he rose, his eyes fell on the armor that had been neatly folded on the small table. He appreciated Sidon's honesty but couldn't help but to wish that the Zora prince had kept the true purpose of the armor to himself, at least until after Link had dealt with the Divine Beast. It was a distraction that he did not need. The question of his own feelings for Mipha plagued him much of the night.

The inn had a screen with which to change behind. Zora typically did not wear clothing, so the need for privacy while changing clothing was lost on them. The privacy screen was there for their non-Zora guests, however. Link appreciated it. He took the Zora armor behind that screen and began to put it on.

The Zora armor was quite unlike the tunics he was used to wearing. It was made up of several different components. Its initial layer was a shirt and pants that appeared to be made up of some kind of fabric made with small Zora scales dyed blue, with the exception of one, larger silver scale in the center of the chest, just over where his heart would be. It was incredibly light, and Link wondered at its protective capabilities. It did not seem to be very sturdy. It fit him well, however, without bunching or cinching anywhere.

His back, upper arms, and thighs were all protected by another layer of scale armor. This layer was made of thicker, brown scales that had a soft, leathery feel to them. Pieces of metal had been placed to protect his extremities and the most vulnerable places. Surprisingly thin boots covered his feet, ending in a trio of webbed toes that his own toes slipped into. The gloves were similarly made, with simple webbing between four of his fingers, but none between his thumb and forefinger.

Finally, Link placed the helmet on his head. It was made of both a metal cap that protected his forehead and scalp and a layer of Zora scale fabric that hung down behind his head, neck, and the sides of his face.

The armor, to Link's amazement, was incredibly light. Even the pieces of metal seemed far lighter than they should have been, and each of these had been clearly crafted and placed with flexibility in mind. Even wearing the various pieces of armor, Link felt like his freedom of movement had not been overly affected. It was clear to him that Mipha had purposely made the armor to complement his fighting style.

Link picked up his sword and tested his mobility in the center of the room, going through a few exercises with it in hand. The armor clung to him like a second skin, never getting in the way of his movements. The pieces of metal were silent as well, never clattering together or shifting uncomfortably. Link finally finished off his exercise with a quick backflip, landing easily on his feet.

" _Wow_ , Linny." Kodah, the female Zora innkeeper, had stepped into the room from the entryway—there were no doorways and she had probably been able to see him the entire time. Link felt his cheeks grow hot with a blush.

"Sorry, I was just testing out the—"

"That's the armor that Mipha made for you, isn't it?" Kodah asked, stepping closer and inspecting his appearance. Link nodded, suddenly curious about what she knew of the armor. "She worked for weeks making it." Kodah made a circle around Link, nodding with a smile. "She would be happy to see you wearing it now. She wanted so badly to give it to you but never could work up the courage."

"She… wanted to ask me to marry her?" Link asked, hesitant.

Kodah laughed softly. "Oh, someone already informed you of that, I take it? Well, yes. That _was_ her hope." The Zora paused, looking out of the open wall, into the distance. "It took her a long time to gather all of the supplies, and once she had them, she refused to let anyone help her. It all had to be done by her hand, as was tradition. Even the silver scale." Kodah poked Link's chest, where the silvery scale was. "That is Mipha's own scale."

Link reached up, touching the scale, frowning.

"It looks good on you, Linny," Kodah said, stepping back. She smiled warmly at Link. "I know she would be proud."

Distantly, Link heard the call of a horn. Kodah stiffened, looking around in surprise. Link stepped up next to her. "What does that mean?"

"It's a call to battle…" Kodah said absently. "I haven't heard it in ages, though. Not since the Calamity."

Link moved quickly, gathering up the supplies he had set aside for the Divine Beast. His sword and shield, his bow and shock arrows, the Sheikah Slate. Kodah helped him strap the equipment to his body. Mipha had clearly thought of this as well and had provided ways to strap his sword and shield to his back with ease, as well as places to carry his bow and arrows.

Finally, thanking Kodah, Link sprinted out of the inn, passing by Finley, Kodah's daughter, who rushed inside to be with her mother.

"Link!" Sidon called, just as Link exited the inn. The Zora ran up to him, holding his spear. "It's the lizalfos. Somehow, they made it all the way up the river during the night. None of our scouts reported them."

Link gritted his teeth. "How close are they? I'll help, I can—"

"There's no time for that," Sidon said, cutting him off. "We just got a report from the dam. It's been sabotaged. We think that someone used explosive charges to create weaknesses in its structural integrity. It's leaking, and it could break soon. Our architects are doing what they can to slow it, but as long as it's raining like this, they won't be able to slow it enough to fix it. We have to get you to the Divine Beast immediately to try to shut it down. I was coming down to tell you when the lizalfos were spotted."

Everything fell into place. The rain, the sabotage, the lizalfos, and maybe even the lynel. These were not random, or even separate, events. This had been a planned maneuver. Link looked up at Sidon and saw, from the prince's strained expression, that he realized it too. Their eyes met.

"Let's go," Link said. Sidon nodded, and the two of them headed off to the same bridge they had taken the day before.

* * *

The journey to the East Reservoir Dam took the better part of two hours. Link could tell that Sidon was worried about his soldiers fighting the lizalfos without him, but when Link offered that someone else could help him with the Divine Beast, he shook his head. "This is something that I have to do," he said, without any further explanation.

The East Reservoir Dam stood over them like a monolith, but they wasted no time admiring its architecture, which bore a great deal of resemblance to the bridges. Instead, Sidon and Link found the staircase that led to its top and began to climb. Sidon ran up them three steps at a time, leaving Link to struggle to keep up.

Finally, they reached the top of the dam. In normal circumstances, there would have been a walkway at the top the dam, with stairs that led down to lower levels for access to its controls. The heavy rain, however, had caused the water level to rise and completely cover the walkway and flood the interior, even threatening to begin pouring over the dam's lip.

As they waded out into the water, Link looked out across the lake and saw, in its center, the distant Divine Beast. Its trunk was still pointed to the sky, and a cloud of mist and water sprayed out from it, forming the dark clouds overhead. It was positioned in the center of the lake, which almost twenty miles wide at its widest point. Link would have no way to reach it alone.

"Okay, Link," Sidon said, wading into the water until he reached the end of the submerged stone walkway. The water grew far deeper here, giving it a much darker appearance. "You'll have to ride on my back while I swim. When we get closer, it is going to start trying to attack us. You'll need to just hold on when that happens, and I'll do my best to get you close enough to use the arrows." Sidon hesitated. "Try not to shoot the water with them. I don't know how far the electricity will travel."

Link nodded and approached Sidon, the water up to his knees. It seemed like it was already rising—how much longer before the dam broke? Was there enough time? _It doesn't matter,_ he told himself. _I still have to try_.

Sidon waded out into the deep water, treading water easily, and Link followed. He had expected his gear to weigh him down but was shocked to find that he felt light in the water. He was able to tread water effortlessly, regardless of the weaponry on his back. It was surreal enough that he checked his back to make sure that everything was still there, but yes, he had everything. He wasn't sure if this was an effect of the armor or the Zora weaponry he carried. Perhaps both. Either way, he was grateful for it.

"Are you ready?" Sidon asked, moving closer to him and turning so that his back was to Link.

"Do I really have a choice?" Link said dryly.

Sidon looked back at Link and grinned. "Not at all."

"Then I'm ready." Link moved closer and placed his hands on Sidon's shoulders. Sidon eased himself onto his stomach, and Link, somewhat uncomfortably, straddled Sidon's back.

As soon as Link's grip was secure, Sidon took off. He swam through the water at a blistering pace, his arms to his side, feet doing the majority of the propelling. They moved fast enough through the placid lake that the falling rain stung Link's exposed face. Link bounced on Sidon's back, doing everything he could to hold on, lest he fall. How was he supposed to shoot arrows like this?

They crossed the lake far faster than Link had thought possible. In only minutes time, they were close enough for Link to begin making out some of the details on Divine Beast Vah Ruta, which only grew larger and larger as they drew near. It was _massive_. Elephantine in shape, with four massive legs that somehow kept it above the depths of the lake, a thick, cylindrical body, a head with two large ear-like protrusions, and a long, segmented trunk. It was entirely mechanical in nature, covered in gears and strange, red-purple lights. Something on its body always seemed to be moving, spinning, or hissing steam. Without a doubt, it was Ancient Sheikah in nature; its body made of the same combination of metal and stone that all of the other Sheikah structures had been made of, with Sheikah designs carved into it.

"Link, do you see the glowing sections on her back, just above her legs?" Sidon asked as they got closer. He began to swim in a wide circle around Ruta, slowing his speed, which Link was grateful for. He was still far enough away that the Divine Beast did not react to their presence, as he had told Link it would as they got closer.

It took Link a moment, as the Divine Beast had quite a few glowing sections on its body, but he thought that he found them. He could see four glowing spots of red light, held within stone enclosures that protruded out of the Divine Beast's back, just above its legs.

"The schematics that we have for Ruta suggest that many of her functions are tied to those spots." Sidon slowed further, looking back at Link to make sure he understood. "If you can hit all four of them with the shock arrows, we think that it may shut her down. At least, that's what we hope for."

The targets were, from what Link could tell at this distance, large enough that hitting one with an arrow should not be so difficult in normal circumstances. Of course, straddling Sidon's back as he was, this was hardly a normal circumstance.

"Are you ready?" Sidon looked back at him, and at Link's nod, he grinned, showing his teeth. "Then let's go!"

Sidon kicked off, angling directly for the Divine Beast. Link pulled his bow free—it was a newer bow of Zora design, which was made to be used in wet climates. It was made of the same silvery metal as their other weapons. He wasn't sure about its design, feeling convinced that its range would not be as good as that of his Sheikah bow. At least it would not get damaged from the rain, though.

The Divine Beast made a trumpeting sound, and Sidon called back, "It's noticed us!" Link looked up and saw that the Divine Beast had turned in the water, placing its side to them. "Hold on, Link!"

Link watched in some amazement as the water next to the Divine Beast rose into the air, taking shape. There was a sudden and familiar series of cracking noises that rang out, as the water froze solid, sending out a puff of ice crystals and snow that quickly disappeared in the rain. Where the water had been moments before, now there were jagged shards of ice, each the length of a man's arm.

"It must really not like you!" Sidon called as the first ice spike shot forward, straight at Link. He turned in the water, forcing Link to lean low to prevent himself from being thrown off. The ice spike passed harmlessly by, plunging into the depths of the water. "Usually, it just throws blocks of ice at any Zora that get nearby."

Ruta sent another ice spike at the pair of them, and Sidon made another hard turn. The ice spike flew by, immediately followed by a second one. As the Divine Beast created another set of ice spikes, Link was certain that it was using the Cryonis rune somehow. It made sense, though—these Divine Beasts were made by the same people who made his Sheikah Slate, after all.

"I need you to get closer!" Link said, looking away from the floating ice spikes and to the glowing nodes on the construct's back.

"I'm trying!"

Sidon turned, swimming straight for the Divine Beast. As an ice spike shot towards them, he adjusted his course just enough that the spike passed by Link's shoulder without striking him. It came far closer than before, though.

Link ducked his head as another spike flew past. As soon as it passed, he sat back up, nocked an arrow, and drew. At once, he felt the muscles in his arm clench as the shock arrow activated. It was not as severe of a shock as the lizalfos arrow had been, however—better made arrows, perhaps? It was enough, however, to cause Sidon beneath him to gasp, shuddering.

"Are you all right?" Link said, looking down at him in concern. He hadn't expected the arrow's feedback to transfer through him to Sidon.

"Yes!" Sidon said, gritting his teeth. "Do it!"

Link pursed his lips and looked forward again, holding on to Sidon with his knees. Cracks sounded through the air as Ruta created more ice spikes. He sighted down the length of the bow, trying to keep his aim as steady as possible while riding a giant fish-man. Unfortunately, as he launched the sparking arrow, he knew immediately that his aim had been poor. Instead of striking the glowing node, the arrow hit the Divine Beast's side with a burst of electric energy. Though Ruta seemed to shudder slightly, and it trumpeted again, the arrow did nothing to stop the onslaught of water and ice.

"That's okay!" Sidon turned, swimming past the Divine Beast's front to its other side. "Try again!"

Link drew another arrow, again feeling the shock in his arm. Sidon flinched beneath him. Their maneuver around the Divine Beast had briefly slowed its defenses, as it now had to create additional ice spikes on its opposite side. This gave them a small window during which Sidon slowed his pace some, allowing Link to take better aim.

This arrow streaked through the air, sparking with yellow lightning, and struck home. It hit the red node with a blast of lightning. The entire Divine Beast shuddered as electricity coursed around the light, causing it to flicker, and then fade completely. Link watched with excitement as the water spraying out of the trunk halted as well.

"That's it, Link!" Sidon called. "Hurry, try to hit the other—"

His voice was suddenly cut off as he was forced to make a sharp turn, nearly unseating Link in the process. A massive wall of ice had suddenly formed with a sharp _crack_ directly in front of them. As they turned away from the Divine Beast, swimming alongside the ice wall, Link heard several ice spikes splash into the water right behind them.

"It's trying to box us in!" Sidon said, his voice suddenly tight. He was right. The wall of ice formed a curve ahead, forcing Sidon to turn back the way they'd come. As Link looked around, he saw that the ice was being created far faster than Sidon could swim. It was forming a circle around them, trapping them within. Sidon could, perhaps, jump it on his own, or even swim under it, if it did not extend all the way down, but with Link on his back…

"Hold on," Link said, slinging the bow over his shoulder. "Swim towards the ice!" Going off of a hunch, he pulled the Sheikah Slate off of his belt. Sidon did as he suggested, swimming towards the ice, though at a slower pace now. He looked back at Link uncertainly.

Link ignored him for the moment and pressed the Cryonis rune icon, lifting the Sheikah Slate as the screen turned translucent, highlighting all of the water with bright blue light. He found the ice wall in his view screen, which was highlighted red. He pressed his finger to the Cryonis rune again. A section of the ice wall splintered, crumbling and falling into the lake.

"How—" Sidon said with amazement as they burst out of the Divine Beast's trap. Link ignored his query, however, as he put the Sheikah Slate away again and drew his bow. They were further than he'd have liked, but he nocked an arrow anyway. Beneath him, Sidon grunted in pain.

"Sidon!" Link said, looking down at his companion. He noticed then that Sidon's skin, normally a deep red, had grown paler.

"I'm fine!" Sidon looked back at Link, his expression grim. "Just keep going."

Seeing no other way, Link did as Sidon said, drawing the arrow to his cheek. He waited until just the right moment before releasing the arrow. It sailed through the air, striking high on the red node, which started sparking immediately. The Divine Beast trumpeted again, and Link thought it sounded more desperate now somehow. Overhead, the rain had begun to lessen.

"It's working!" Sidon yelled as he began to loop around the backside of Ruta. "Keep going, I can handle it!"

Link didn't draw another arrow, though, keeping an eye out for the next counter attack. It did not immediately come, however, which confused Link. Had the second node shut down its ability to defend itself? The Divine Beast launched no ice spikes, nor did it put up another wall to entrap them.

Finally, Link began to draw another arrow when he heard a splash behind them, barely audible over Sidon's own splashing. He looked back and yelled out in surprise at what he saw, a mere arm's length behind Sidon's feet. It was a giant ball of ice, rolling through the water at a blistering pace. The ball was covered with vicious-looking spikes, making it look like the giant head of a Morningstar.

"Behind you!" Link cried. Sidon reacted without looking, turning to the side just in time. The spiked ice ball rolled past in the water, but Link didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief. He watched in horror as the spiked ball turned in the water, righting itself, and pursuing them once again. It was gaining rapidly.

Link drew another arrow, ignoring Sidon's reaction, and launched the arrow at the ball of ice. It had the desired effect, causing the spike ball to crack and crumble into the water with a splash. However, to Link's dismay, it was not alone. Another spiked ball followed right behind it, churning through the waters. The pieces of ice leftover from the previous attack did not even slow it.

He stowed the bow again, pulling out his Sheikah Slate. Quickly navigating back to the Cryonis rune, he highlighted the ball and destroyed it right before it overtook them. Relieved, Link looked back towards the Divine Beast.

"There's more coming," Sidon said warningly. There was no need—Link had already seen them. Three more spiked balls of ice directly in their path to the Divine Beast and crossing the distance rapidly.

"Aim for the center and speed up!" Link said, holding the Slate up to highlight the center sphere. The three spiked balls raced across the water towards them, forming a wall of spikes that would likely grind them down, if Link timed this wrong. Too late and the ice wouldn't break apart in time, but too early and the other two could close the gap before they got through.

"Link?"

"Keep going!"

The rolling spikes loomed, filling the screen of the Sheikah Slate.

"Link!"

 _Now!_ Link pressed the Cryonis icon and the center spiked ball shattered, crumbling into the water. The two outer spheres immediately began to close the gap, but Sidon darted through the opening. Link felt floating pieces of ice bounce off of his greaves. Behind them, the two spiked balls crashed into each other with a sharp cracking noise.

Link immediately drew his bow and arrow, taking aim, and launching another shock arrow at the third node. The reaction in the Divine Beast as the arrow found its target was immediate. The entire construct shuddered and the red lights that covered its body flickered before steadying. They were definitely dimmer now, though.

"One more!" Sidon said through gritted teeth. Link pulled another arrow from his quiver, readying himself to take aim.

The water in front of them became a sheet of ice.

"Hold on!" Sidon cried as he banked away. It was too late, however, and Link lost his grip, flying off of Sidon onto the ice. He rolled, losing his grip on the silver bow, which slid away from him.

"Watch out!"

Sidon's voice saved him. He rolled just as an ice spike slammed down into the sheet of ice, nearly impaling him. He leaped to his feet, grateful to see that the Zora boots he wore did grip the ice slightly better than his normal boots would have. He broke into an unsteady sprint, barely dodging out of the way of another spike.

As he ran towards the fallen silver bow, he did a quick inventory. He still had the quiver attached to his hip. That was the most important thing. The Sheikah Slate was still attached as well on the opposite hip. Good.

He glanced towards Ruta, eyes widening as he saw several more spikes forming. It attacked with a renewed ferocity, ignoring Sidon completely now and focusing everything on Link. He felt a spike glance off of his armor and winced, stumbling. Another spike passed by just in front of him.

Link dropped into a slide, fingers reaching and grasping the silver bow. Another two spikes sailed just overhead. He leaped just as the ice beneath him ran out. As he sailed through the air, he pulled a shock arrow from its quiver.

Time seemed to slow.

The only sound that Link could hear was his own breathing and the creak of the bow as he drew the arrow to his cheek. He took aim. The arrow sparked to life.

He released the arrow and crashed down into the water.

The electrified arrow flew through the air and struck the final glowing red node in its center. The Divine Beast trumpeted once more as the red lights all over its body flickered rapidly and then died. Its trunk, limp, crashed down to the water. The ice that it created began to crack and break apart.

Once the ice had broken apart enough, Sidon swam through the gap to rejoin Link, who was treading water and watching Ruta's shutdown. Overhead, the rain stopped. Link looked up and saw the clouds, which had been in a strange swirling pattern, begin to break apart, letting sunlight stream down. It was nearly blinding after being in the gloom of rain for the last several days.

"We did it," Sidon said, his voice in awe. He looked at Link, eyes widening, his lips splitting into a grin. "Link, we did it! The rain has stopped! This is wonderful!"

Link breathed a sigh of relief, allowing himself a smile. Suddenly, however, the Divine Beast lurched back to life. Link's heart sank as he watched the red lights flicker back on. Its legs extended further, slowly lifting its body out of the water of the lake. He saw the expression on Sidon's face and imagined that it mirrored his own.

It wasn't enough. The rain had been stopped, but he had not yet _saved_ the Divine Beast. He had not yet removed Ganon's influence—the thing that had killed Mipha. No, for that…

"Sidon, I need to get inside of it," he said, gritting his teeth. Sidon looked over at him, eyes meeting his, and nodded.

"I know where the entrance is." Link climbed onto Sidon's back, and the prince took off again, circling around the Divine Beast. Link kept watch, making sure that the Divine Beast's defenses wouldn't come back online.

As they swam, Sidon spoke softly. "I've never been inside. None of us have. Not since my sister…" His eyes were locked on Ruta. Link could not see his face, but he could hear longing in his voice. "It never allowed us to get this close, you see. It was never that aggressive, but it would still protect itself. We just learned to give it a wide berth."

"How do you know where the entrance is?" Link asked, curious. He hadn't seen any sign of an entrance as they were swimming around it earlier, but Sidon had spoken of the schematics before.

"I remember watching my sister disappear inside of it."

Silence fell between them for a time before, finally, Sidon spoke again. "Link, I… I cannot stay with you."

"You need to go to your soldiers," Link said, guessing what he was going to say.

Sidon looked back at him, surprised. "Yes. I do. If they still fight the lizalfos, my place will be by their side." He looked back towards the Divine Beast. He was swimming towards a platform extending from its side that sat just above the water. Link hadn't seen it before but supposed that it might have been submerged before its body had been lifted out of the water. I wish I could accompany you. For my sister. But I must obey my duty, as you must obey yours."

Link remained silent. He could tell that this was a hard decision for him to make. Most likely, he had hoped that he could enter the Divine Beast with Link. He would have, if it wasn't for the lizalfo attack.

Sidon swam up to the platform, and Link climbed onto it. He checked his gear one last time, verifying that he still had everything that he needed. When he was satisfied, he looked down to Sidon, who was smiling up at him.

"Best of luck," Sidon said, his voice more jovial than it was a moment ago. "Show the enemy no fear, Link. Tonight, we will celebrate in Zora's Domain as victors and saviors of the land!"

"I'm still not going to eat any raw trout tonight," Link said, smiling.

Sidon laughed and began to swim backwards. "I will make sure to have a fire made so you can cook your own, then!" He lifted a hand in farewell. "Finish the job, Link! I believe in you!"

Sidon turned and began swimming away at a rapid pace, a streak in the water. Link watched him go. Finally, once he was certain that Sidon made it to the side of the lake, Link turned to face the entrance of the Divine Beast.

To his surprise, Mipha stood in the entrance, looking at him with a warm smile. "Hello, Link."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter! I'm glad that you all enjoyed it. When I approached the Divine Beasts, I wanted to figure out a way to transform these game-mechanic heavy battles into something that I could put to paper. I did away with Link swimming up waterfalls and pulling his paraglider instantly from the pocket dimension, after all!** **Unfortunately, what I found out (so far), is that Divine Beast Vah Ruta is actually the _easiest_ Beast to turn into a written battle. Regardless, the Divine Beasts have become some of my favorite sequences in the novel and really let me take the focus away from Link's martial skills and, instead, work on some of his other, more inventive qualities. I can't wait to show you all what I have in store for the future!**

 **But before we get to that, Link must first clear another hurdle. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the last. I won't spoil any of what happens here, but suffice it to say, this chapter contains a whirlwind of emotions that culminate in some pretty cool parts (in this writer's opinion). Please enjoy and continue to let me how you felt about it!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

"I will ride for the desert immediately." Urbosa set her jaw, showing little of the worry that she felt. She remained steady. Link knew that she had to be. For Zelda.

"Yes, ride well, Urbosa." Zelda's face betrayed her worry and fear. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. They weren't ready. They all knew it.

Revali had been the first to depart. He reported Calamity Ganon's return, providing them with what little details he could, and then immediately flew for Rito Village. Daruk had been right behind him, placing a hand on both Link and Zelda's shoulders. He'd tried to say something comforting—anything to assure them. Ultimately, he'd told them that he would be there right beside them, before dropping to the ground and rolling down the path towards Death Mountain.

Urbosa hugged Zelda, kissing the top of her head. "Be strong, Little Bird." She released her and mounted her stallion. "Keep her safe, Link!" She turned her horse, galloping west on the Lanayru Road towards Kakariko Village. She had the longest distance to travel and would be the last one to join the fight against Ganon. It would take days for her to reach the desert, even if she swapped horses along the way.

Then only Mipha remained. She would travel through the Lanayru River, using a series of over and underground waterways to reach the Zora River. Though the last to leave, she would reach her Divine Beast first.

As Urbosa rode away, she looked at Zelda, her hands clasped. "I know that this seems hopeless," she said. Mipha stepped forward and took Zelda's hands in her own. "But we will find a way through this. I believe in you both."

"Thank you," Zelda said, her voice quiet.

"Princess." Zelda looked up at Mipha, meeting the Zora woman's eyes. "This is not the end."

Zelda nodded silently, giving Mipha a tight smile. Mipha squeezed Zelda's hands tightly before releasing them and turning to Link. For a long time, Mipha merely met Link's eyes, her eyes darting between each of Link's. She opened her mouth but then shut it.

Link, for his part, did not know what he could say to the woman that had been one of his closest friends. He'd known her for such a long time, yet at that moment, it felt as though it hadn't been nearly long enough.

Finally, Mipha cleared her throat and moved forward, embracing Link. He returned her embrace, pulling her against him. Though he was not much taller than she was, she seemed small in his arms. Too small.

"Be safe, Link," she said. "I will be at the castle as soon as I can. Keep the Princess safe, but…" Mipha hesitated, pulling back enough for her to look up and meet Link's eyes again. "I will not be able to heal you while I'm piloting Ruta. Do not take any unnecessary risks. Please."

"I'll try." Link's voice was a whisper. He pulled back from her, and Mipha allowed him, looking reluctant. "Be careful."

"I do not think I am the one in the most danger." Again, she looked as though there was something else she wanted to say, but she hesitated. She glanced back at Zelda and sighed. Her gaze fell back on Link. "Be strong, my friend."

Mipha reached up, gently touching Link's cheek with her palm. Her touch was cool, as always, and Link appreciated the gesture. She stepped back from Link and Zelda, looking to each of them one more time, before turning. She leaped into the air, spreading her arms, and dove into the Lanayru River.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Mipha," Link said. His knees nearly buckled under the combined weight of the memory that flashed through his mind and the sight of her standing there, in the entrance to the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

Mipha remained silent, allowing him to compose himself, her expression still as warm as before. Still as warm as the last time he'd seen her, because he knew, deep down, that the memory he had just seen had been their last good-bye.

She looked just like she had in that memory. Small and petite—she was shorter than Link, unlike most of the other Zora he had met. She had the same red coloring along most of her body that Sidon had, with the exception of her face and the front of her torso. The fish-like snout just above her golden eyes and red lips was less pronounced than her brother's and lacked the wing-like protuberances. Her fins curved slightly, framing her face. Silver jewelry adorned her head, throat, and neckline, ornamented in multiple tear-shaped sapphires. A blue sash, crafted with the same color and materials as Link's Champions tunic, stretched from her left shoulder to right hip.

Link steadied himself, stepping forward slowly, taking in her appearance. She looked just the same as before, except…

His heart sank. Mipha, like King Rhoam Bosphoramus, glowed with a faint green light. She was not alive.

"Yes," Mipha said, reading his expression. She met his eyes, her smile growing somber. "Ganon's trap was… cleverer than any of us could have expected, wasn't it? We all had such hopes…"

Everything came crashing down on him in that moment—the destruction of Hyrule, his lack of memories, the small remnant of survivors, the loss that the Zora people suffered when Mipha died. His failure. His shame. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I had been stronger, if I had been more prepared—"

Mipha's eyes widened, and she shook her head, cutting him off with a single word: "Link."

Link stopped talking, pressing his mouth closed.

"Link, you cannot blame yourself for this." Mipha took a hesitant step forward, reaching out and placing an ethereal hand on his arm. He could feel her touch, but only faintly. "None of us were prepared for the lengths Ganon took to achieve his victory.

"We all fought the best we could… We thought the Divine Beasts would save us, yet he turned them, and every other tool at our disposal, against us. As skilled as you were, you could not fight him and an army of Guardians."

Link looked down. He wished he could take comfort in her words. Perhaps he could have if he truly remembered more than a few select memories of her. Bitterness at his state welled up within him, and he clenched his left hand into a tight fist.

"I can't remember. I can't remember what happened when I fought him, the Guardians, Princess Zelda— _anything_." Strangely, it hurt much more to admit this to Mipha than it had to anyone else.

"You… do not remember?"

"The Shrine of Resurrection—it took my memories," he said. "I've remembered some since then. I remember walking up Ploymus Mountain with you and..." _The end_. He remembered their last moments together.

"Oh, Link, that—that is _awful_. I am so sorry," Mipha said, her voice heavy with emotion. She moved forward, wrapping her arms around him.

For a moment, she felt solid—he could feel the texture of her scaled arms and her cheek on his shoulder. Then it was gone. She pulled away and, to his shock, she was even fainter now than before. He could see through her now, as though that simple act had taken much out of her.

"But you are beginning to remember?" Mipha asked.

Link forced himself to meet her eyes. "Very little. I hope more will come back in time."

"Good." Mipha gave him a small smile. "I am sure it will, then. You were always good at accomplishing whatever you set out to accomplish."

"I don't know if it's that easy."

"Things in life worth pursuing rarely are."

Link looked at Mipha, seeing her expression. Sadness. Pity.

"You are wearing my armor," she said. She seemed to fight with herself for a moment. "It fits you well. Better than I could have hoped."

"It's perfect. And I'm honored. Truly."

"Did—did they tell you what the purpose of the armor was?" Her voice had risen in pitch, and she broke eye contact, gazing down towards their feet.

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Mipha…"

Mipha quickly shook her head, her fins waving. "No, it is all right. It is… a little silly of me. Being embarrassed now. I have been dead for one hundred years, after all."

"I'm sorry," Link said, for the second time. "I just don't—my memories—"

"No, please," Mipha said, finally meeting his eyes again. "It is enough just to see you alive again. That you are here, wearing my armor—it means more to me than I could ever adequately express."

Link searched her eyes. What could he say to her now? He still wasn't sure how he had felt for her one hundred years ago, though he had begun to suspect that their relationship had never progressed beyond a close kinship. They had certainly been close, but the more he remembered, the more he felt a connection to her that was akin to siblings, rather than lovers. But he simply did not know.

"Thank you," he said after an extended pause. It wasn't enough, but it was all he knew to say at that moment. "For this and for everything else that you've done for me."

Mipha slowly approached the edge of the platform, sitting down upon it and looking out at the lake. "The rain stopped," she said. "That is good—I imagine that the water level was getting high enough to risk damaging one of the dams."

Link sat down next to her, feeling an odd sense of concern for her. She still seemed fainter than before. "Sidon and I—"

"That was Sidon?" Mipha looked at him with widening eyes.

"I—yes," Link said, fumbling. "You didn't know?"

"No." Her voice grew quiet. "I haven't been able to leave Ruta since I… He's grown so much."

Hesitantly, Link reached out a hand, trying to place it on her shoulder, but he found nothing there. He quickly withdrew his hand. Mipha glanced at him and then away again, gazing out towards the unseen Zora's Domain.

"He was only a child when Ganon awoke," Mipha explained. "I still remember training him how to swim up waterfalls. I told Princess Zelda that I had to make sure he was ready, in case something happened to me."

"Then I would say you trained him well," Link said, thinking about how Sidon had shown his ability to swim up waterfalls the other day. He had made it look effortless. "He's a powerful warrior, too. He and I killed the lynel on Ploymus Mountain yesterday."

Mipha looked at Link, confused. Finally, the realization dawned on her. "There was another one?" Link nodded. "And you went with him… That is very fitting."

Silence fell between them for a time longer before Mipha abruptly asked about her father. Link quietly told her all that he could—about King Dorephan's welcome and his reluctance to let Sidon attack the lynel, about finding old friends in Bazz and the others, and about the vehemence shown to Link by several of the elders. Somewhere along the way, he began to talk about his experiences since waking, the confusion he felt and the shame. At one point, he stopped himself, feeling selfish. After everything she had gone through, Mipha didn't deserve to hear all of Link's problems. But she encouraged him to continue, looking at him with genuine concern. So he did.

It was cathartic for Link, speaking of the trials he had faced so far, and the pressure he felt to continue. Before he even realized what he was saying, he even told her that he didn't know how he was supposed to succeed at the tasks placed before him—that he was concerned that he would just fail again.

When he finished, Mipha looked at him with a strange mix of sadness and what he thought might have been pride. "It is strange—before, when you pulled the Master Sword and became the Princess' knight, you… Well, you stopped speaking to people. I think you may have opened up to her near the end, but I was unable to get you to speak to me about your struggles. It seemed to me that you were holding much back."

Link looked at her, feeling both drained and reinvigorated by the conversation they'd had. "Then I was an idiot."

Mipha smiled and shook her head. "No… But you could be blind sometimes." Her expression turned apologetic, but she continued. "I do not know if you saw that we were all under the same kind of pressure that you were."

"It still sounds like I was an idiot," Link said, smiling. Mipha was silent for a moment, seemingly surprised, but then her own smile grew.

"From time to time."

Silence fell between them for a time. Below, waves lapped at Ruta's legs, creating a soothing sound. A flock of birds flew overhead. The sun shone down on them, bright and unhindered by rain or clouds.

Ruta shuddered slightly, and Link looked back towards the entrance. It was shadowy inside. He looked at Mipha, hesitant to break the comfortable silence between them. She looked content. Her legs, slightly translucent and crossed at the ankles, dangled in the water. When she would occasionally move them, they caused very slight ripples.

Finally, he spoke. "Mipha… what happened to you? How did you die?"

Mipha sighed softly, nodding. She pushed herself up from her seated position, and Link followed suit. Her gaze fell upon the dark entrance. "Ganon… He laid a trap for me and, presumably, the other Champions. When we piloted the Divine Beasts to the castle, he sent _something_ to each of them. I believe it might have been a piece of Ganon himself—it seemed to come from his own body. I tried to fight it, but it was so strong.

"After it killed me, it…" She pursed her lips, frowning up at the Divine Beast. "It turned Ruta around. I believe that it could have attacked the towns, but I think Ganon wanted to send a message. Or, perhaps, he could not control its weapons for some reason. I am not sure."

"The Guardians attacked," Link said, closing his hand into a fist. "He didn't need the Divine Beasts."

Mipha's gaze moved from the doorway to gaze up at Link. "Yes." She paused, then took a step forward, standing in the entrance. She turned so she still faced him. "Link, I am trapped here. Ruta is trapped as well. The blight left here by Ganon taints this place, distorts it. It is a prison."

Free the Divine Beasts from Ganon's malice. This is what Impa had meant. Link hadn't been sure what it had truly meant, and in all likelihood, she hadn't either. He grimaced, stepping closer to Mipha. He looked down and met her eyes. "You're trapped here?"

Mipha nodded. "I have not been able to leave Ruta for the past one hundred years. It has just been me and… _it_." He saw something of the horror she had experienced reflected on her face, and he felt his heart break. She hadn't deserved this. None of them had.

Link attached his shield to his arm and then drew his sword, eyes hardening. "And destroying it will free you and the Divine Beast?"

"I believe so, yes." Mipha paused. "Link, I think that I can still help you with Ganon. Ruta and I have a… connection. I can still feel her, ever so faintly. Perhaps, if I am not being blocked, I may still be able to control her somehow."

Ever since his awakening, Link had lamented the position he found himself in. His lost memories, his failures, his burden—he had regretted all of it without fail. He had wanted out. But gazing upon Mipha in that moment, Link's resolve hardened. No more failures.

He nodded and stepped past the ghostly form of Mipha, into the heart of Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

The moment Link stepped through the threshold, he knew immediately that something was wrong. The air felt wrong. Heavy. _Oily_. It smelled sour and stung his nostrils. It made his body felt strange. Weak. Overextended. It was as if, in that moment, every ache, every pain, every sore muscle from his journeys, were magnified and brought to the forefront of his mind.

Somewhere, in the recesses of his mind, he recognized this feeling. _Ganon_.

A light sweat broke out on Link's forehead as he gazed around at the large, open chamber. The inner mechanics of the Divine Beast were shockingly complex and unfamiliar to Link. Massive, interlocking gears were positioned along the walls, though none were moving. There were several pools of water inlayed into the ground, with a network of metal pipes of various sizes that rose out of them, all angling towards the front of the Divine Beast. In two of the largest pools, there was a pair of massive water wheels, which had also stopped moving, though water still dripped lazily off of the paddles. Walkways with metal grates crisscrossed all around the massive chamber, forming multiple levels.

The ground was mostly stone, but large swaths of it was covered a strange deep purple and black substance that bubbled and oozed. The sight of it unsettled him. _Repulsed_ him. Shivers ran up the back of his neck. He wanted nothing to do with it.

Mipha stepped up next to him, her eyes upon the substance, expression grim. After a moment, she looked up at Link. "Try not to touch it. It is somehow related to the thing that took over Ruta."

Link nodded, not having planned to touch the substance in the first place. "Where is it?" he asked, looking for any sign of the creature that had killed her. The massive chamber was eerily silent, save for the occasional drips of water from the water wheels' paddles, which landed in the pools of water below. He couldn't even hear the lapping waves that he'd heard so well outside a moment ago.

"Link, are you sure about this?" Mipha's voice betrayed her anxiety, and his gaze fell to her. "It is… strong. It _killed_ me. If something happens to you, I—"

"It will be all right," Link said, his voice soft, but firm.

Mipha met his eyes, and he saw the fear there. Not fear for herself or, likely, even Hyrule, but for Link's own wellbeing. He wished that he could reassure her more, though, if he was honest with himself, he did not feel all that confident either. But he had to try. For Mipha, who lost her life to this creature. For Sidon, who lost a sister. For the Zora race, who lost a champion. For himself, who lost a friend.

"It will be this way," Mipha finally said, turning and walking towards the rear of the Divine Beast. As she led him through, the air only seemed to grow heavier and the sour smell worse. It was the smell of rot and decay and something else that caused his nostrils to burn. It made his stomach twist with nausea, but he pushed it down.

He followed her through a series of hallways and smaller rooms until, finally, they reached a final hall that led down a small incline before opening into another room. From his vantage, Link could see nothing moving in the room. Mipha met Link's eyes one last time, and he nodded. She only hesitated another moment before beginning down towards the room.

The room was large and cavernous, with rounded walls, covered in Sheikah designs. The far wall had several floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the lake outside. Directly in front of the windows sat some kind of device. It looked like a closed flower with petals that had not yet bloomed. It shone with an orange light that pulsed slightly. Before it was some kind of waist-high panel, with a flat surface that contained more glowing orange lights, but nothing else that Link could see. The floor was covered with a couple of inches of cool water.

Whatever had killed Mipha was nowhere to be seen.

"Mipha?" Link asked in a whisper.

"It's here." She pointed at the device in the center of the room.

At first, Link saw nothing new. But then he began to see some kind of red-purple haze rising from around the orange device. It began to circle lazily around it, growing thicker and more obscuring as it did so. Link recognized it after a moment—it was the same strange mist that he had seen surrounding the castle when Ganon was about to emerge.

The mist began to gather in front of the device. It began to look more and more like the strange oozing substance that they'd seen on the floor. In fact, after another few moments, Link was certain that they were the same. It no longer looked like mist at all, having taken on a much more solid form in the shape of a floating sphere.

"Be careful, Link," Mipha said.

The sphere of purple ooze began to take on a different shape. It grew long and narrow before several appendages began to extend from its extremities. A pair of stunted legs grew, though they floated above the ground and terminated in rounded stumps. A pair of arms grew, one thin and the other easily twice as long and thick. The head began to take shape as well, narrow and pointed. Red hair, easily as thick as the lynel's mane, sprouted from the back of its head, falling all the way down its back. It towered over him, taller than he was, even without its ability to float in the air. It was not done yet, however.

As he watched, armor that seemed to be made of the same stone that was used in Vah Ruta's construction appeared. Its stunted legs, waist, and chest were all partially covered in the armor. The long arm was fully encased in the same armor from the elbow down. Its head was, likewise, encased in armor, though this extended out to either side of its head in a pair of strangely flat horns.

Link looked in horror as a round, blue eye appeared in the center of its head. A Guardian's eye. He saw a flash of memory—a blue eye pulsing as it took aim at him—but he pushed it away as quickly as it appeared. He did not have time for distractions right now. That blue eye focused on him and something about the creature's posture changed. It leaned forward in a menacing way, and its longer arm extended. There was a flash of light as a glowing blue spear extended from the hand there, easily three times as long as Link was tall. It shone just like the Guardian sword at his waist did when he used it.

The creature suddenly reared back, throwing both of its arms out and its head back, and released a horrible shriek that made the walls tremble in its ferocity. Link's instincts screamed at him to move, and he did, leaping to the side. A moment later, the creature thrust its spear forward. The incredibly long spear crossed the distance between them in an eyeblink, stabbing thin air where Link had just been.

Link broke into a sprint, his feet splashing in the layer of water that covered the entire room. The massive spear put him at a huge disadvantage at range, but it would be difficult for the creature to strike him with it if Link was up close.

Unfortunately for Link, he misjudged just how high off the ground the creature floated. It hovered in the air several feet off the ground, meaning that Link could not attack with the kind of coordination and ferocity that he would have preferred. He swung anyway, his sword hitting the armor on the creature's legs. The sword only bounced off, harmless.

The creature's counter, however, was not. It swung its free hand—shorter than the other and ending in vicious looking claws—and caught Link in the side. He felt a sudden stabbing pain in his side as his feet lifted off of the ground. He flew back and hit the water in a heap, rolling to keep his momentum and prevent being run through with the spear.

He heard Mipha's voice, crying his name from a distance, but he ignored it. He jumped to his feet, taking several more steps back to try to keep out of range of the spear. Where he had been lying, he saw that the water had been stained red with blood. His blood.

Grimacing, Link reached down to his side, where the creature had struck him. His hand came away red. Its claws had pierced his Zora armor like it was nothing. He did not feel much—adrenaline would keep most of the pain at bay for the time being. It did not matter now. There would be plenty of time to assess the damage done to his body once the fight was over. Or he would be dead, and individual injuries would no longer matter, either.

Ganon's creature lunged at Link again, and Link, too disoriented to dodge, thrust his shield out. The spear glanced off the shield emblazoned with the Sheikah eye, and mercifully, the shield held. The spear thrust past Link, crackling with the strange Guardian energy, and Link stepped back, weighing his options. The creature floated off of the ground, making it difficult to strike with any damage, and its reach would spell Link's doom, if he wasn't careful.

He had more than one sword, however.

Thrusting his silver sword back in its sheathe, Link pulled the Guardian sword from its place on his waist, igniting it with a flash of blue light. The creature made a hissing sound and thrust its spear once again at Link. He sidestepped it and broke into another run. The creature was ready for him this time, raising its shorter right hand, claws extended, ready to sweep him away like before. As it did, however, Link thrust his Guardian sword out, impaling the creature's palm on the beam of blue energy.

The creature shrieked, backing away. Purple mist burst from the hand like spraying blood, and the creature raised the hand well out of Link's range. He could hurt it. That was good. The next question was whether or not he could actually _kill_ it.

It swung the spear at Link in a wide arc, and Link threw himself forward onto his belly in the water. He heard the hum of the spear as it passed overhead and leaped back to his feet, running towards the creature again.

A wall of ice suddenly burst out of the water in front of him, and Link stumbled, hitting the ice with his shoulder. Of _course_ it had the ability to use Cryonis.

"Link, watch out!" Mipha's voice, shrill and terrified.

The ice wall shattered as the creature thrust its spear through it. He was saved by blind luck. As the spear pierced the ice, it struck his shield, knocking him onto his back in the water. The spear continued on overhead before it twisted onto its side, the impossibly sharp edge pointed down towards Link. Eyes widening, Link rolled to the side, just as the spear's edge crashed down to the ground where he'd been like a butcher's knife.

He pushed himself up, kicking up another splash of water as he attempted to round the ice wall again, trying to get within the creature's guard. The ice extended to follow him, forming a barrier that would cost Link precious seconds to try to scale.

 _Fine_ , he thought, scowling, and turned, running back enough to give himself enough space. He placed the Guardian sword back in its spot at his waist and pulled out his silver bow. Spinning around, he grabbed a shock arrow, took aim, and launched it at the creature. The arrow struck home, dead center of its chest. It shrieked, throwing its arms wide as electricity coursed through its body.

The ice wall shattered and its spear deactivated. Link broke into a sprint, slinging the shield back across his chest and pulling the Guardian sword back out again. He activated it and yelled his battle cry as leaped off a chunk of remaining ice, slashing the sword vertically down the creature's chest.

The creature that killed Mipha shrieked again, backing away quickly as purple mist sprayed out of its chest. Link hit the ground and felt a flare of pain in his ankle. He had twisted it upon landing. He grunted, falling to the side and crashing in the water.

In front of him, the creature, chest still leaking dark mist, thrust its larger arm out again, and its spear reappeared with a flash of blue light. Groaning, Link pushed himself to his feet, but he knew immediately that he was in trouble. His sprained ankle sent stabs of fiery pain up his leg and would not hold his weight.

The creature, eye pulsing with fierce intensity, stabbed out with the spear, forcing Link to stumble to the side. His ankle gave out, and he crashed back to the water. He, again, forced himself to his feet, gritting his teeth. The creature had noticed his incapacitation, and it approached slowly. He heard a noise originate from it. It sounded like a series of short grunts.

It dawned on him a moment later that the creature was chuckling. It was laughing at him. It _had_ him, and it gloated.

It thrust the spear again. And Link stumbled to the side. This time, he was too slow. It cut across his sword arm, leaving a deep gash and causing him to drop his sword, which clattered to the pool of water and deactivated with a hiss. Drops of red slipped from his limp fingers.

The creature stopped, towering over him, and drew its arm back again, preparing to thrust. Hurriedly, Link pulled the bow from around his body, hoping to get off another shock arrow, but his hand wasn't working right. He was having trouble gripping an arrow shaft. Link stumbled back, but then his ankle gave out. He cried out and fell to the water, the bow landing in the water next to him.

Ganon's creation thrust the massive Guardian spear down into Link's chest.

" _No_!" Mipha's shrill cry.

Link could barely hear it. He'd felt the sudden, blinding pain, but then it was followed by cold numbness that quickly spread throughout his body. His arms buckled, and he collapsed into the water, face just barely over the surface.

The creature was there, standing over him, having dismissed its spear. It chortled in that low, inhuman way, knowing that it had won. It killed Link as it had killed Mipha so many years ago. But she was there, too, suddenly vibrant and visible, barely translucent at all, though she still had the green halo of light that outlined her body.

Link smiled painfully at Mipha. He could no longer move his limbs. He was barely even aware of his own body anymore. He was fading. "I'm… sorry, Mipha."

Mipha knelt beside him, her face close to his. Her expression shifted from that of anguish to a fierce determination. She looked at her hands and then met his eyes. Her lips formed words that he could no longer hear. The darkness encroached on his vision. She placed her hands to his chest. They had begun to glow with a blue-white light.

He knew that light.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

The sun had begun to set, leaving the partially cloudy sky a mix of blue, purple, and orange. The summer warmth remained, however. The breeze that Link felt, while sitting with Mipha atop Ruta's long trunk, felt pleasant as it blew through his hair. It was a pleasant end to an otherwise eventful day.

Link glanced at his companion for the day. Mipha had requested his presence at Zora's Domain, and he, on the rare occasion that he was free from his normal duties as Zelda's knight, obliged. It had been a while since he'd traveled on his own, and besides, he'd heard that there was a group of lizalfos that had been attacking travelers along the Zora river.

He had dealt with the lizalfos easily enough, though he had sustained a trio of shallow cuts on his right forearm, courtesy of one such lizalfo that had managed to get past his shield. It was just his luck that, on the one day he didn't wear his bracers, he fought an enemy that tried to pull his shield out of his hand.

Shortly thereafter, he came across a Zora that had been sent to find him, who gave him a ride up the river, cutting his travel time by at least a full day. Mipha had been eager to see him, it would seem, which initially caused Link some concern. Was something wrong? But no. Outside of the lizalfos, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Eventually, they found themselves together on Ruta's trunk. Mipha easily commanded the Divine Beast to lift them into the air, high enough that they could see miles around them. Mount Lanayru stood sentinel to the south while, in the far distance, Link could still see Hyrule Castle, standing tall and proud.

He wondered what Zelda was doing right now. Probably working on some new issue with controlling the Guardians. Or, perhaps, she was dressed in her white ceremonial robes, praying to the goddess once again.

"Now let me see that arm." Mipha's voice drew his attention back to her. He smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"How did you know?"

Mipha gave him a smile, and he pulled his sleeve back. She began to unwrap the dressing from his arm with deft hands. "You were favoring it."

The dressing's white outer layers gave way to pink, red, and then red-brown as she unwrapped it. When it was exposed to the cool breeze, his bare arm stung slightly. Mipha looked over it with a critical eye.

"The lizalfos?" she said, looking up at his face. Link nodded in reply. Mipha sighed softly, shaking her head. "You know, I am sure my father's soldiers could have handled the incursion. He had already sent out parties to try to find them."

"I found them first," Link said. Mipha gave him a look, and unable to help himself, he smiled faintly.

"You went _looking_ for them."

Link did not reply, and Mipha sighed softly a moment later. She wrapped her small fingers around Link's bare elbow, holding his injured arm aloft, and her other hand hovered in the air just above his forearm. It began to glow with a blue-white light.

They both sat in silence for a moment as Mipha prepared her healing magic. Finally, she spoke again, her tone softer now. "I was thinking that this reminds me of the time we first met."

"How so?" Link did not remember their meeting very well. He had only been four years old at the time. He was fairly certain that she looked much as she did now, though.

"Well, you were such a reckless child, always getting yourself hurt at every turn." Mipha met his eyes, smiling warmly. "Not so different than you are now, I suppose."

Link snorted. "I prefer the term courageous."

"Yes, you dreamed of being a courageous knight, even then… Just like your father." Mipha fell silent for a moment, looking away from him and towards the distant castle. She seemed to be considering something.

"I would heal you every time," she said, her voice softer. "Just as I am doing right now."

Link's arm felt as if it had been lowered into a pool of cool water. The pain from his wounds began to fade as the ripped skin began to knit itself back together. He watched, fascinated.

"Isn't it funny how, being a Hylian, you've grown up so much faster than I did." Link looked up from his healing arm to meet Mipha's eyes. She looked right at him now, barely even paying attention to her own healing magic. "When I met you, you were just a child, but now we are both adults, in similar stages of life." Her eyes never left his, and he felt frozen in place, unwilling to break that gaze.

He'd never truly thought of it before, but it was true. Though he'd known Mipha almost his entire life, his relationship with her had subtly changed as he grew older. She had, once, been like an older sister to him, always watching over him when he played with Bazz, Gaddison, and Rivan. As he'd grown older, however, he soon outpaced his old friends in responsibility and maturity. While he maintained a friendship with them, even to this day, he had, at some point, become a teacher to them. Meanwhile, he now looked to Mipha as a peer, and one of his closest friends.

"I was always willing to heal your wounds, even back then." Mipha finally broke the eye contact, looking back down at his arm demurely. Link did the same, watching as the last of the cuts—now little more than scratches—faded completely. Some dry blood still remained on his forearm, but the injuries that caused the blood had been healed without even a scar.

Mipha drew her healing hand back, though the hand holding his arm lingered for another few seconds before releasing him. She placed both of her hands back in her lap, her gaze growing distant again. Link inspected his arm, amazed as always at her abilities, but looked back at her when she spoke next.

"So if this Calamity Ganon does, in fact, return, what can we really do?" Her eyes seemed to be focused on the distant castle.

"What do you mean?" He wondered if she was thinking about Zelda's continued struggle to awaken her sealing powers. If someone else had questioned it, he might have grown offended, but he knew there was no judgment in Mipha's words or tone.

"We just don't seem to know much about what we will be up against." She shook her head, looking down at her hands. They were small. Delicate. But he knew that she was as ready to fight as he was. She had the same warrior spirit that Zelda had, though he wondered, at times, if she even knew it.

"But know this, Link," she said, clasping her hands together. She lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes again. "No matter how difficult this battle might get, if you—if _anyone_ should seek to do you harm, then I will heal you."

Link thought of all of the times she had done just that. The battles they'd fought together, when he was spending his adolescent summers in Zora's Domain or as an adult, such as the fight against the lynel.

"No matter when, or how bad the wound, I hope you know—"

"I do," Link said.

She smiled faintly before continuing. "That I will _always_ protect you _._ "

Silence fell between them as Link sat, stunned. _Protect_. As a knight, it was _his_ duty to protect. To protect the kingdom, to protect the princess. To protect Mipha. That she thought of herself having a duty to protect _him_ was both surprising and touching. He felt his face grow warm.

Mipha seemed to be considering something as she looked down at her hands. The silver bangles she wore on her wrists had heart-shaped cutouts. Were those new? In truth, he thought that Mipha had worn more ornamentation today than she often did. After a few more moments of silence, she seemed to come to a decision, looking back up at him. She placed her hand on the small bag that she had brought with her today. She hadn't told him what was in it.

"Once this whole thing is over, maybe things can go back to how they used to be when we were young," she said. There was a determination in her eyes as she met his. "You know, perhaps we can spend some more time together."

Link looked into Mipha's golden eyes, struck by how the setting sun caused the sapphires on her head and neck to sparkle.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"You will _not_ take him!" Mipha cried, placing her shining hands to Link's chest, where the Guardian spear had impaled him.

Where the healing magic in the memory had felt like dipping his arm in a pool of cool water, this felt like a bucket of ice had been poured over his entire body. His back arched, and he gasped sharply, eyes opening wide. For a moment, every pain in his body seemed to flare with life, and then, in the next breath, it was gone. Every pain. Every wound. His back, chest, side, and arm all knit closed. His internal organs became whole. His ankle righted itself, muscle and sinew growing strong again.

Link met her eyes, and he saw that she seemed as shocked as he was. He doubted that she had ever healed anyone like that before.

Behind Mipha, the creature shrieked in fury, its spear reactivating in its outstretched hand. Link threw himself back onto his feet, his body feeling energized. When the next spear thrust came, Link spun away and then used his foot to hook under the bow and kick it up, into the air. He caught it and pulled a shock arrow from his quiver, looking up at the furious creature. He nocked the arrow, lips pulled back into a grimace, and released it. It struck the creature directly in the eye.

The creature roared in agony, shuddering as lightning arced over its face and body. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it collapsed to the ground, twitching from the electricity. Its spear deactivated. Link dropped the bow and grabbed up his fallen sword, reactivating its blue blade. He sprinted at the creature, yelling his war cry, and thrust the blade past the shock arrow into the prone monster's eye. The blade sunk all the way to its hilt.

Ganon's creature reared back, screaming with a new, terrible sound that reverberated off of the walls and caused Link to stumble back, leaving the sword lodged in its eye. It rose back into the air and thrashed, throwing its head back. Its arms shook violently as they reached up to its face, clawing blindly for the source of its agony. The red-purple ooze that made up its body darkened and seemed to grow hard. Brittle. There was an audible crack in the air, and its larger arm broke off, falling to the ground with a splash. When it hit the ground, the entire arm, armor and all, shattered into the mist from earlier.

The creature trembled violently, drawing its legs and remaining arm in. It curled around them and then it, too, shattered into the mist. Link watched with awe as the mist spun around itself briefly, as it trying to reshape itself again, but then began to dissipate. After a few more seconds, it was gone, and he was left in an empty room.

Link watched the mist as it disappeared before, finally, exhaling a long breath. His shoulders slumped and his racing heart began to slow. He turned and saw Mipha standing a few feet away. She looked up at him, and after a moment of stunned silence, she smiled. "You did it."

"I… You _healed_ me." The reality of the situation began to set in. He looked down at his armor, which bore the scars of his battle. It was ripped and torn in several places, revealing his unscarred flesh underneath.

Mipha reached out, placing her translucent hand on the torn portion of the armor she made him. The silvery scale still remained, though it only seemed to hang by a few threads. "I did not even know that I still could."

"Thank you."

Mipha laughed softly and shook her head. "You saved _me_. You saved Ruta."

"And you protected me, just like you promised you always would."

Mipha looked at him in surprise. It took her a moment of indecision before she spoke. "And I always will." She clasped her hands over her chest, meeting his eyes. Her hands began to glow with her healing light again. After a moment, she reached out and placed her hands against his chest.

A feeling like that of cool water spread from the spot that she touched, flowing through him to the tips of his fingers and toes. He gasped softly at the sensation, which only lasted for a few seconds before fading, except for the palms of his hands. He lifted his hands, surprised to see the soft healing light emanating from them now.

"I've given you my healing power." Mipha's visage had grown noticeably more translucent. Her voice was softer as well. "I… do not believe I will be able to accompany you. My place will still be here, with Ruta."

"I don't understand," Link said, frowning. "You said you were trapped. I thought that I was _freeing_ you." The light faded from his palms, and he lowered them to his sides.

"No, but how could you?" Mipha turned, waving her hand around the large, round room. "I can _feel_ her again. Link, when you destroyed that _thing_ , I could—I can— _this_."

All of a sudden, the Divine Beast trumpeted, causing the entire structure to tremble slightly. Mipha laughed, the joy apparent on her face. She turned back to Link. "I'm in control of her again. Somehow, even though I am just a spirit, my connection with her remains."

Link considered this for a long moment before it finally dawned on him what this meant. His eyes widened. "You can still use it against Ganon?"

" _Yes_." Mipha nodded emphatically. "Now that I am in control of her, I can bring her full power to bear on that monster."

"And if I free the others, then we can attack him like we were supposed to one hundred years ago." This was the true genius of Princess Zelda's plan. Impa had mentioned restoring the original functionality to the Divine Beasts, but it never really occurred to Link what that would mean.

Silence fell between them as they both considered the path in front of Link. So much had gone into freeing just one. It was daunting to think that Link would have to accomplish this all again three more times.

"I believe in you, Link." Mipha reached out, placing her ghostly hand against his arm. He could just feel her touch and the scaled texture of her hand. "You can do this."

"I hope you're right."

"I am." Mipha's hand lingered on his arm for several more seconds before she pulled it away.

Link gave her a grateful look before stepping over to where his Guardian sword fell after the creature disintegrated. He found the deactivated hilt lying in the water and picked it up. He attempted to activate it, but it only sparked fitfully. Link tried a few more times before placing it back in his belt. Perhaps he would see if Purah could repair it.

"Link?" He turned at Mipha's voice. She was standing over by the device in the center of the room. She'd moved around behind it. "Can you come here? I have something I need you to do."

When Link walked over to where Mipha stood, he saw a glint of silver in the water by her feet. His eyes widened. "Your trident."

Mipha's Lightscale trident lay in the shallow pool of water, abandoned after her untimely demise one hundred years prior. Link bent down, wrapping his fingers around its haft, lifting it out of the water. It was pristine, without a spot of rust, despite its age and the condition that it had spent the last one hundred years. It was made of the same silvery white metal that most Zora weaponry was made of, yet it seemed to shine brighter than anything else he had seen. Sapphires glistened at multiple places on the trident, including one very large oval in the center point. It was an incredible piece of craftsmanship.

"I want you to give it to my brother," Mipha said, looking at her old weapon with fondness.

Link smiled, unable to imagine anyone more worthy of inheriting her trident. "I will."

"And tell him that…" She hesitated, looking down. "Tell him that I am proud of him. He has grown up so strong."

Link nodded, his smile fading as he saw the sadness in her face. "I'm sorry, Mipha."

Mipha shook her head, lifting her chin. "It is all right. We have all made sacrifices. It will be worth it when we finish Ganon once and for all."

"It will be."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**All I could hear is the Victory Theme from Return of the Jedi while writing this chapter. That's all for now-more commentary from me at the bottom!**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen**

The sun had begun to set when he finally stepped foot off of Ruta again. Mipha had steered it to the East Reservoir Dam, lowering the platform until it lined up with the previously submerged walkway. The excess water had begun to drain out of the reservoir now that the rain had stopped, exposing the white stone.

As Link stepped off of the platform, he looked back and saw Mipha standing in the doorway. She raised a hand in farewell and then disappeared from his view. Ruta began to move again, rising up on its powerful legs and wading across the water to the nearby edge of the reservoir, where it took up its place to watch the distant Hyrule Castle.

Link watched quietly as Mipha moved her Divine Beast into position. She would remain there and wait for Link's signal before making the journey to the castle. He hated the idea of forcing her to wait for him any longer than she already had to, but she assured him that this was far better than it had been. The influence of Calamity Ganon had disappeared completely from her Divine Beast. Even the strange, dark ooze had disappeared upon the creature's demise. She was no longer around the terrible creature that had kept her trapped there. She had hope again.

When she had positioned the Divine Beast, he turned, holding onto her trident. It glinted in the light of the setting sun. He walked down the long back-and-forth stairwell. As he descended, he thought of the memories that had been recovered, along with hints at other things that he had discovered in the process. He still only had a few distinct memories, mostly of Mipha, but he felt that much had been revealed to him as a result. His past had begun to be revealed to him, though it was still very much so skeletal in his mind. It was a start.

Unfortunately, though there had been some things revealed to him, the things left dark seemed all the more daunting as a result. The other Champions were little more than names and faces to him. His family was completely unknown to him. His training as a knight, what he had liked and disliked, his home—all of these things were still lost to him. He knew his father had been a royal knight, and that Link had followed in his footsteps. He must have had a mother, though, right? What of her? What of siblings? Aunts and uncles? Was he the last of his family, or were there distant relations still alive in or around Hateno Village?

And what of Princess Zelda? Link hesitated, standing halfway down the staircase. He looked out at Zora's Domain, stretching before him, and then he reached for his Sheikah Slate. He opened up the picture gallery and found the image of Princess Zelda standing alongside Purah and the man she told him was Robbie. He looked into the slightly embarrassed face of the woman standing in the center.

He had been her knight. It had been his responsibility to protect her. His duty. So why did he have the feeling that their relationship had been more than this? He felt the same compulsion now to save her that he did when he first saw her face. Deep within him, a well of emotions rose—pain, determination, joy, sadness, anger. Without knowing why, he was left with a roiling pit of emotions and nothing to direct them towards. Why did the very image of this woman confuse him so?

He put the Sheikah Slate away and continued down the stairs, deciding that he did not want to think of those things at the moment. They would have to be faced eventually, but in light of his and Mipha's victory, he decided that it could wait for another day.

* * *

Link saw the first Zora as he neared the bottom steps of the dam. The Zora was familiar to him, though it took Link a moment to remember her name, despite her distinct lavender color. When she saw him, she came running, calling over her shoulder. Bazz came into view, hurrying after her.

 _Gaddison._ That was it. Her name was Gaddison. She was one of his old friends from before.

"Link!" Gaddison said. "Prince Sidon told us what happened. Has the Divine Beast truly been tamed? You entered it?"

Before Link could respond, Bazz gasped, pointing at the trident in Link's hand. "What is _that_?" Gaddison's eyes flicked to it and opened wide in shock.

"Is that…"

Link gave them a moment before speaking, standing a little taller than before. "It is. I was… entrusted with it after defeating the blight left behind by Calamity Ganon."

"Calamity Ganon?" Bazz said, eyes widening. "Was that thing controlling the Divine Beast?"

Link nodded.

"And you destroyed it?" Gaddison asked, eyes darting back to look at Link.

"Yes." Link hesitated, wondering how he should properly state this. No matter what words he chose in his head, they sounded… melodramatic. "With help from Mipha's spirit."

Silence followed this pronouncement. Bazz and Gaddison each glanced at each other before looking back to Link. Finally, Gaddison spoke again. "We need to get you back to the king and Prince Sidon. Prince Sidon sustained some injuries in the fight against the lizalfos—that's why he sent us instead of coming himself." At Link's worried expression, she added, "He's going to be all right! He just needed to be seen by the healers before they would let him go anywhere."

Link exhaled in relief and nodded. "Good, I need to speak with him, anyway."

They walked quickly back towards the city. Link had to nearly jog to keep up with the Zora's long strides, but he managed. As they walked, Bazz and Gaddison filled him in on what had happened while he was in the Divine Beast.

The lizalfos had, indeed, made a strong push deep into Zora's Domain, killing the scouts keeping watch in the process. It was sheer happenstance that they were spotted when they were—a pair of Zora had been out gathering fish when one of them saw a lizalfo drinking water just down river. They had immediately swum back upriver to warn the others.

The battle had been a fierce one. Lizalfos were nearly as adept in the water as Zora, and the forces clashed both in the water and land. The Zora had superior numbers, but the lizalfos had brought additional shock arrows that they had gotten from somewhere. In the end, however, the lizalfos had been routed, largely in part, thanks to Sidon. He had led his own squad around Ruto Mountain to come up behind the lizalfos. Sidon, himself, led the charge and battled the lead lizalfo, defeating it, though sustaining several injuries in the process. Leaderless and surrounded, the remaining lizalfos broke, diving into the river and fleeing. The Zora chased them all the way out of Zora's Domain.

As they neared the city, it became clear to Link that it was in a state of celebration. Colorful banners flapped merrily in the wind. A large crowd gathered in the square near Mipha's fountain, and Link thought that he could hear the faint sounds of music being played. He could even see the hulking figure of King Dorephan, who had taken up a place to one side of the square, sitting in a throne that had been moved there for him. Link did not immediately spot Sidon in the crowd.

As the three of them reached the bridge, another pair of Zora were standing guard, spears held high. They, too, reacted strongly at the sight of Link, speaking quickly to each other before one of them turned and dove off the bridge—it would likely be quickly for the Zora to swim across the lake and up a waterfall than to run all the way across the bridge to the city. The remaining Zora watched them pass, eyes on Link and the trident in his hand.

The next Zora that they saw were waiting for them at the end of the bridge, just as they reached the city. Several of the elders had gathered, but Link ignored their stunned looks, locking eyes, instead, with the tall Sidon, who stood in their center. Link saw that he had, indeed, been injured in the battle. His leg had been wrapped in a bandage, and one of his head fins bore a cut that would likely scar, though it had stopped bleeding. A small cut adorned one of his elbow fins as well.

"Link!" Sidon called as they approached and walked forward in large strides, his mouth split into a wide grin. His steps faltered a moment later as his eyes fell on the trident. "The Lightscale trident," he said, breathless. "You found it in the Divine Beast?"

He cut off as Link stepped forward and held the trident out to him. Sidon's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Link, how could I take that after everything that you've—"

"She asked me to give it to you," Link said, keeping his tone soft. He wished that the other Zora weren't standing around them—this is something that he would have preferred to do in private. There was no helping it now.

Sidon's eyes widened. "She is _alive_?" Link winced at Sidon's question. He should have worded that better.

"No, Mipha is… She was killed by Ganon. However, her spirit remains within Vah Ruta. She assisted me in retaking it and even controls it now. She asked me to give this to you."

Silence fell between them. For a time, no one spoke before, finally, Sidon kneeled on the bridge so that he could be eye-level with Link. One of the Zora elders made a disparaging sound, but Sidon ignored him. His eyes searched Link's, trying to understand. They flicked towards the trident and then back to him. "She _spoke_ to you?" His voice was a whisper. "And she wanted to give me her trident?"

"She says that she's proud of you." Link smiled at the Zora prince and, once again, held the trident out to him. "Take it, Sidon."

Sidon remained speechless for several seconds. Link could see a bit of the emotions warring with themselves beneath his unusually veiled expression. Finally, he exhaled slowly and smiled, reaching forward and squeezing Link's shoulder tightly.

"Thank you, my friend. This means more to me than—" Sidon cleared his throat, suddenly seemingly overcome with emotion. After a moment, he smiled again and stood, taking the trident from Link's hand. As his fingers closed around the silver haft, he stood up straighter, inhaling and exhaling slowly. He met Link's eyes once more and gave him a quick wink before turning to face the elders.

"Link is a _hero_ to the Zora people." Sidon spoke with a sharpness that had not been there before. "He has saved us _again_ from forces that threatened our homes, he has recovered a treasure beyond accounting, and he freed my sister's spirit from _Ganon_. He was the friend to the throne one hundred years ago, and he remains one today. If I hear one of you speak ill of him again—even a _word_ —there will be a reckoning. I will _personally_ dole out whatever punishment I see fit. Is that understood?"

Silence followed the proclamation, which had been given with all the authority of the Zora crown. The elders all looked shocked, but that shock eventually gave way to shame. Muzu, his green skin paler than normal, finally shuffled forward. He glanced towards Link and then back up at Sidon. "Yes, your highness." Muzu's eyes shifted to Link. "It would seem that we were wrong about you, Link. You have… _more_ than proven yourself, and I hope that you will forgive me for my petulance."

Link nodded at him, not really sure what to say to the old Zora. He supposed that he still felt irritation towards the whole group of elders. They had been whispering behind his back and speaking out against him to King Dorephan since he arrived two days prior. However, now that he had regained some of his memories of Mipha, he could understand why she was so loved, and why her loss still caused them pain.

"Excellent!" Sidon smiled broadly, the air of command fading as quickly as it had appeared. "Now, I think we need to get back. My father will want to hear a full accounting of what happened, and besides, we still have a celebration to attend!"

Sidon placed a hand on Link's shoulder, leading him through the group of elders, many of whom looked down, unwilling to meet Link's eyes. The two of them walked together at the front of the column of Zora down towards the gathered crowd.

* * *

The celebration in Zora's Domain only grew more joyful when King Dorephan, tears in his eyes, announced to his people that Link freed Mipha's spirit and killed the piece of Ganon that had inhabited the Divine Beast. The ensuing cheer that erupted from the crowd had nearly deafened Link, but that was nothing compared to the distant trumpeting of Ruta, which followed the cheer. A hush fell over the crowd as Ruta trumpeted her own seeming joy at being freed. The cheer that followed this was even louder than the first and seemed to cause the foundation of Zora's Domain to tremble.

It was clear that Link's position among the Zora people had changed dramatically from that moment on. Not only were the elders no longer speaking out against him, but the looks he received from many of the other Zora bordered on worshipful now. He was met with grins and friendly greetings, many from Zora that had only the day before greeted him with angry stares and cold shoulders.

He also noticed very quickly that a number of Zora women and youths had suddenly become very interested in spending time near Link. Sidon laughed when Link mentioned it, telling him that he would get used to it and, after a while, he wouldn't even notice the fan club.

Sidon gave Link a purple colored ale made from fermented berries and fish oil. It had a strangely sweet, yet fishy taste. It was also much stronger than anything Link had since he woke. After that, Link's recollections of the night became hazy. He spent most of it with Sidon and Kass, though Bazz, Gaddison, and Rivan had joined them for a time as well. Rivan's daughter, Dunma, had also briefly joined them, though Link thought that was more to prevent her father from getting _too_ drunk on the ale. They all sat together in one of the pavilions positioned on the walkways that circled the city.

At some point, Link recalled getting into an arm-wrestling competition with Gaddison, who beat him soundly. Kass played music and sang some happy ballads. Rivan was pulled away by Dunma. Bazz had to leave to relieve some of the guards who had not been able to take part in the celebrations. Gaddison announced that she was too drunk and was going to bed, diving off the side of the walkway into the lake far below. Eventually, even Kass put away his instruments and bade Link and Sidon a good night.

Sidon looked over at Link from across the small table between them. The alcohol didn't affect him nearly to the degree that it had Link. Sidon still looked quite clear-eyed. Link, on the other hand, felt far more relaxed than he'd felt since he first woke on the Great Plateau. He would probably need Sidon's help to walk back to the square, lest he lose his balance.

At that thought, Link couldn't help but to snort into his cup of ale. Sidon looked at him, raising his eyebrows. Link lowered his mug. "I was just thinking that it would be very ironic if, after killing a lynel and a piece of Calamity Ganon himself, I died by getting drunk and falling off of Zora's Domain."

"Oh, I'm sure that wouldn't _kill_ you. It would hurt, perhaps."

Link glanced over the small railing to the nearly black water, far below. "No, I'm… pretty sure that could kill me."

Sidon glanced over curiously. "Hylian physiology is different than Zora's, I suppose… Good to know!" Sidon grinned broadly at Link. "I will forgo throwing you over the edge as a prank, then."

"What?"

At Link's incredulous look, undoubtedly helped along by the alcohol, Sidon burst out laughing. After a moment of confusion, Link's laughter joined his. It felt _good_ to laugh.

They sat together well into the night, after most other revelers had since gone to their watery homes below the city. Sidon had long since finished the last of their pitcher of ale, and the buzz had begun to wear off Link. As the distant skyline began to grow faintly brighter with the first hints of dawn, Sidon turned, looking towards the dark crystalline cliffs surrounding the Eastern Reservoir Lake.

"I'm sure she would welcome a visit," Link said.

"I do not know what I should say to her."

"Think how I felt," Link said, smiling wryly. He touched the tunic he was wearing. He had put his Champion's tunic back on after Kodah had offered to repair his Zora armor for him. "I showed up wearing her engagement present."

Sidon looked back at him, eyes widening. "I hadn't even _considered_ that."

"Well, I don't think anyone expected Mipha's spirit to be waiting for me to arrive." Link got up, walking over to the side of the pavilion that Sidon was sitting on, leaning against the rail and looking towards where he knew Mipha waited within Ruta. "I wish I could remember more of her. I wonder what I would have said to her had she asked me before the Calamity."

Link paused. "But that doesn't matter now. What _does_ matter is that you should go see her. I don't know how it works with spirits, but I'm sure that she would love to speak with you."

Sidon took a deep breath and looked over at Link, nodding. "You're right. Tomorrow, I'll show you where the shrine is, and then I'll go see her."

Earlier in the evening, Link described Sheikah shrines to Sidon and asked him if he knew of any nearby. Sidon informed him of the location of one that he knew about to the west of Zora's Domain, near a place he called the Veiled Falls, offering to take him.

"Good," said Link, settling back down in one of the cushioned seats that rounded the pavilion.

"So which Divine Beast will you free next?" Sidon asked a short time later, after having turned back.

Link had been considering that, but it seemed to him that the answer was obvious. "I'll head north, to the Gorons. Hopefully their Divine Beast isn't going to cause the volcano to flood Hyrule with magma."

"Yes, I imagine that would be quite unfortunate."

"Probably."

They both shared a smile. After a moment, Sidon took a deep breath. "Thank you, Link. That you've accomplished so much in such a short amount of time—it's astounding! It's no wonder my sister held you in such high regard."

"I couldn't have done anything without help," Link said, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden change in subject. "Both you and Mipha did just as much as I did."

Sidon laughed as if Link had made a joke. When his laughter subsided again, he smiled broadly at Link. "My friend, if you ever have any need, I promise you that we will do whatever we can to assist you. When you have successfully freed all four of the Divine Beasts and are preparing to face the Calamity, do not hesitate to call on the Zora. We will be ready to give aid."

Link smiled at Sidon gratefully and looked back towards the dam and where he knew the distant Divine Beast stood sentinel. Looking at the dam sparked a memory in his mind, and he frowned, looking back at Sidon. "Sidon, earlier in the morning—you said that the dam was sabotaged."

"That's right. Some kind of explosives were used to weaken it. We're lucky we realized it when we did—if we hadn't noticed it before the lizalfo attack, we probably wouldn't have caught it in time before it broke completely."

Link frowned, mulling over this new information. "Why were the lizalfos trying to attack if they just planned to flood everything anyway? Don't they want the river itself?"

It was Sidon's turn to frown now, sitting up straighter and looking at Link. "The lizalfos have never used explosives before. And the water from the dam would have just as likely killed them as it would have us. Even if it didn't, they would have been swept away."

"So was it just a distraction?"

"If so, it was a bad one. It would have disastrous if it had broken. And our soldiers wouldn't have been charged with fixing the dam."

"What if the lizalfo attack was the distraction?"

They both fell silent, considering the implications. Finally, Sidon spoke again. "Who gave the lizalfos so many shock arrows?"

"Most likely whoever tried to destroy the dam." Link frowned deeply, looking at the glowing luminous stone that decorated the center of the table in the pavilion. It made sense. The lizalfos could have been responsible for either the explosion at the dam or the attack on Zora's Domain, but it was unlikely they would have been responsible for both. They contradicted each other.

"This is concerning," Sidon said. "We will have to post guards at the dams. The Rutala Dam is more vulnerable and leaves more Hylians at risk. Do you have any idea who could be responsible?"

Link shook his head. Maybe if he'd had more memories, he would know, but right now... "We have to assume it's someone working for Ganon."

"Which means you may encounter other forms of sabotage."

Link took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. It wasn't that surprising. He was fighting to thwart a creature like Calamity Ganon. It only made sense that Ganon would have someone working to thwart him.

Thoughts of shadow-figures in the night kept his mind occupied, even after he and Sidon finally parted ways, and he walked back to the inn. The sky continued to grow lighter overhead, but Link simply pulled the blanket over his face to try to shut out the morning.

As he slept, his dreams formless and non-sensical, a voice rang out in his mind, clear as though she were standing beside his bed.

"I worried that, with your memory loss, you might have been unwilling, but no. I recognize now that I was foolish. You have never shied away from your destiny before. You've already come _so far_ , Link.

"I know that your road will get harder but know that I will buy you as much time as I can. I will keep Ganon at bay. Be strong. You are not alone."

Link woke from his slumber.

 **End of Part One**

* * *

 **Thank you so much for all of those that have continued reading this novel up until now! This chapter concludes the first part of my planned three part story. What will follow next is a short interlude chapter, which should go up on Saturday as normal. After that, I intend to take a week off from posting chapters. I'm very close to finishing my first draft of Part Two, and I hope to use that extra time to crank out the last few chapters needed for it.**

 **The next part will be longer, with two Divine Beasts, and will feature many additional conflicts that Link will face, some of which I have hinted at in Part One. Those who know the game likely can guess where I'm going with it, but I hope to throw out some surprises along the way. In addition to the physical conflicts, Link's memories have begun to finally return... which isn't always a good thing. I can't wait to share all of it with you!**

 **As always, please let me know what you thought of the story so far. How do you feel about the characterizations and pacing? Is the action well-balanced, or do you feel it's too much or too little? Do the emotional scenes have enough weight to them? I'd love to hear about your opinions and any criticism you have to offer to help me continue to improve as a writer.**

 **Thanks!**


	18. Side Quests

**This chapter is very different from my other chapters, but I wanted this to show other corners of Hyrule during Link's journey. It also serves as a prologue of sorts to the next two parts of the novel and lets me set up a few plot points. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it. It was good to get away from Link for a bit!**

 **Before I continue, I did want to respond to a couple of the reviews, because I got some meaty ones that brought up some great points!**

 **First of all, xmana033: I really appreciate your kind words and for sticking with the novel for so long! If Link is your favorite character, then I feel as though I am accomplishing exactly what I set out to do, considering he spends so much of his time alone. To your comment on the Divine Beasts, though, I certainly understand why my version of them would be a little disappointing. That took me a while to decide on, but I eventually determined that having them function as a dungeon just didn't make much sense in the context of a novel. They were made to be weapons wielded by Champions, not dungeons to be solved by the hero with the Sheikah Slate. Having any Slate functionality at all seemed to be a plot hole, considering they couldn't get it to do much of anything besides taking photographs in the memories and journal entries. In the game, it makes sense as a mechanic, but in the context of the novel, I just couldn't get it to fit. But you are right, though-complex mechanical puzzles are extremely difficult to plot out and write (see Link and Purah's journey through the Sheikah Shrine...). Thank you for sticking with me, regardless!**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Thank you as well for sticking with the story! I appreciate your reviews, though this one straight up distresses me. Dang, I think I forgot completely about his injury at the hands of the lizalfo. If I ever go back through and make further edits, I will try to remember to make some adjustments there to account for it!**

 **Thank you to all of my other readers and followers. As a reminder, I will be taking the week off from posting in order to do some catching up in other areas, but then I will continue back on my normal posting schedule afterwards. Part Two is very nearly complete, and I'm very excited to share the twists and turns that it holds with everyone.**

* * *

 **Side Quests**

 **I**

"Well, boys, it's time to get to work!"

Hudson, a tall, burly man with a curtain of black hair that hung down his forehead and a thick mustache under an equally thick nose, looked up from his seat by the fire and over at the man that had spoken. Bolson was, in his usual way, far more excitable and, really, _loud_ than Hudson would ever quite get used to. Still, though, they'd be working together for years now. Ever since his father, Benson, died when he was a child, Hudson had been working alongside Bolson. He was Bolson's most experienced carpenter and his second-in-command on days that the boss was busy working on the business side of Bolson Construction.

Bolson was his usual colorful self as he walked up to the fire where Hudson and the new hire, Karson, sat (or lay, in Karson's case). He was shorter than Hudson by a head, balding on top, but with a line of grey hair around the sides and back of his head. His goatee was immaculately trimmed, as always. He wore an open-fronted blue jacket and a pair of shockingly pink pants—freshly dyed. Around his waist, he wore various tools of his trade—hammers, chisels, wood saws, and a number of other tools. While Hudson typically oversaw the heavy lifting and building, he'd never had an eye for detail work that Bolson had.

Of course, none of them would be doing the finer aspects of their job today. No, today was a day for destruction, not construction. After a lot of arguments and debates, the members of Hateno Village finally decided to tear down the old house just outside the village. It was an old house, full of ancient memories of people long dead, though it had also, supposedly, been owned by a famous soldier from the village from before the Calamity. None of that really mattered to Hudson, though—he tended to prefer less clutter. If something wasn't needed, then why keep it around?

Bolson didn't quite agree. He wanted to keep the house around for sentimental value, even though it stood in an excellent location for his own business expansion. He claimed that his grandfather used to be friends with the old soldier. But sentimental value did not outweigh the clinking of rupees in Bolson's mind, so he agreed to take the job of destroying the house, provided he kept the land for new construction projects. He would not only get paid for tearing the house down but would get paid again when he sold the new construction. Assuming it would sell, of course. The most recent homes that they built hadn't sold yet. Not many new people came to Hateno Village these days.

"Get up, Karson," Hudson said in his gruff voice. He slowly stood up, back crackling as he did so. In the tree overhead, several birds began to chirp excitedly once he moved—perhaps they'd been still for so long that the birds forgot they were there? No matter.

To his side, Karson groaned and sat up, running his hands through his short brown hair. He was a young man, newly hired into Bolson Construction, and barely able to tell the difference between a joint and a joist. But he was earnest and a hard worker. It was no wonder that he was picked out by Bolson to work directly with him and Hudson, while the others Sons worked on other projects. True, Hudson would have preferred to have at least another couple of workers with them for the project—maybe Nelson or Bryson—but he would settle for the three of them. They could handle the tear down and leave the cleanup to another crew of Sons.

Bolson walked up, swinging his arms as though he lacked a care in the world and smiling broadly. "Sleep well, did you, Karson?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, boss," Karson said, face reddening.

"Oh no! No need to apologize," said Bolson, waving his hands emphatically. "I imagine that girlfriend of yours keeps you up late at night." He grinned broadly as Karson began to sputter, only growing redder in the face. "Now, however, it is time to awaken your inner animal. We are _beasts_ of construction!"

Hudson blew out a long breath through his mustache at Bolson's sudden exclamation, but Karson seemed reinvigorated by it. He leaped to his feet, clenching his fists.

"I'm ready, boss!"

"Say it with me! We are—"

"—beasts of construction!"

"Hudson!"

Hudson remained silent.

Bolson looked at Hudson and scoffed. Hudson shrugged. Bolson sighed, but then perked back up, smiling broadly. "Okey-dooooo!" His voice took on a singsong quality as he clapped his hands together. "Let's get to work!"

* * *

The initial stages of the deconstruction of the house were simple enough. They had already surveyed it, looking for the weak structural links that could bring the whole building down, but Bolson was nothing but thorough, so they surveyed it again, making marks on beams and walls. This was both to help them tear the house down faster, but also served as a caution—it wouldn't do for one of them to knock down a proper load-bearing beam while they were still in the house, after all.

When that was complete, Bolson set them to begin removing anything still in or around the house. The house had largely been emptied over the last century, but a few pieces of broken furniture still remained. The loft had an almost complete bed, though one of its joints had been broken and the mattress, rotten and full of pests, had long since been removed.

Hudson was impressed by the craftsmanship of the house. The house was well over one hundred years old and had been empty since the Calamity, yet it still remained in surprisingly good condition. The roof needed some work, but it was still stable and the wood inside was mostly free of rot. The stairs leading up to the loft creaked but did not bend or give way as he and Karson walked on them. Even Hudson had to admit that it was a shame to tear down such a lovingly made home. Still, a job was a job.

That's why he was surprised when Bolson cried out to him to stop whatever he was doing just as he was raising his sledgehammer to break in one of the walls. A second later, Karson stuck his head out from around the corner, where he'd been removing the rotting front door. Hudson looked over at Bolson, who was standing next to a short man with long, dirty blonde hair, wearing a very bright blue tunic. Strangely, he had a sword and shield strapped to his back and a strange, rectangular device on his hip. Hudson couldn't remember ever seeing him around Hateno Village before. He stepped closer to where Bolson and the man were having their discussion.

"Well! You're just a little go-getter, aren't you?" Bolson said. He glanced up at Hudson and tipped him a small wink—something that the stranger probably easily saw him do. He looked back down at the man. "And you have all of that to give me for the house right now?"

"Well, no," the blonde man said. "But I can get it. I really just need you to hold off on destroying this house until I can."

Bolson looked down at the man, raising his hand and tapping his lips. "You know that some people really do want to see this house gone. Are you worried about making them angry? A stranger coming into town, buying up a condemned house… It's _very_ mysterious!" For all of his caution, Hudson could see that Bolson was clearly excited by the potential drama that could unfold as a result of all of this. Personally, he doubted there would be any such drama. Bolson had a tendency to exaggerate.

"I'm not… quite a stranger," the younger man said, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck, underneath his ponytail.

"And you definitely want _this_ house? You've seen it, right? It's old, outdated, falling apart… Why we just built the new houses across the bridge, which are far more modern and come pre-furnished!"

"No, I need—" The man hesitated, reconsidering, before continuing. "I'd really like to buy _this_ house."

Bolson continued to gaze at the man, tapping his lips thoughtfully. Finally, he smiled. "Well, you clearly know what you want and intend to pursue it." He chuckled softly. "Reminds me of _me_ from back in the day… All right, look." Bolson leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, though Hudson could still easily hear him. "I'll cut you a deal. I'll sell it to you for three thousand, but you've got to pay me today."

 _Three thousand?_ Hudson blew out through his mustache. That was less than they were even going to get paid for tearing the house down, much less the amount they could have made on building a new house in its place. But he knew that glint in the boss' eye. It was the same look that Bolson had when he found that puppy a few months back, declaring that it would be their new mascot. Now that he'd decided to take pity on the man looking to buy the house, there would be no turning back.

The man stood in silence for a long moment before nodding quickly. "Yeah, of course. Give me just a few minutes—I'll get the money." He turned and Hudson saw his face. He was a young man with strikingly blue eyes and not even a day's worth of scruff on his face. The man nodded at Hudson before hurrying past him. A moment later, Hudson could hear his boots on the bridge leading back towards the village proper.

Hudson looked at Bolson. Bolson looked at him. A moment later, Bolson grinned and shrugged. "I never _could_ resist a handsome young man in need." Hudson scoffed. "Oh, don't you look at me like that!" Bolson said, waggling a finger at Hudson in a scolding manner. "Besides, this way, _you_ can start on your next project all the sooner!"

Hudson had to admit that was a positive outcome. Hudson's next job, which would require traveling to the Akkala Highlands, would be far more challenging and, hopefully, rewarding, than tearing down an old house.

Hudson finally shrugged his acknowledgement, which earned him an eye roll from Bolson, who walked past him, patting his arm. "Break time!" he called out in his singsong voice. "Karson, why don't you put on some tea?"

Hudson watched Bolson walk—no, _prance_ —away and blew out one final breath through his mustache. He couldn't help himself but to give a small smile, however. For all his quirks, Bolson was an excellent boss, business manager, and friend. Hudson reckoned that he would follow Bolson into the maw of Calamity Ganon, if he had to.

* * *

A few days later, Hudson sat on a horse-drawn cart at the head of a small team of men and women, several horses, and a few mules. The morning sun had just risen over the sea to the east, and the cool breeze that blew down from Mount Lanayru to the north was not quite enough to banish the day's warmth from his bare arms. The day was clear, save for a few puffy white clouds overhead. He could smell the fresh loaf of bread that Bolson had baked for him sitting wrapped in the bag next to him.

"Now, be careful on the roads, Hudson," Bolson said from beside the cart, one hand on the sanded wood of the seat. Now that the day had come for Hudson to depart, Bolson suddenly seemed very hesitant about sending him on his way. He looked worried.

"I'll be fine," Hudson said. In truth, the reason he'd brought as many of Bolson's Sons was because of concerns over the safety of the roads. Telma had assured them when she'd been through last that the roads north towards Zora's Domain and the Akkala Highlands were usually safe enough, as long as travelers had enough strong-looking men with heavy objects. However, she also expressed concern over increasing boldness of some bands of bokoblins lately, telling them of one such encounter that happened near the Kakariko Bridge.

"I know you will be." Bolson patted the cart, taking a couple of steps back. He took a deep breath, regaining control over his concerns, and smiled up at Hudson bittersweetly. If all went according to plan, it very well could be a long time before they saw each other again. The Akkala Highlands was not short, after all, and both of them would be busy in the months to come.

Karson walked up to stand beside Bolson, beaming up at Hudson. Hudson smiled a little under his mustache. Karson was just earnest enough to probably get along just fine with Bolson in Hudson's absence.

"Now, remember! When you hire someone new, make sure they are a good, _proper_ match for the Bolson Construction company," Bolson said, eyes twinkling with a certain mischief.

"Of course, boss," Hudson said, nodding. Though his demeanor did not always show it, Bolson took his employee guidelines very seriously.

"Good! Now…" Bolson took a deep breath, looking over at Karson and gave him a short nod. They both looked back to Hudson and then, together, began to dance. The dance, which involved much waving of arms and swaying of hips, had been gaining in popularity among the members of the Bolson Construction company, not to mention the local children of Hateno Village. As they danced, they both began to sing the tune that Bolson had declared to be his company's theme song.

"With love, courage, and hopeful hearts, we give every house a new start!" Bolson and Karson both sang loudly, swaying back and forth in time with each other. "That name again is Bolson! Yeah, yeah! Buh-buh-buh-Bolson! Construction! Bolson! Construction!" The short tune and dance ended as they turned to the side, knees bent slightly, waved their arms and gyrated their hips. "Hoo-wah, hoo-wah!"

Several nearby children cheered, clapping and running up to Bolson, who beamed and patted their heads affectionate. Karson, for his part, seemed very uncomfortable around the children, not at all sure how to act around them. Ahh, well, he was young yet.

Sighing heavily, Hudson sat up straighter in his seat, looking down at Bolson and smiling. He raised his hand in farewell. Bolson stood up straight, waving his hand enthusiastically. "Good-bye, Hudson! Have safe travels! I will see you again soon, don't worry."

Hudson lowered his hand, nodded towards Karson, who now was surrounded by children who seemed to sense his reticence and, therefore, wanted to be around him even more, and clicked his tongue. He snapped the reins in his hands, and the horse began pulling his cart down the hill, away from Hateno Village.

* * *

 **II**

The bokoblin on the ridge overlooking the valley west of Hateno Village suddenly began to jump up and down, pointing down into the valley and babbling. It had in one hand an only-slightly broken looking glass, which it had been using to surveil the distant village. Beside it sat a tall dark-skinned moblin with a broken horn, which used one of its massive hands to block the light of the rising sun.

An enormous golden-maned lynel walked up to the ridge, which sat beside the massive stone tower, which had a name that none of the gathered creatures knew. The lynel was old and scarred. One of his eyes was milky white and blind, with a scar stretching from the top of his scalp, across the eye, and down his cheek. One of his horns was half gone. His chest bore the scars of years of battle. Stabs, cuts, burns all rent his flesh and fur, yet he lived on, which was less than what could be said about those that left the scars. His name was Wurka.

With an angry grunt, Wurka took the looking glass from the bokoblin, who backed away quickly, lest he incur the notorious wrath of their leader. The lynel lifted it to his remaining good eye, looking at a small caravan of carts and Hylians left the village, traveling northwest out of the valley. After a few moments, he lowered the looking glass, tapping it with one of his long claws thoughtfully.

"Leave them," he finally said in a low growl. He thrust the looking glass back towards the bokoblin with instructions to inform him of anything else out of the ordinary. Wurka turned his back on the relieved looking bokoblin and the sleepy moblin, stalking back down from the ridge to the growing encampment at the base of the tower.

Their numbers were growing. The tower sat at the top of a tall cliff, but his camp extended all the way down to the small forest at its base. Multiple cookfires littered the grassy ridgeline, with woodland animals of multiple varieties being cooked and eaten. At one of the cookfires, an exceptionally tall moblin lost her temper at one of the bokoblins near her and stood, grabbing the bokoblin by his head. Wurka watched impassively as the moblin threw the bokoblin, whose arms flailed in panic, off a cliff down to into a depression with a pond at the bottom. The bokoblin screamed all the way down.

Several other moblins cheered her while the other bokoblins around this particular cookfire decided to move onto a cookfire containing friendlier—and smaller—individuals. Wurka watched this with some pride. He did not discourage infighting among his growing army. No, rather, he encouraged it, wanting his fighters to be as savage as they were fearsome.

For too long, his people had been hunted and shunned by the Hyrulean races. There were so few of the proud lynels left, but that would change. It would change soon. In the meantime, he would continue to watch, train, and gather more forces.

* * *

 **III**

Master Kohga steepled his long fingers, looking through his mask at the two members of his clan that kneeled on the floor beside him. Torches dimly lit the stone walls of the small chamber that sat at the center of his clan. His kingdom. Tapestries of various colors lined his walls, including one that showed a giant, dark-skinned pig-like creature wielding a trident. Directly above his cushioned throne sat his symbol—the bleeding eye of the Yiga clan.

 _His_ Yiga clan.

Smiling from behind his white mask emblazoned with the same symbol, Master Kohga slowly rose from his throne. He stepped down from the dais, walking slowly around the two members of his clan that still sat kneeling on the floor. Their masks had been removed, as was customary in the presence of their leader.

He clasped his hands behind his back, turning away from them. Let them sweat, unaware if he was pleased or displeased by the message they had just delivered. In truth, he was displeased in their performance. He just hadn't decided what to _do_ with them yet.

He had expected them to return with news of the destruction of Zora's Domain. He had certainly served it up on a silver platter for those disgusting lizalfos. He had equipped them with better weapons and tactics, given them scores of shock arrows, and even had his agents remove the Zora sentries from the equation. The lizalfos should have served as a perfect distraction for the Zora, allowing his agents to destroy the dam and flood both of the disgusting races away.

 _The plan was perfect! Foolproof!_ Kohga thought, scowling. But, somehow, that _boy_ had foiled everything. Worse yet, he had even somehow _calmed_ that Divine Beast. Kohga's hands, still behind his back, balled into fists. It was, of course, the same boy that his spies from Kakariko Village had reported to him. Blue tunic, long, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, claiming to be the hero of legend that had supposedly died one hundred years prior.

Assuming his story was true, the boy had somehow been saved and preserved for the last one hundred years. That fool, Impa, had apparently known about it, though the Yiga had never been able to get even a hint of the boy's survival. It was infuriating to know that Impa had actually _kept_ such a secret. Had she really gone the last one hundred years without telling anyone? Surely, if she had, he would have eventually heard. Even the faithful Sheikah occasionally got too drunk at the bar, after all. This was, of course, if the story was even true. Master Kohga had his doubts.

 _Still, though_ , he thought as he looked up to the tapestry that showed the dark-skinned creature. _If it is true, maybe it's a sign? Will the Calamity finally rise again to meet this new enemy?_

He walked slowly around the room, pausing by a pair of sickles hanging on the wall. He reached up with one long finger, running it along the cool black metal. Of course, it was only cool because it was here, deep within his underground fortress. Had it been outside, in the torturous heat of the desert sun, it would have burned his finger at the touch.

Releasing a scream of frustration, Kohga grabbed the sickle from the wall, ripping it free of its supports. He turned, staring at the two kneeling clan members, who, to their credit, did not turn or panic at his weapon. He could see the signs of their fear, though. A slight tremor in the arm, a pulsing vein in the neck, a held breath.

Perhaps he should just kill one of them. The whispers at the back of his mind certainly suggested he do so. They _had_ failed him, after all. Worst of all, the Zora had _detected_ the sabotage, and they had reported increased security at the dams. The Zora knew of some form of outside sabotage—not surprising, considering how _stupid_ the lizalfos were. It made no sense that they would be intelligent enough to come up with as good a plan as he had!

 _I should have thought of that,_ he mused, gazing down at the black metal. _I'm too genius, too… superior. Should have dumbed down my plan for the dim-witted. Then they wouldn't have all failed me. They **failed** me._

He would not kill these two. Not today, anyway. There were few that had actually seen the resurrected boy with their own eyes. He would need them for now. Kohga whirled away from them, stabbing the sickle into one of the hanging tapestries. Its point hit the stone wall behind the tapestry, the force of the impact wrenching the sickle from Kohga's hand. It clattered noisily on the ground.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, Master Kohga turned away from the fallen sickle, walking away with a stiff back. He moved back to his throne, settling back into it with a sigh. Unlike most of the rest of his haven, his throne was covered in soft, plush fabric. It felt like a chair that royalty would sit it. Fitting, then, that he was the one who sat in it.

"You both will take a team of Yiga out into Hyrule. _Find_ this boy. Confirm his identity. And, when you have, kill him. After he is gone, report back to me with who he truly was. If this _is_ the hero of legend come back, it could mean that Calamity Ganon is likewise preparing for his return…"

That would be interesting. Kohga wondered what he would have his Yiga do if Ganon did, in fact, return. Would he dutifully serve the monster? Perhaps. For a time. He doubted that he would have the patience to serve under another for long, though. He supposed that he would have to kill the creature eventually. Perhaps, then, the whispers would stop.

His two scouts stood up straight, folding their hands together beneath their ribs, and bowed before standing back up. Together, they backed away and walked purposefully out of the room, replaced by a tall Yiga woman named Haia. This one did not remove her mask—a slight, but Kohga would allow it for her. She was his top lieutenant, after all.

"So it is true?" she asked. "Has the hero truly returned from the dead?"

"Perhaps." Kohga steepled his fingers over his stomach, which puffed out only slightly. "If so, our plans do not change. In fact, if he _is_ going around, taming the Divine Beasts, then it is even more imperative that we succeed."

"I agree, Master Kohga. That is why I have ordered our spies among the Gerudo to act."

"Good. When will they return with the Thunder Helm?"

"You should expect them to return within the week."

"Excellent." Master Kohga nodded thoughtfully. Without the Thunder Helm in their possession, the Gerudo would be helpless against their own Divine Beast, which had recently awakened. Its sandstorm and lightning strikes would serve the Yiga clan well as they began to enact their extended plans for gaining control over the various regions in Hyrule. Zora's Domain was a setback, but the Zora would be dealt with in time.

Perhaps he would control all of Hyrule by the time Ganon rose again. If so, perhaps it would be _Ganon_ who was forced to bend a knee to Kohga's might, rather than the alternative. King Kohga _did_ have a nice ring to it, after all.

Underneath his white mask, Kohga smiled.

* * *

 **IV**

Kass smiled down at the beautiful structures of Zora's Domain from atop the ridge west of the city. He had left early that morning, saying his farewells to Prince Sidon and the other Zora whose presence he had enjoyed while taking up residence in the city. He had not finished the song he promised to write for Sidon but planned to return once his song had been completed. Perhaps he would be able to travel with his wife and daughters by then. It certainly seemed like a possibility, given recent events.

Link had left two days prior, riding out of Zora's Domain on his horse, packs laden with gifts of dried fish and other gifts. Kass noted a significant difference in the way Link was viewed among the Zora after the events of the Divine Beast. And their newfound warmth was not directed towards Link alone; the Zora suddenly seemed that much warmer to members of all other races as well. Certainly, he had felt even more welcome than before, and Kass had even overheard Prince Sidon discussing ways to secure more of the riverways outside of Zora's Domain. It seemed like a very real possibility that the peoples of Hyrule may finally begin to push back against the pain and sadness that had permeated the land for the last century.

It gave Kass hope to think that his daughters may be able to grow up in a land full of new life and joy. To give them a chance to live their lives out from under the terrible threat of Calamity Ganon and his minions—that was the greatest gift that Kass could wish for them. Of course, his own part in that narrative was small, but he would play it to the best of his abilities.

Here in Zora's Domain, the Zora people finally had hope again. Kass could work with that. He could _make_ something of that. Link would make his trip towards the Gorons next and, as much as Kass wished he could follow Link for the sake of seeing his accomplishments firsthand, he knew that there were other things that he could do, instead. Besides, he had already visited the Gorons in the past to discuss their deceased Champion, so it would make little sense to revisit them.

He would travel south to visit the Hylian and Sheikah people. They would have likely already heard of Link's accomplishments from his own mouth (how wonderful would it be for Kass to have a device such as the Sheikah Slate!), but Kass doubted that many of the common folk had heard it yet. A few nights in the inns and stables would do the people there good.

After that, he imagined that he would travel west, to the desert. He would not be allowed entry into the Gerudo city, but he would still have an audience outside the city. The Gerudo women may not allow males into their cities very often, but they appreciated music as much as any of the other races.

He was in for a long journey, even by flight. Still, it would be good to stretch his wings again, after being grounded for as long as he had been, thanks to the rain. He had worried that his concertina would have been damaged by the moisture, but his weather-proof case held up well, keeping the sensitive instrument dry. The sun felt warm and inviting, and Kass knew that the weather was perfect for flight.

As Kass walked up the hills, northwest of Zora's Domain, preparing himself to take flight where his difficulty in gaining rapid altitude would not be a hindrance, he wondered when he would meet Link again. He was, of course, quite certain that their paths would cross again, and likely in the near future. But when that future would take place, Kass was not certain.

He took a deep breath, spreading his wings to their full ten-foot span. He angled himself so that the wind would help him gain speed and altitude and then began running forward, flapping his wings. His feet left the ground, and he straightened them behind him as he flapped again, skimming ten feet over the grass. Within a few moments, he caught a pocket of rising warm air, which helped him soar up and over the cliffside that led out over the Akkala Highlands.

After he cleared the cliffs, he banked right, looping around Ploymus Mountain, where he had witnessed Link's defeat of the lynel. What a glorious battle that had been! He began to review his memories of the event, humming the song he was working on to accompany the tale. He passed over the Eastern Reservoir, where he could see the Divine Beast Vah Ruta still stationed, waiting her summons to go into battle for Link.

Kass wondered if Link truly understood the effect that he had on people. It was more than his accomplishments. Even before defeating the lynel and taming the Divine Beast, he had been able to inspire courage in both Sidon and Kass, himself. His simple confidence brought such change in people's demeanor. His very presence meant hope.

It was no wonder that the princess fell in love with him all those years ago. Perhaps Kass would tell Link _that_ story someday.

Kass smiled as he angled into the wind, expertly adjusting his wing and tail feathers just right to catch the breeze. He quickly gained altitude, soaring high above the green land far below. It felt good to fly so freely, when doing so near his home was so dangerous due to their own Divine Beast. It would be good when Link made his way to Rito Village to free Medoh.


	19. PART TWO: Chapter Seventeen

**Thank you so much for your patience this past week (ish). I've been dying to post the next chapter but held to my earlier promise of a short hiatus so I could work out a few little details in Part Two. Those details have been (mostly) worked out, and I am actually only a chapter away from completing my initial draft of this part. And let me tell you-it's a _ride_. This part contains even bigger battles, emotions, and character development than the first part did. It's also going to be longer than Part One by about four chapters-twenty, instead of sixteen-so expect this part will carry us through the end of summer. I'm still on-track to have this novel finished well before the end of the year, so my twice-weekly posting schedule will continue unabated through the entirety of Part Two, barring any circumstances out of my control. We'll see if I need to make adjustments once we hit Part Three in September.**

 **Please follow, like, review and all that, but most of all: please enjoy!**

* * *

 **PART TWO**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

Death Mountain loomed large and imposing over Link as he gazed at it from his perch atop the Lanayru Tower. The volcano stood tall in the middle of a red, craggy landmass. The green of Zora's Domain and Hyrule Field faded, giving way to the red dirt and rock. The path, from what he could see, led into a series of switchbacks that winded their way up the mountainous terrain until, finally, reaching the base of the volcano.

He could see the Divine Beast. Vah Rudania. He hadn't seen it before, but that's because his visibility had been hindered by the rain that had hovered over Zora's Domain. He could see it now, though—a massive lizard-like construction that walked on the steeply sloped surface of Death Mountain as if it were nothing more than a gentle hill. It seemed unperturbed by the jagged lines of magma that flowed down from the open maw of the volcano.

As Link watched, the distant Divine Beast paused, lifted its head, and opened its mechanical mouth in a silent roar. Link frowned. Ruta had controlled the weather over Zora's Domain and had—just recently—started acting out. Was that a coincidence, or was there something more sinister happening? Was Rudania acting out in a similar manner? And, if so, what power did it have over the land?

Link sighed and reached down to the small package sitting on the floor of the Sheikah tower next to him. He carefully unwrapped it, revealing dried strips of lamb and a few carrots. He'd picked this handy meal up at Kakariko Village several days prior, before riding out of Zora's Domain. He wondered if he should make any more trips to Kakariko or Hateno now that he had unlocked the tower in this region, enabling quick travel between the two. He could not think of anything that he either did not already have or did not want to have to carry, however, and it was still too early in the day to warrant traveling back to sleep in his new house. A house purchased, of course, through the loan of rupees by a very old Sheikah in a young girl's body.

While he ate a carrot with one hand, he used his other hand to navigate through the menus on his Sheikah Slate, clicking the Telescope Rune. He lifted the Slate one-handed up and peered through its translucent screen at the path winding up towards Death Mountain. After a few moments, he found what he was looking for. A small settlement at the base of the foothills, right before the path transformed into the switchbacks.

It was here that most of the trading to and from Death Mountain was done, from what Link had been told. Gorons would transport valuable ore and gems down the mountain and trade for fire-resistant cloth, spices, and other materials not found on or around Death Mountain. Or, at least, that is how it once was, before the Calamity. Now, however, no one that Link had talked to really knew what he would find. From this distance, Link could not see any movement within the settlement. He knew that _some_ trade still happened, so he presumed that someone still occupied the settlement. How many people, however, was another question entirely.

He set the Sheikah Slate down and finished off the small meal he'd packed himself. Standing, he gathered up his supplies, taking one last look around the tower. His eyes fell on Hyrule Castle. For the briefest of moments, he saw a flash of memory in his mind—a beautiful castle against a clear blue sky—but then it disappeared. That had been happening more often lately, except for the one location that Link hoped it would: his home.

He bought the house in Hateno Village, preventing it from being torn down, because he had found out that it once belonged to _his_ family before the Calamity. He'd hoped that being in it would spark some memory of his father or mother or his experiences growing up, but those memories remained firmly locked behind the barrier in his mind put in place by the Shrine of Resurrection.

Link shook off the thoughts and took a deep breath, stepping up to the edge of the tower. Far below, across the Zora River, he could see where he'd left Spirit. The horse had, as he always did, remained close to where Link had left him, drinking water from the river and munching on tufts of grass. Link unfolded the paraglider and held it above it head. He still had to push down flutters of anxiety at the prospect of leaping off such a high location.

That anxiety fled when he stepped off the tower, however, and the wind caught his paraglider. Link could _fly_. At least, that's how it felt to him as he floated over the river below. Air rushed through his hair, blowing his loose sideburns, and causing his blue Champion tunic to flutter lightly.

He crossed the river with ease and banked his glider gently, sending him into a lazy spiral. From this vantage, he felt as though he could see everything. A rabbit hopping across the dirt road froze in fear when Link's shadow passed overhead. A fox curiously nosed around in the grass, looking for food. He even caught sight of a majestic buck with a many-pointed set of antlers standing sentinel in a tree-lined meadow.

Grinning, Link circled back around into the wind. He could see fish swimming in the river. Suddenly, a grey blur shot down past Link, straight into the water below. A moment later, a grey and white bird burst out of the water, flapping its wide wings. It lifted out of the water, carrying a large, green fish in its talons. Amazed, Link watched as the bird laboriously gained altitude while simultaneously fighting to control the wildly writhing fish. It gave him ideas on how he could use the paraglider in an ambush.

Finally, he glided down, landing with a small stumble on the road, just a few feet from where Spirit lazily ate grass. As he touched down, his horse looked up, meeting his eyes, and snorted. Spirit returned to his grass. Link smiled, folding up the paraglider and walking over to strap it in place on Spirit's saddle. He would have to figure out what he would carry and leave behind when he finally made the trek up Death Mountain. He wouldn't be able to take Spirit up into the extreme heat of the volcano. He would have enough trouble carrying enough water for himself, much less try to find a way to keep the horse fed and watered.

He looked up towards the volcano. A pillar of grey smoke rose from it, mingling with the patchy clouds overhead. _How strange it must be to live in such a volatile place._

"I mean, their homes—not to mention their _lives_ —are always at risk. An unexpected lava flow, earthquakes, and even the occasional full eruption—any of these could happen at any time."

Link looked over at the speaker. Princess Zelda was dressed in her normal blue travel attire, though the sleeves of the white undershirt had been rolled up to her elbows. Still, the heat of the summer sun beat down on them, leaving a light sheen of sweat on her brow. They had both hoped that they would escape some of this heat upon leaving the Gerudo Desert, and they had for a time. However, spring gave way to an abnormally hot summer. Somehow, Link thought that they could have planned their visit to Daruk and Rudania a little better.

Still, once the princess got her mind set on something, there really was no changing it. She was as stubborn as a Gerudo. Or perhaps a Goron. He kept the comparison to himself. He did not think she would appreciate it very much.

"We will have to leave the horses soon, too, won't we?" she asked, reaching up and placing a hand upon her white stallion's neck. They hadn't been getting along very well lately. Link thought that the royal horse, which matched the pride and stubbornness of his master well, might have been offended at being left at the stable outside of the desert, instead of being allowed to continue traveling with them. Unfortunately, the situation there was much like the situation here—it was too hot and there was too little water to risk the horses. He would have to try to give her some advice on how to ease the horse's wounded pride. That was, if he could figure out how to do so without wounding hers in the process.

"Well?" Her voice had grown sharper, drawing his attention back to her. She raised her eyebrows, irritated green eyes clearly demanding an answer. Link opened his mouth to do so.

And she was gone.

Link slowly closed his mouth as the memory faded. It had happened so suddenly that, in a way, it didn't even feel like a memory to him. It could have just happened. She could have been standing right there. She _had_ been standing right there. One hundred years ago.

Closing his eyes, Link sighed softly. Memories, such as these, had begun to come more regularly. He'd begun seeing them with more frequency after defeating the Divine Beast, mostly in and around Zora's Domain. Many of them had been with Mipha, though he had even recalled some of the antics he'd shared with the Big Bad Bazz Brigade, as they had called themselves so many years ago.

Link opened his eyes again, inhaling the sweet scents of spring. _How much longer will spring continue?_ he wondered. He'd awoken several weeks prior, and truth be told, he had no idea how late into the season it was. Based on the activity in the fields around Hateno Village and Kakariko, however, he assumed that they were still in the midst of planting season, so it would be some time before the summer heat overtook him. Perhaps Death Mountain would be more bearable when he visited it this time.

Smiling faintly, Link lifted a foot into Spirit's stirrup and hefted himself up onto the horse's back. Patting Spirit's neck gently, he clicked his tongue and nudged the horse's side with his knee. Spirit began to move at a gentle trot, turning up the path that led towards Death Mountain.

The path took Link northeast for a time, up a hill lined with pine trees. To the right side of the road rose the steep cliffsides of the ridges and plateaus surrounding Zora's Domain from this side, while further north, the land dropped off into a large valley labeled Trilby Valley on the Sheikah Slate. The hill seemed to mark the border between the more lush and verdant areas of Hyrule Field and Zora's Domain, while the earth in the valley grew redder and the grass sparser.

As he rode Spirit, he began to notice other signs of habitation. There were noticeable tracks on the road left by boots, hooves, and cart wheels. While the ground was dry now, it had only recently been thick mud as a result of the rains from Zora's Domain, leaving many of the tracks deeply set in the packed dirt. He did see other tracks too—tracks that he thought might belong to lizalfos, bokoblins, or the larger moblins—but these were rarer and further spread out.

Seeing the signs of life bolstered Link's mood as he climbed the hill. Though he didn't see anyone else on the road, the fact that others _did_ still travel it meant much to him. What would it be like, if he successfully defeated Ganon? Would the kingdom of Hyrule rise again, or would another nation rise in its place? What would come of the Zora, the Rito, and the Hylians? Kass and Sidon both had lamented the fact that their races were so insulated from each other. Would that change after Ganon was defeated? Could it change before then?

 _Could I do something to change it?_ Link thought as he looked up at the cliffs to his south. The Zora seemed more amenable to outsiders now. Were the Gorons as unwelcoming as the Zora had been?

Link pulled out his Sheikah Slate, gazing down at the smooth black surface of its screen. He opened up the image gallery and began to slowly scroll through the dozens of photographs that Princess Zelda had left on it. As he flipped through images of flowers and fauna, of landmarks, and the people that she obviously cared for, Link was struck by a sense of wonder at the level of insight this simple device gave him into her character.

He still knew so little about her, yet he thought that he could guess at her personality from this. He thought that she must have been a patient person. Warm to the people around her. He thought to his brief memory of her earlier in the day—she was intelligent and studious. She loved the land and the people within it. He'd thought of her as stubborn, but why wouldn't she be? She was a princess, after all. But, more than that, it seemed to him that, in that brief memory, she had spoken to him simply and with no airs of royalty. It made him think of the way Sidon interacted with his entourage. Had Princess Zelda been as relaxed around Link as Sidon was with his guards?

He landed on the image of the princess dressed in her white gown and standing before the pool of water. Her expression seemed sad, but she still smiled. What was she thinking in this moment? Was she hopeful for a future without Ganon? Was she fearful for the eventual confrontation? What did she see when she saw Link? Did she see a hero? A guardian? A friend?

He wondered if she could see him now.

* * *

The morning gave way to the mid-afternoon by the time Link reached the fork in the road. He still hadn't seen anyone on the road as he traveled, but that was no longer surprising to him after all of the travel he'd done since waking. After consulting his map for a time longer, Link turned Spirit to the right, away from Death Mountain and towards the Akkala Highlands.

Purah had not had any ability to fix his Guardian sword when he brought it to her. Well, he supposed, she very well _may_ have been able to fix it, but she flat out refused, stating that her research was in Ancient Sheikah technology and Guardians, not weapons and armor. Then she told him to go see Robbie if he wanted to get his sword fixed.

 _It's like they're not in any hurry for me to save the world,_ Link thought with a wry smile. But the detour would only take about a week, by his estimation of the map. He was worried about his ability to harm the creations of Ganon without one of the strange energy weapons, though. It would not be good to go into the fight unprepared, assuming a similar creature occupied Rudania.

Shortly after the fork, the road transitioned from dirt to one of old brick. Many of the bricks had long since been overgrown with grass or covered with dirt, but he could still see many of the grey bricks underneath the overgrowth. Spirit's hooves clip-clopped loudly enough to echo off the sheer cliff face to Link's right. As they continued up the hill, Link saw a lake spread out below him and, in the distance, the trading post in the foothills of Death Mountain.

With sudden and abrupt certainty, Link knew that he'd traveled this road before. While he saw no flash of memory to accompany this feeling, he knew with certainty that he had walked this road alongside Princess Zelda. He could almost see her on her white horse, riding alongside him. Perhaps she would be taking photographs with the Sheikah Slate. Out of curiosity, he pulled his Sheikah Slate out again, checking for any photographs from this location, though finding none. Still, satisfied with the sense of _rightness_ that he felt, Link continued on, his head held high.

That evening, he made camp just past another fork in the road, in the midst of some old ruins that he thought might have once been some kind of watch post. He found a few rusted shields and broken spears that told him as much. As he looked around for wood for a fire, he found other signs of life in the area. The faded and tattered remains of a flag mostly buried under rubble, the remains of an old bed, and a broken cylindrical telescope. More worrisome, he found indication of other, more recent inhabitants as well. Old cookfires, picked apart animal skeletons, and a roughly carved wooden club. Clearly, bokoblins had made camp here before as well.

The thought of it made Link's skin crawl, and he proceeded to do another loop around his small camp, crouching low and looking for any fresher signs of the monsters. Though he found nothing recent, there were plenty of indications that they had used it in the past. Tonight, however, Link was alone.

He did find out what happened to the watch post, though. As he rummaged around for any fresher signs of bokoblins, he came across the broken leg of a Guardian. Just a single leg. But it told him what he needed to know. Why this place had been reduced to little more than rubble and the old remains of its foundation.

Perhaps the soldiers here had put up a fight—even managed to take a Guardian's leg off—but it hadn't been enough to stop their wave of destruction. This wasn't like the Temple of Time or even Fort Hateno; no Guardian corpses littered the ground here. It hurt Link to think of those forgotten soldiers, fighting, perhaps, to save their home, as he had done all those years ago. They had likely fallen, just as he had.

Link returned to his camp, carrying what broken pieces of wood he could find among the ruins. He cooked the last of the salted fish that the Zora had given him on his cookpot, adding a few spices and herbs that he had picked up in Hateno Village. The meal came out well, though he thought that he could do better with the mixture of spices. Either way, other than some of the travel rations he had packed from Hateno Village, he would need to start hunting for meat again tomorrow, if he wanted to have anything beyond jerky and mushrooms.

It took him some time to fall asleep that night, mind plagued with thoughts of scared soldiers desperately trying to fend off advancing Guardians. It was far enough away from the castle that they may not have even known that the castle had fallen. They had probably wondered where their princess and the Champion with the Legendary Sword was.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Can I see it?"

The soldier was not so much younger than Link himself. He was slightly shorter than Link, with freckles and a mop of red hair. He had left his spear resting against the wall of the barracks in his haste to meet the man who wielded the sword of legend.

In truth, Link would rather not pull the Master Sword out to show every young boy and girl that dreamt of someday being a hero for Hyrule, but it seemed wrong of him to refuse the boy's request. After all, how long ago had it been that he had been just like this boy? He hadn't been a soldier; rather, he had been a squire in service to a knight. But he dreamed of being a hero, all the same.

Oh, how he sometimes wished he could have gone back and slapped his younger self.

Link reached over his shoulder, pulling the Master Sword out of its sheathe. As always, it slid free with ease, as if it were eager to be out of its confines. The young man's eyes widened as he took in the brilliant blade and its purple hilt. It was a magnificent weapon, unblemished and always sharp. It was perfectly balanced, just the right weight, and the exact length that he needed. It was unfortunate, then, that carrying it proved to be such a burden.

"Would you like to hold it?" Link asked, his voice quiet.

The young man looked up at Link in surprise and, after a moment of hesitation, shook his head. "Oh, no, Sir Link. I couldn't. I don't think that the sword would find me worthy, and I've heard the legends of what happens when the Master Sword does not find someone worthy."

Myths. So far, in all of Link's short time wielding the Master Sword, he had yet to see it sap the life out of someone who touched it. Still, though, he would not push the matter. Nodding, he returned the Master Sword to its scabbard. The soldier's eyes followed it as Link slid it smoothly into its resting place. He looked like he wanted to ask Link more questions, but then appeared to decide otherwise, thanking Link and retrieving his spear.

Link sighed softly and walked over to stand in the open doorway of the South Akkala guard post. Outside, lightning flashed and torrential rain poured. He and Princess Zelda had been in Goron City for the last week, helping Daruk master his control over the Divine Beast. Two days before they departed, a man had arrived, bearing a message for the princess, informing her of a new discovery that the doctors Purah and Robbie had made in the Akkala Highlands. Her original plan had been to visit Mipha in Zora's Domain to get an update on her control over Ruta, but that, it would seem, could wait.

It had been Link's hope to reach the Citadel and rest there for the night, as it was far more defensible than this small watch post, but as least Princess Zelda had agreed to take the guard-captain's quarters for the night. He had spoken with the captain, and the old soldier had readily agreed to post guards outside of her door. Link would take up that post later in the night, when he knew an attack would be most likely. She would likely be irritated to see him standing guard when she woke in the morning—she never liked when he posted guards outside of her door, after all.

Still, he was her appointed knight and would not shirk his duties, even when in a supposedly safe location. If she disliked it, then she would have to take that up with her father. Link could not help but to smile slightly at the thought, knowing full well that she had already done so. Repeatedly.

"Sir Link?" The new voice behind him made Link sigh slightly before turning around to find another soldier—this one older than Link by at _least_ two decades—looking hopefully towards the hilt sticking up from behind Link's shoulder. "Would you be willing to allow me the chance to glimpse your sword?"

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

The next morning brought Link the chance to see what he had been unable to see in the deep of the night before. North of the ruins that he had slept in, across the bridge that led into the Akkala region, stood a castle.

At first, it looked as though the castle was impossibly tall, easily dozens of stories in height. However, upon further inspection, he determined that, no, it had just been built upon a mountain, which accounted for most of its height. Finally, as he pulled out his Sheikah Slate to inspect it closer, he realized with shock that it was not built _on_ a mountain, but _into_ it. Stone walls and structures had been erected all around the mountain—at its base, on its sides, and at its peak. And at the center of the castle stood a glowing Sheikah Tower.

Eyes wide, Link lowered the Sheikah Slate, clipping it to his belt. His map named this structure, though it gave no indication to its significance or its magnificence. The Akkala Citadel. He felt almost giddy at seeing it. He wondered if the structure held people. Why wouldn't the refugees of one hundred years ago have settled in a castle like that? While he was still too far to make out clear details, the idea of finding another stronghold of Hylian kind excited him.

He quickly gathered his equipment and saddled Spirit, riding north across a bridge that spanned a deep canyon. It took him more than an hour before the road he followed wound past the ruins of an old town that sat at the base of the Citadel. The mountain that the Citadel sat on sprang up from the bottom of a large canyon, and the only way to reach it was by crossing a bridge over the canyon. This small town sat on the side of the bridge opposite the Citadel—a home for families of soldiers and a marketplace for those soldiers to enjoy while not on duty.

At least, that is what the old town of Kasuto had likely been one hundred years prior. Now, as Link turned off the road that led past the town and rode through the shattered gate that had once protected the town, he found it to be a lifeless husk. It was much like the other ruins he had found on his journey—many of the buildings had been destroyed beyond recognition while those that still had standing walls were still in no condition to be lived in.

But what of the Citadel? Had it stood in the face of the Guardian attack? Link's earlier hopes had begun to fade as he saw the state that Kasuto had been left in, but they were dashed as he stopped at the foot of the bridge that led across to the Akkala Citadel. The bridge that crossed the canyon had long ago collapsed, leaving Link with no way of inspecting the Citadel in person. From what he could see from here, however, told him all he needed to know.

Like the Temple of Time with its side that made it look whole, the Citadel also looked unblemished from one side, while the other revealed the destruction that it had suffered. Dead Guardians were visible all over the Citadel. Some of them lay in heaps at the bottom of the canyon while others had been frozen in their ascent up the mountain, spider-like legs still somehow clinging to the rock after one hundred years. Those that had gotten into the fortress, however, had clearly done the damage they needed to.

He could see Guardian corpses in the midst of the destroyed walls, having breached the defenses of the fortresses before, finally, being defeated. That alone would not have meant the Citadel was lost, of course, but the presence of the substance that Impa called Malice likely did. He could see the strange purple substance—the same from within the Divine Beast—oozing out from within the Citadel, sliding down walls and covering floors. He doubted that any Hylian would be able to cohabit a place with the substance.

With a sigh, Link prepared to turn back and continue on his way when movement from the Citadel stopped him. He looked back and frowned as he saw _something_ hovering in the air near the Sheikah tower. It was difficult to make out from his distance, so he pulled out the Sheikah Slate and used the telescope mode to get a better picture of what the thing was.

It was some kind of construct made of black metal that hovered via a trio of spinning blades that chopped the air. A single blue eye at the end of a long cylinder hanging down from its inverted body swiveling around and looking at its surroundings. The flying thing's advanced construction and the designs on its body meant that it was unmistakably Ancient Sheikah in design, and it glowed with the red light that had infested Ruta.

It was a Guardian. Different, yes, from the many-legged Guardians that Link had seen thus far, but its design was clear. Furthermore, it was still _functioning_.

Fear gripped Link's heart as he watched the Guardian hover around the ruins of the Citadel, guarding it from anyone seeking to reclaim the fortress or, perhaps, still seeking for any remaining life within it that had long since been snuffed out. After seeing the Guardians on the Great Plateau and Fort Hateno, he had assumed that they were all broken down, if not defeated. But here was proof that at least one still survived and remained under Ganon's influence.

Link turned Spirit, gripping the reins in a white-knuckled grip. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he turned his back on one of the things that had killed him a hundred years prior. Could it see him from so far away? Would it follow, if it did? Link kicked his horse into a gallop, leaning low over the horse's neck and urging as much speed out of him as he could. He sped through the old town, expecting that, in any moment, he would feel searing heat on his back.

As Spirit burst out from Kasuto's gates, Link finally looked back. Nothing followed. The Guardian had not seen him. He pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, leaning over with his hands on his knees. He shook violently and closed his eyes, trying to force down the sudden wave of nausea that threatened to overtake him. It was too much.

Fumbling with his Sheikah Slate, he navigated it to the map screen. His finger hovered over the icon that would teleport him back to Hateno Village, back to the house he called his own. But what would that accomplish? Eventually Purah would find out he was there and come demanding to know what he was doing. Zora's Domain, then? No, the eyes of the Zora elders would only grow accusing once more. Finally, he settled on the Great Plateau. The tower. He could teleport there, away from everyone else. No one could reach him there.

The Sheikah Slate shook in his hands. Finally, with a groan, he clipped it back to his belt. Link sat in the red dirt of the Akkala Highlands, breathing deeply and trying to calm his nerves. It wasn't coming after him. It wouldn't attack him. It wouldn't kill him again. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to force the image of the flying Guardian from his mind. Why couldn't he forget _it_ like he'd forgotten everything else?

Link felt something warm press against the back of his head. A second later, he felt a blast of hot air against his neck as Spirit snorted. Link exhaled slowly, reaching back and patting the horse's warm nose. He opened his eyes again and stood, brushing the dirt off of his pants. He turned, running his hand along Spirit's nose. "Thanks, boy."

After fishing out an apple from his pack and giving it to the horse, he remounted and rejoined the road, leaving the fallen Citadel behind.

* * *

That evening, Link made camp in a small cleft at the base of a long ridge. Shortly after passing the Citadel, the land began to slope downwards into a deep valley between the ridge and a series of steep hills and saddles. He would have been fine making camp under one of the trees, but a light, drizzling rain began shortly before sunset, coupled with plummeting temperatures. It had not been difficult to find a small alcove that provided shelter from the rain and gave him the chance to make a small fire.

As the wood crackled in the fire, Link leaned back up against the wall of his makeshift shelter. Around him, his various weapons and pieces of equipment were arrayed. He had attempted to sharpen his Zora sword, but found its edge to still be quite sharp. His bow, likewise, was in fine condition and needed no maintenance. He had replenished his arrows in Zora's Domain, leaving him with a quiver full of ordinary arrows and several remaining shock arrows, as well. His shield had suffered some damage when fighting the beast inside Ruta, but it still seemed sturdy enough, though the red Sheikah eye now had a deep gash across its iris.

Absently, he picked up the Guardian sword, attempting to thumb it active again. Like before, it released a few feeble sparks, but otherwise, remained inert. Sighing, Link placed it down on the ground to join the other pieces of equipment. He leaned his head back against the cool rock.

Something felt wrong. He was restless, and he didn't think it had anything to do with seeing the Guardian earlier. Instead, he thought that it had something to do with his travels with Princess Zelda. Something about the path he'd taken the latter part of the day—continuing north into the forest instead of taking the road that would have taken him down into the wetlands—continued to stick out in his mind.

He felt certain that he had traveled this road with Princess Zelda, and that it had been an important trip. Closing his eyes, he tried to locate the source of what he felt. He felt… anxiety. Nervous energy. Fear. But why?

He picked up the Sheikah Slate, sorting through the photographs again, looking for anything that would clue him in on what had happened here to leave such feelings attached to this place in his mind. He came to the photograph of Princess Zelda in her white dress, sad, yet trying to smile. Behind her, he could see a goddess statue standing over the pool of water. Rock walls surrounded the pool, and a pair of waterfalls spilled down on either side of the statue.

Link frowned and lowered the Sheikah Slate to his lap. He often felt drawn to that image, especially on nights such as these, when he grew introspective. But what good did it do him tonight or any other night? He still felt that anxious sense of unease. He wanted to _do_ something, yet nothing came to him. Outside of the small cleft in the rock, rain still fell, leaving the night nearly black outside of the small circle of orange light given off by his fire.

Eventually, he fell into a restless sleep, head lolling to the side, the Sheikah Slate still held in his hands. Outside, the rain eventually ceased and the clouds broke, revealing a brilliant array of stars in the moonless sky.

* * *

Distantly, past the fallen Citadel, past the raging volcano and the great river, across the green hills and fields, a princess watched her sleeping knight the best she could from within the place that was both her home and her prison. The beast that she kept at bay raged at the destruction of his blight—a piece of himself that he sequestered away in the Divine Beast upon his reawakening.

Both she and the beast were far more aware of their surroundings now, though she believed that he was still blind to the world outside of the castle. Though many things remained under his influence, her power kept him from the direct connection that he had when he first emerged. She did her best to keep him from sensing Link's presence, for she feared the rage that Ganon would feel at seeing his longtime foe would be enough to break her hold over him.

To Ganon, he had long since won—the death of Link and apparent destruction of the Master Sword had all but guaranteed his victory, just as killing her would do the same. Zelda's power would not hold him forever, and Ganon was patient. He pushed constantly against her power, testing her limits, waiting for her eventual moment of weakness. But still, she would endure.


	20. Chapter Eighteen

**The adventure continues! Not much to say here today, other than this chapter and the next are among some of my favorite chapters. I imagine that you'll understand why as you read them. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

The bow string snapped, and the arrow flew forward, whistling through the air and between the trees before piercing the rabbit with a dull sound. Link held his breath from his perch on the tree branch, eyes focused on the small, unmoving form of the brown rabbit. Finally, he shouldered his bow, climbing down from the trees, and crossing the small clearing where he'd spotted the rabbit in the early dawn light.

Smiling with satisfaction, he picked up the body, walking back the short distance to his shelter, where he'd left his small fire burning. Once there, he set about to skinning the rabbit and cooking the meat, combining it with some other herbs and mushrooms he'd found while hunting. Soon, his small cave was filled with the sounds and smells of sizzling meat and boiling fat.

As Link ate his breakfast that morning, he found that, despite the warmth of the food, the odd feeling that he experienced the night prior never truly went away. He could distract himself from it for a time, but when he grew still again, the feeling of unease came back. It was like an itch that he couldn't scratch. A memory that he just couldn't recall. It continued on through the morning, well after he rejoined the old road.

By noon, he had emerged from the forest, leaving the valley behind. The air, he noticed, seemed even cooler today than it had been yesterday, and the wind picked up as he emerged out onto a gently upward sloped plain that appeared to continue on for miles around him, bordered by rolling hills. He drew his cloak more tightly around him.

He began to see the forms of broken Guardians littering the ground near the road. He saw one that was on its side, all six of its legs having been cut off. Another one lacked its head. Yet another one, strangely, had its eye pierced by one of its own legs. Each of the Guardians he saw had clearly been there for a long time, often covered in moss or old bird droppings. In one of the Guardians' eyes, Link even found a bird nest that had been built in its empty cavity.

The presence of the dead Guardians alarmed Link, causing him to fear for Robbie's life. Neither Impa nor Purah had spoken to Robbie in many years, though they both trusted that their old friend was still alive. However, after seeing the living Guardian in the Citadel, Link hoped that nothing had befallen the old Sheikah researcher.

He saw the stone quarry shortly after mid-day. The wind had picked up as the sun rose past its zenith and began to dip towards the west, and Link could see clouds gathering on the eastern horizon, over the distant sea that had only recently become visible between a pair of hills that he passed. He had almost ridden past it when a calling bird called his attention to the depression in the earth not far north from the path.

He gently pulled on Spirit's reins, drawing the horse to a stop, and dismounted, wincing at the soreness that had started setting in again after two and a half full days of riding. After having a long time to rest and recover in Zora's Domain and Hateno Village, he felt as though he could feel every new ache in his body that much more acutely than before. He patted the horse's neck before taking an apple from his satchel, holding it out to Spirit, who took it eagerly.

After a moment of hesitation, Link grabbed his scabbard, slinging it over his shoulder before making his way over to the depression. Curiously, he peered down into the pit. It had tiered levels that made it difficult from his current vantage to make out the bottom. He found a place where the land sloped steeply, rather than dropped off, and made his way down onto the next tier down.

From here, he could see inside the enormous round pit that had clearly been cut out of the earth and rock by design. Piles of cut stones littered the ground below, and the walls showed clear signs of expansion, with sections that had been broken away. He could even see some rusted tools remaining—pickaxes and hammers. No people, though.

It was a stone quarry. A hundred years prior, perhaps, this place had been used to gather stone for construction. Perhaps for the Citadel. Perhaps for Hyrule Castle. Perhaps for any number of other locations or building projects around the land. But it, like so many other places, remained untouched now, after the destruction that had visited this land. Below, in the quarry, Link could see a fox cautiously poking its nose out of a small hole that it had found in the rock. Perhaps it had heard Link's approach and was looking for the source of the sounds.

As Link looked around the quarry, the feeling of unease that had been plaguing him since the night prior returned in force. He felt almost sick to his stomach and grimaced, placing a hand to it. Why? Why did this place make him feel so disturbed? He reached out and touched the rock wall that surrounded the tier he was on. It was cool and solid under his fingertips.

He considered staying here to investigate it further. Perhaps he could discover what haunted him about this unusual place. But the dread that only grew in his heart would not be ignored. Ultimately, he chose to clamber back up to the ground above the quarry and remount Spirit. Perhaps another time, he reasoned. For now, he needed to get to his destination—preferably before night fell.

* * *

The sun had dipped below the mountainous terrain at the base of Death Mountain by the time Link arrived at his destination. The setting sun left the land in the colorful light of twilight, illuminating the clouds overhead in reds and oranges. As he rode east, he began to detect the faint scent of salt on the moist air, which only grew stronger as he approached the ocean. Eventually, he grew able to hear the sounds of the sea—waves washing up onto shore and seagulls calling overhead. As he crested one hill, he found himself looking down into a large plain that ended with a sandy beach.

Fascinatingly, he could also see a strange landmass in the water, just beyond the picturesque beach. A line of sand, rock, and grass that extended out into the ocean in a spiraling pattern before finally ending at the spiral's center. Link wasn't at all sure if it was somehow created naturally, or if it was made by design.

Link turned back up the incline, arriving at a small village that hadn't been on the pre-Calamity map on his Sheikah slate. A small signpost just outside of the town announced the village as being called "New Kasuto", which probably would have bolstered Link's spirits had it not been for the village's sorry state.

Many of the buildings that made of New Kasuto were built of weathered wood or stone that had clearly seen better days. Most of the roofs were made of thatch, and many of them had long since collapsed in on empty structures. Several of the structures remained upkept, however, and he saw trails of smoke rising from multiple homes.

His arrival garnered a suspicious response. Locals peered out of windows or stood in doorways to watch him as he led Spirit into the town. No one challenged him, however, as he reached the village's center, where an inn and stable had been erected. It looked just like many of the other stables that he'd seen in his travels.

 _Are these all owned by the same person? The same organization?_ Link wondered as he looked up at the horse-headed structure. It could have been the Dueling Peaks stable's exact match. As he pondered this, he heard footsteps behind him and turned, seeing with some surprise, a man dressed in a red tunic wearing what looked like an old soldier's iron helmet. He held a halberd in one hand, using it like a walking staff as he approached.

"Haven't seen a new face around here in a while," the man said, walking up to Link and stroking his pointed goatee. "What brings you to the area?"

Link had left his sword strapped to Spirit's saddle—a wise decision, he expected. This man certainly seemed more at ease than the man at the Dueling Peaks stable had been. "I'm here to visit with an old… friend." It seemed strange for those words to come from Link's lips. He had no real memories of Robbie, the old researcher that Purah spoke of. But he supposed there might be truth to the words, nonetheless.

"Oh? What's the name of your friend? Perhaps I can help you find him." The man spoke with casual ease, but Link could tell that this man had seen some combat in his time. His eyes held a sharpness that Link hadn't often seen in other Hylians since he woke. The man was sizing him up, just as Link was doing to him.

"I'm here to see Robbie."

"Old Robbie?" The man looked surprised at Link's pronouncement, and a look of alarm passed over his face a moment later. "Nothing has happened to Granté, I hope?"

Link didn't have a clue who this Granté was and his expression must have shown it, for the man's expression became immediately more suspicious. The man gripped his halberd more firmly than before.

"If you don't know Granté, then you must be a very old friend, indeed. Granté is Robbie and Jerrin's son. You look to be about his same age…"

Link sighed. Was it always going to be like this? Perhaps it was the long days of travel, or just the experience of having his motives questioned _again_ , but he felt increasingly irritable. "I'm older than I look. Look, is Robbie still living here?" Link glanced up, seeing a distant lighthouse at the top of a hill just outside of the town. His eyes widened with recognition. "Does he live in the lighthouse?"

"Well, why don't we start with your name and then we can—"

"My name is _Link_ ," he snapped, fixing his blue eyes on the man standing in his way. The man pursed his lips, clearly growing agitated as well. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted a second time.

"Did you say Link?" A new voice this time, causing both Link and the man with the halberd to look to the side, where a woman with blonde hair tied into a distinctly Sheikah top knot stood. She stepped forward, her keen eyes on Link, looking him up and down. The lighter blue of his Champion's tunic was still visible peeking out from under his darker blue cloak.

"Ah, Jerrin," the man said, turning to face the Sheikah woman, whose traditional Sheikah garb looked completely out of place. "Yes, this man just arrived, looking for you and your husband. Do you know him?"

Jerrin continued to look Link over before smiling and turning her gaze to the other man. "Not in the slightest!"

Link's heart sank as the other man's expression grew triumphant. He gripped his halberd might tightly and turned to face Link, likely to attempt to drive him out of New Kasuto.

" _However_ , I can't speak for my husband." Jerrin reached out, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "And I'm very certain that Robbie would like to speak to this Link, either way."

"I'm not so sure that's wise. If he tries something—to attack you or do something to your research—"

"I'm here to _talk_ to Robbie about his research," Link protested, face growing warm.

"See?" Jerrin said. "It'll be fine. Thank you for your concern." She patted the man's shoulder before fixing Link with a warm smile. "Why don't you go drop your things off at the inn? I need to do one last thing and then I can walk with you back up to the lighthouse. I'm sure Robbie will be happy to see you."

The man—his name was Hoz—grudgingly accepted this, though his eyes remained suspicious. Link ignored him, however, and dropped his tired horse off at the stable. After some hesitation, Link opted to leave his sword behind with his other equipment. He doubted that he would have a need for the weapon in the town, and it would make Hoz feel better, at least. He kept his Sheikah Slate and the broken Guardian sword with him.

When he rejoined with the woman, Jerrin, she was standing at the base of the hill that led up to the lighthouse at its summit. Over one arm, she had a basket with a number of fresh vegetables and a glass bottle of milk, and in her other hand, she carried a torch that burned with an odd blue flame.

"Oh good," she said as Link walked up. She held the torch out to him, which he took, inspecting the torch with a frown. It seemed to burn far hotter than it should, and he was forced to hold the flame further away from his face than he normally might have. "Having you along will be a great help."

"What, exactly, is this?" Link asked, eyes fixed on the blue flames.

"Oh, those are flames from the ever-burning fire on the Tumlea Heights," Jerrin said as she looked down into her basket of vegetables, apparently counting the radishes within. "The rain last night doused our furnace, and those are the only ones that can get hot enough."

This, it would seem, was a perfectly normal occurrence for the Sheikah woman. After digging around in her basket for a moment longer, she looked up at Link and smiled. "Link, was it?"

"Yes, that's right," Link said as they began to walk up the hill.

"I suppose you are the same Link that Doctor Purah and my husband spoke of from one hundred years ago?" The way she spoke was off-putting. It was light and airy, almost as though she was only paying him part of her attention. There was an edge to it, though. He thought, perhaps, that she was testing him.

"Yes," he finally said after a moment's hesitation.

"Purah sent us a message saying that you had awakened. I'll be honest, I wasn't even sure you truly existed until we got that letter. Or, at least, if you were still alive. They both claimed you were, though."

He could recall his last meeting with Purah, which sent him off on this quest to find Robbie. She had sternly instructed him _not_ to tell Robbie about her de-aging rune or the effects it had on her. She threatened to turn him into a toddler, if he did.

"She also mentioned something about your memories being lost." Her words brought Link's attention back to the present, and he looked at Jerrin. "Do you remember anything about my husband?"

Link felt a flush run up the back of his neck and shook his head. "I've only regained a few of my memories from before so far. I remember taking a photograph with him next to the lighthouse, but that is it."

"A photograph?"

"Oh, uh," Link glanced down at his Sheikah Slate and then at the torch in his hand. He smiled awkwardly at Jerrin. "It is a… picture. Like a painting, but true to life." At her confused look, he shrugged slightly. "I can show you when we get there."

"Of course," Jerrin said, nodding. They both fell silent for a time as they continued up the hill, the climb at times growing steep.

As they passed a particularly thick shrub, Link noticed something on the ground, just off of the path. It was one of the flying Guardians like the one he'd seen at the Citadel, only this one was lying on its side, half-buried in the ground. Two of the limbs that the spinning blades were attached to had been broken off, while the third jutted out into the air. As a breeze blew across the hill, the blades spun lazily.

Link stopped walking, staring at the Guardian's corpse. Its eye was not visible, seemingly buried in the dirt. Just seeing it, though, was enough to send a shiver down Link's spine. This thing had once flown through the skies, controlled by Ganon's power. Had it been responsible for the destruction of the ruined town of Kasuto? Had it fired upon fearful Hylians that should have been safe from its destructive power?

"Robbie said this one wasn't worth the effort of digging it out from where it crashed, so he just left it here," Jerrin said as she stepped up next to Link.

"How did it crash?"

"Oh, he did something to knock it out of the sky. I don't really know. That was _decades_ before I ever met him."

"Robbie did this?" Link said, eyes widening as he looked back to Jerrin.

"He destroyed all of the Guardians that came around here. That's supposedly why New Kasuto was founded all those years ago. Robbie was the only person around that knew how to fight the Guardians, and he was able to beat any of them that wandered too close."

This information surprised Link and gave him hope. If Robbie was able to somehow defeat or dismantle these Guardians, then maybe he could teach Link how to do so as well. He did not know how many Guardians remained functional after the last one hundred years. It could be that the one flying around the Citadel was the only one left, but he doubted it.

They continued their walk up the hill until, finally, they reached its peak, and the old lighthouse. However, it looked very little like the lighthouse in the photograph on the Sheikah Slate. The top of the lighthouse appeared to have long since been removed, leaving the structure looking squatter than before. Several small wooden buildings that were little more than sheds had been added to its roof. There was also a massive telescope, just like the one atop Purah's laboratory, and another piece of construction that Link did not recognize, composed of a metal arm and a rope extending down to a three-clawed hand that held a Guardian's head suspended above the ground. A crane, as Jerrin called it.

True to her word from earlier, the building at the top of the hill was surrounded by Guardians. Or, at least, Guardian corpses. The great metal beasts lay in heaps and piles all around the old lighthouse. Some of them were whole, while others had been broken into pieces. He saw the six-legged variants, the flying ones, as well as several of the smaller Guardian Scouts that he had encountered in that first Sheikah Shrine. There must have been dozens of them, all lying broken and defeated.

Jerrin pointed Link to a strange round construction with a hole in its center and asked him to place the torch in it. It looked almost like a blacksmith's furnace, and Link recognized it as being similar to the furnace outside of Purah's laboratory. When Link placed the torch inside of it, the wood inside caught fire quickly, burning with the same blue fire that the torch had. The furnace suddenly began to glow with blue light from a series of Sheikah designs all over its surface, and Link stepped back, gasping in awe.

The door to the old lighthouse was suddenly thrown open with a crash, and out stepped a short man, slightly stooped, with a shock of white hair that extended out from behind his head in every direction. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick goggles.

"Jerrin, good! You're back. I need your help with a—"

The man stopped as he saw Link standing beside the furnace rather than his wife. He stared for a long time at Link, mouth agape. Link wasn't even sure he was breathing anymore. Jerrin stepped slowly around Link, standing just a little bit behind him for some reason. Finally, the man whom Link was certain to be Robbie spoke.

"Take off your clothes."

The silence that followed was only broken by the merry sounds of the fire crackling from inside the furnace.

"What?"

Robbie began snapping his fingers. "At least take off your shirt."

" _What_?"

"Take it off! I need to see your scars to know for sure that it's you."

Link stared at the diminutive man in front of him, bewildered. This was Robbie? Had he gone insane in his old age? He had to be at least one hundred and twenty by this point. Likely even older if he was as renowned a researched as Purah indicated.

Robbie's voice changed slightly, containing the hint of a pleading tone. "I just need to know for sure."

Link stared at the man, who still hadn't removed his goggles. Grimacing slightly, he unclasped the cloak and allowed it to fall to the ground. His tunic and undershirt followed, exposing the skin of his chest and back to the cool evening air.

Slowly, Robbie lifted his goggles, revealing red Sheikah eyes. His eyes traveled over Link's bare chest, illuminated more by the glowing furnace than anything. Unfamiliar scars covered Link's chest and back. Places where he had been cut, stabbed, or burned in a previous life. A particularly bad one marked his back—a massive spot of burned flesh in the rough shape of a many-pointed star. Robbie motioned for Link to turn around so he could continue to see, and Link did so.

To his surprise, Jerrin stood only a few feet behind him. The basket had been placed on the ground, and now she held a short knife in her hand, looking quite ready to use it. Link could now see a small sheathe hidden among the vegetables in the basket. He met her eyes, startled by the dangerous look there, but she didn't move or seem abashed in any way.

Behind him, Robbie spoke again. "You can turn around. Jerrin, it's okay."

Jerrin immediately relaxed, her expression brightening with a warm, almost motherly smile. It was a disturbing shift in emotions. He didn't dwell on this, however, turning to meet Robbie's eyes again.

"One hundred years ago, I personally laid you down in the Shrine of Resurrection. I know every cut, burn, and scar that you sustained in the battle against the Guardians." Robbie's voice shook slightly, and Link could see the shine of tears at the corners of his eyes. "I wasn't sure if I would ever see you again—I don't even know if your body had any life remaining in it in those last moments."

Robbie sniffled and suddenly rushed forward, surprisingly spry for a man so old. He wrapped his arms around Link, hugging him tightly.

"It's _good_ to see you again, Link."

* * *

"Hmm, so you already managed to defeat the piece of Ganon in Divine Beast Vah Ruta? And from the way you described it, it sounds as though the Calamity Ganon somehow combined its power with our Sheikah technology. _Fascinating_. And terrible!"

Robbie sat on a chair just inside of the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, sipping at a cup of tea that Jerrin brewed for him and Link. The brewing process had not been like other teas that Link had seen brewed. Instead, Jerrin had merely poured water into a small basin and pulled a lever. A few moments later, following a startling series of hisses and whirs, warm, amber tea poured out of a spigot into a kettle that she had placed underneath it.

The strange tea-making contraption was not the only piece of unfamiliar technology that Link found in the laboratory, however. Pieces of Guardians were placed everywhere—heads, legs, chunks of their bodies, even several of their blue eyes. He could also see what looked like pieces of armor that had been made from the same material as the Guardians, though they were clearly not complete yet.

The strangest thing in the room, however, had to be the stone figure in the center of the room. It was mostly cylindrical in shape, though it tapered in the center, leaving its body in two distinct segments. The uppermost segment was made into something like a head, with two small lines of blue formed to look like eyes. A pair of rings adorned either side of the head, as well as a thin rod sticking up from the top. Glowing blue Sheikah text formed a ring around its base. Robbie called it his Ancient Oven.

For all the strange technology that was placed around the room, it still bore a neat appearance, unlike Purah's mess of a laboratory. Guardian pieces were placed on shelves, each meticulously marked. Various drawings and schematics hung from the walls or lay on tables, and Link saw several large and heavily-laden bookshelves. Fascinatingly, the room also had a full kitchen and a pair of beds that were chained to the wall so as to be able to be lifted into a vertical position.

Link lifted the tea to his lips, taking a cautious sip. His memories flashed back to the tea that Telma had given him in the Dueling Peaks stable, and he grimaced slightly.

"Don't care for the tea?" Jerrin asked as she pulled up another chair to join them.

Flushing, Link shook his head quickly. "No, it's great! I was just… remembering another type of tea I had once."

"Oh, you're remembering things?" Robbie asked. "Purah wrote in her letter that you had lost all of your memories. Of course, that's what we theorized _might_ happen based on our analysis of the Shrine of Resurrection. We had no way of proving that theory, of course, until you."

"No, that's not what I… Well, yes, I have begun to remember some things. Only specific memories so far, though—and only a few. They have been coming more regularly lately."

"Well, you certainly found your way here without any difficulty! Do you remember visiting here with Princess Zelda all of those years ago?"

Link hesitated, not fully certain how to answer that question. Finally, he removed the Sheikah Slate from his hip, which garnered a gasp of recognition from Robbie. He navigated to the map screen and turned it so that Robbie could see.

"Purah gave me your location with this."

"Ah, yes! A very useful tool for navigation, indeed. It wouldn't have been difficult at all to make your way here with that."

Link nodded and took it back, navigating to the photo gallery and sorting through them until he found the one he was looking for. The photograph with Robbie, Purah, and Princess Zelda, all gathered together in front of the lighthouse as it had once been, before Robbie had, well, dismantled it.

He gazed down at the photograph for a long moment, as the memory played back in his head, clearer now than it had been then. He could remember taking the photograph, yes, but he could also remember Princess Zelda's embarrassment. She hadn't wanted to be in the photograph because they had been digging. Her hands, clothes, and even face were all smudged with dirt. Her hair braids had loosened around the crown of her head, leaving them hanging down just slightly over her forehead. Her eyes—they hadn't changed, though. They shone with the excitement of a scholar in her element.

"Link?" Robbie said. Link blinked rapidly and looked up at him, confused. How long had he been staring at the photograph? At Princess Zelda?

Link cleared his throat and smiled, turning the Sheikah Slate around and handing it to Robbie. He took it, eyes widening as he looked down at himself. Jerrin leaned over, placing a hand on his shoulder. Jerrin gasped.

"Oh, Robbie, Granté looks just _like_ you! Look at you… When did you carry a sword?"

Robbie laughed delightedly, reaching up and placing a hand on Jerrin's hand. "I always _told_ you that I was quite the warrior once."

"And I have never expressed any doubt about that."

"Regardless, here is proof! I used to be a fine Sheikah warrior. I was blessed with the rare combination of both intelligence and physical prowess."

"Hmm, yes, but you are, unfortunately, sorely lacking in humility."

Robbie waved his hand dismissively and looked back down at the photograph, beaming. "We were so young then. Naïve, perhaps, but so hopeful. We knew that we couldn't prevent the eventual return of Ganon, but we would make sure that we were ready to _defeat_ him when he did."

Silence fell among them as Robbie and Jerrin gazed down at the photograph, and Link thought about Robbie's statement. How had things gone so wrong? Had he once been as hopeful as the three of them in that picture? Had he and Princess Zelda plotted together how they would defeat Ganon when he rose? Had they discussed what would happen after they succeeded? Had they even considered what might happen if they failed?

Robbie began to swipe his finger across the screen, flipping through some of the other photographs on the Sheikah Slate. For a brief moment, Link felt a rush of irritation at him for doing so. Those images were _his_ , after all. It felt oddly personal—his journey with the princess. He attempted to banish the feeling with only partial success.

"Oh, she was so beautiful," Jerrin said as Robbie arrived at another photograph.

Robbie didn't immediately reply, frowning down at the image. "I recognize that location. Where have I seen it before?"

Jerrin looked at her husband and then back to the image, considering. A look of recognition passed over her face, and she patted Robbie on the shoulder. "The Goddess Spring. The Spring of Power. Remember—we went there once back before Granté was born because I thought there might have been a Shrine in that location."

"Ah, yes! I remember."

Link watched as the couple briefly reminisced before, finally, Robbie held the Sheikah Slate back out to him, which Link took and clipped back to his belt. He then unclipped the broken Guardian sword from his belt, holding it up for Robbie to see.

"This stopped working after my fight with the thing in Vah Ruta. Purah thought that you might be able to fix it. I'm not sure if my normal sword is going to be as effective against whatever is waiting for me in the other Divine Beasts."

Robbie took the hilt, pulling his goggles down over his eyes, which seemed to be able to magnify his vision. He inspected it, turning the hilt over in his hands before looking back at Link, his red eyes appearing large and distorted through the goggles' lenses.

"This is a Guardian Scout's sword. Where did you manage to find this?"

"I fought one inside a Sheikah shrine in Hateno Village."

Jerrin gasped sharply, jumping to her feet. She moved closer to Link, eyes wide with excitement. "You've been _in_ a shrine? Truly? You must tell me what it was like. Why didn't you mention this before?"

Robbie, for his part, seemed almost as excited as Jerrin, standing to his feet as well. "And you fought a Guardian Scout? This could prove my hypothesis. Quickly—what color was it? Did the lights on its body glow red or orange?"

Link, startled, looked back and forth between Jerrin and Robbie, the intensity of their inquiries making it difficult for him to focus. "I—uh—I think orange? Maybe? It turned blue when it saw me."

" _Yes!_ " Robbie exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air in triumph. "That's it! Jerrin, did you hear that? The Guardians that are still locked away are _outside_ of Ganon's influence. If I can figure out a way to _harness_ that, then maybe we can find out a way to turn them back!"

Robbie appeared to have forgotten Link's inquiry entirely, turning and hurrying away to a desk, where he shoved papers aside to pull a blank sheet from a stack. He grabbed a quill from an inkwell and began to scribble notes at a blistering pace.

"Please, tell me everything you can remember about the shrine. Have you been in others?" Jerrin pulled her chair closer so that she could sit across from Link, their knees almost touching.

Link did as she asked, though he was interrupted multiple times by Robbie, who interjected with questions of his own regarding the Guardian that Link had fought. After his last interruption, Jerrin pulled the small spoon that she used to stir honey out of her teacup and threw it at Robbie.

They spent the next several hours poring over everything that Link remembered from the shrines—the strange puzzles, the reliance on the Sheikah Slate, the way everything seemed surreal and too large to be real. Robbie and Jerrin both paid rapt attention to Link's descriptions, even going as far as to ask him to try to draw some sketches of what he remembered from the shrines. He did so, but it quickly became apparent that whatever skills he had from before, art was certainly not one of them. Jerrin soon took over, sketching to the best of her abilities what Link described.

It was exhausting work, and Link felt completely drained by the time they were finished. Surprisingly accurate sketches of the three shrines that Link had visited hung from the walls, which Jerrin now studied while wearing a pair of spectacles. Robbie had somehow filled out roughly a dozen pages of notes, which included various diagrams of Guardians and something that he called the molecular structure of the stone used for ancient Sheikah structures.

Link's sword had all but been forgotten until recently, when Link brought the subject back up. Robbie distractedly informed Link that he would craft him a much better sword than that "piece of junk" when he was finished. When Link finally took his leave of the pair, they were both still deep in their studies, occasionally trading notes or asking for each other's opinion.

* * *

Link woke, sitting bolt upright in bed and looking around the still-dim room in the inn. Wasting no time, he got out of bed, pulling on his clothing, followed by his boots and cloak. After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed his sword and the Sheikah Slate before sprinting out of the large open sleeping area. He retrieved Spirit from a sleepy-looking groom and mounted him, kicking the horse into a gallop.

 _The Spring of Power_.

The sun had not yet risen, though the distant horizon over the sea had begun to lighten. The moon was a mere sliver in the sky overhead, and the stars were still visible. Before Link as he galloped down the hill from New Kasuto stood Death Mountain, radiating with a dangerous orange glow. The lava flows down its side seemed even brighter than before, and the smoke rising from its mouth reflected the same color.

 _"I don't even know if I want to go in there. What if nothing happens? There is only one more spring after this."_

The night air was cold, forcing Link to draw his hood up over his head. The wind was to his back and, at times, gusted even faster than Spirit ran. He wouldn't be surprised if another storm passed soon.

 _"Let's eat first. I'll cook up a special meal for you. It won't take long."_

He passed by a small grove of trees, startling a pair of deer. They called to each other in alarm before darting away, deeper into the trees. An owl hooted softly from a perch on a branch. A wolf howled in the distance.

 _"It's strange to think that this place was once buried under all that rock. It makes one wonder what else is buried under our feet."_

He couldn't push Spirit to sprint the whole way to the quarry—the run would likely kill the horse. The ride was about twenty miles, so he soon slowed Spirit to a trot, letting him catch his breath before pushing him back into a canter. Spirit had always been a strong horse, and this morning was no different.

 _"Let me take a photograph of you for once. It will be good to have a picture of you right before your powers awaken. Who knows how you'll look after."_

The sun had risen over the sea by the time the quarry came into view, the depression in the ground barely visible from a distance. He kicked Spirit into another gallop, closing the last mile rapidly. Once there, he quickly dismounted, running on numb legs to the edge of the quarry. He stumbled and slid down the steep incline on his backside, but barely noticed, leaping back up and making his way down into the heart of the pit.

Link's dreams that night had been anything but calm. When he closed his eyes, it had been like opening them again in another world. A world in which he and Princess Zelda had traveled together, side by side. He on a brown mare; she on a white stallion. At once, he had known when he'd been here before, and why being back here left him feeling so dreadful.

He picked his way through the quarry. It looked just like it had in his dream. His memory. Stone pillars and piles spread throughout the pit, each looking similar to the other. Still, though, it was not hard for him to find the one that they had sat down under to eat their meal.

* * *

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* * *

Link used a wooden spoon to stir the pot of stew that boiled slowly over the fire. For all his talk of making a special meal for Zelda before she entered the spring, the end result was less than spectacular. How was he supposed to know the sounds that normally came from the quarry had scared away all of the game from this area?

"Damn Gorons and their damn hammers," he muttered as he lifted the spoon, glaring at the irritatingly thin soup. The Gorons weren't there at _that_ moment, of course. No, Link made sure to clear away all of the quarry's workers the day before, ensuring that Zelda would have absolute privacy in her most intimate of moments.

He heard a snort of laughter from across the pot and looked up in surprise to see Zelda looking up at the sky, a small smile on her lips. That was good, at least. She had been so worried earlier. The worry was still there, of course. He could see it in her expression as clearly as he could see the colors that made up the twilight sky. But, still. She smiled.

"Do you want to try it?" Link offered, holding the spoon out for her.

Zelda turned to meet his eyes. The firelight made the green in her eyes seem more vibrant than ever. She quirked an eyebrow. "Is it edible?"

"My cooking is always edible."

"Right," she said, wrinkling her nose. "That's what you said last time."

" _You_ were the one who insisted that we eat a frog."

"No, I _distinctly_ remember insisting that _you_ eat a frog."

"Well, it was only fair." He shrugged, smiling at the princess across the fire. She stared at him a little dubiously before finally leaning forward and taking a hesitant sip of the soup. She pulled back a moment later, considering it in her mouth before swallowing.

"It's not bad," she said, nodding.

Link frowned at her and then sampled the soup, grimacing. "It's water."

"Which isn't _bad_."

Link scowled at her before turning and rummaging through his pack for any other ingredients he could add. He wouldn't have Zelda's last meal before awakening her powers be so pitiful.

* * *

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* * *

Link blinked as he came back to himself, looking at the spot on the ground where both he and Princess Zelda had once sat, sharing a moment of peace before the turmoil. He smiled faintly, touching the stone pillar that had glowed orange from the fire in his memory. She had joined him, sitting down beside him with her back to the warm stone. Together, they had looked across from the bright fire, to the dark entrance belonging to the spring. The Spring of Power.

Slowly, Link turned to look towards the entrance. It was brighter now than in his memory, lit by the morning sun and mostly hidden by hanging ivy. But in his mind's eye, he could see the shadowy entrance. It had been so intimidating then. It still intimidated him now.

He took a step forward to enter the spring.


	21. Chapter Nineteen

**Thanks for the comments after the last chapter! I think that, if you enjoyed Chapter Eighteen, Nineteen will prove even more satisfactory. Or painful. Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. I do know that this was a chapter that I planned out in my head around the time I started writing way back in January, so to see it finally come to fruition was incredibly satisfying to me.  
**

 **MammaRaptor: Thanks for the comment, and welcome to the story! There's a whole lot more to go before this is complete, but I'm quite committed to seeing it through to the end. I'm glad you've enjoyed my portrayal of the characters and races so far-those have been very enjoyable for me to explore.**

 **Lord Halcyon: You're right. It's a doozy. Also, thanks for the PM and the theorizing. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who has been thinking about this stuff!**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

"It's time." Zelda slowly pushed herself up from her seated position beside Link. Overhead, the sun had finally set and the full moon had risen, lighting the quarry in its monochrome light, giving everything a grey cast. The fire was still warm, however, giving off a small circle of color and light.

Link watched her as she walked to her pack, bending down and pulling out the white garment that she wore while in prayer. Her priestess dress. It was a beautifully crafted dress that almost seemed to shine in the silver moonlight.

Zelda looked back at Link and gave him a solemn look. "I'm going to go change." She turned to look at the stone archway that led into the spring and hesitated. She bit her lip. "I will just go around those rocks over there."

Link watched her disappear behind the rock, frowning. He stood, stretching and wincing at the soreness in his lower back. He hadn't wanted to move until she did, but sitting against the rock for so long was uncomfortable. He began to put away some of the cooking implements that he'd used.

A rustle of cloth alerted him to Zelda's presence behind him, and he spun, seeing her carefully pick her way across the stony ground. Gone were her comfortable travel boots, trousers, and long sleeves. In their place were thin-strapped sandals, an ornate strapless dress held in place by a blue and gold belt, and golden jewelry around her neck and wrists. Her hair had been shaken free of its braids and tucked behind her long, pointed ears.

A lump formed in Link's throat as he took in her appearance. She was so beautiful, yet so very wrong.

He had grown to hate seeing her in this dress.

Clearing his throat, Link bent down to pick up the Master Sword in its scabbard, though he did not slip it onto his back. Its weight was, perhaps, too much at that moment. He saw her eyes follow the sword's movement—a reminder of her own failure.

"I can go with you, if you'd like," he said, his voice too loud in the suddenly silent night. Even the fire's crackling had died down. She met his eyes and nodded. Turning together, they both walked to the stone archway.

They walked into the dark hall and into a circular chamber with natural rock walls. There was no ceiling, allowing the natural moonlight to filter down, illuminating the room. Ivy grew in long vines down the walls, crisscrossing and clumping together to give the spring a look that suggested that it just happened to be formed like that naturally. Several waterfalls splashed down into the pool of water that filled the center of the room.

Link could have believed that the room was just a naturally-formed pond were it not for the stone archway they passed through upon entering the room, and the double lines of broken pillars outlining an ancient walkway to a large statue of the Goddess Hylia in the center of the pool. The statue was illuminated by the moon overhead, giving it an ethereal cast.

They both stepped onto the stone platform that faced the statue. Zelda wrapped her arms around her torso, hugging herself. It was a cool night, despite the summer warmth of day. The water would almost certainly be freezing, however. Link looked quietly around the room, keeping an eye out for any threat that could have been lying in wait for them.

He finally turned to face her and inform her that she should be safe, but then he saw her expression. Anticipation. Worry. Fear. He saw no hope in those eyes. Gripping the hilt of the Master Sword tightly in a white-knuckled grip, his mind desperately cast about for some way to ease her burden. There must have been something he could do.

An idea struck him, and he stood up straighter. "Wait here. I need to get something."

"Link, what—"

"Just hang on!" Link didn't give her a chance to reply and hurried back out of the spring, leaving the Master Sword leaning against the archway. He went straight for her bag, hoping that she did not mind him digging through her things. He emerged a moment later, smiling, and hurried back into the Spring of Power.

Zelda gave him a confused look as he held up her Sheikah Slate. She usually did not go anywhere without having this device strapped to her hip, taking photographs of just about every mundane thing that she could see.

"I'm not really sure how the Sheikah Slate is going to help me in my prayers," she said, giving him a skeptical expression.

"It's not to help you with your prayers," Link said, adopting a tone of confidence. "I want to take a picture of you."

Zelda frowned at him and then looked down at herself, in her dress. "You… want to take my picture?" She looked back up at him, incredulous. "Now?"

"Well, yes."

"Link, I don't think that now is really the best time for that. I need to get started on my prayers." She looked back towards the goddess statue. "I already waited too long as it is."

"What, do you think the Goddess is on a tight schedule?"

" _Link._ "

"Look, let me take a photograph of _you_ for once. It will be good to have a picture of you right before your powers awaken. Who knows how you'll look after."

Zelda opened her mouth but hesitated, meeting his eyes. She looked between his face and the Sheikah Slate in his hands. A moment later, she frowned. "Wait, what do you mean by that? How I'll look after?"

"What does it even look like, having your powers be awakened? If you're the incarnation of the Goddess, then who is to say that your appearance isn't going to change? Maybe you'll be… glowing. I don't know."

The corners of her lips rose slightly.

"You've seen Impa's tapestry. That did _not_ really look like you, so who knows what you'll look like. I'm still waiting for my hair to turn red."

Zelda snorted with suppressed laughter and shook her head. "You do not place much value in art, do you?"

" _I_ am mostly valued for my abilities to hit things with a sword, so no."

"I would say that you're valued for more than that." An uneasy silence fell between them. Zelda's cheeks grew red. After a moment, Link cleared his throat.

"I'm going to take your picture now."

He lifted the Sheikah Slate, pressing the camera rune, and finding Zelda on the screen. She took a step back, smoothing out her dress and reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She lifted her chin and, after a moment, smiled, though the smile did not completely reach her eyes.

Link pressed the button on the screen and, a moment later, the image of Zelda had been frozen in place on the Sheikah Slate, softly illuminated by the moonlight overhead. As he gazed down at the image, he heard the swish of fabric in front of him. When he looked up, he saw that Zelda had turned again to look at the statue.

He slowly lowered the Sheikah Slate, looking at her back. He found that he did not have any other words to say. He had tried to cheer her up, to give her some hope of success, but what little he'd accomplished seemed to have been taken away just as quickly.

Finally, she spoke. "I am going to begin my prayers."

Link exhaled, turning to walk back out through the stone archway, as he had done at the Spring of Courage, waiting just outside of the stone serpent's maw to give her privacy. "I'll be just out here, if you need me."

"No," she said, stopping him. He looked back at her, confused. Zelda turned her face just slightly towards him. "Please stay."

Link hesitated only a moment before nodding. He clipped the Sheikah Slate to his belt and retrieved the Master Sword from where he'd left it, taking up a sentinel position at the edge of the porch. Behind him, he heard Zelda slowly enter the pool of water.

* * *

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* * *

Not much had changed in the last one hundred years. Link slowly stepped through the outer arch, walking through the stone cave and entering the spring through the inner arch. As he gazed around at what must have once been a beautiful place, he was only struck by how broken it was. This place fell into ruin long before the Calamity.

His eyes met those of the stone goddess. What had it been like for her that night? To stare up at those lifeless eyes and pray for a power that Link knew would not awaken for some time after. Memories began to play in his mind, unbidden. He didn't want to see this. It was too private.

Taking a step forward, he entered the water, gasping as the chill water penetrated his boots and pants almost immediately. He kept going, however, wading through the depths to where she had stood so many years ago.

* * *

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* * *

The full moon had moved across the dark sky overhead in the hours since Zelda began her prayers. Link stood at the edge of the pool, hands folded over the pommel of his sword, eyes forward and looking through the archway into the dark quarry just outside. He could hear her forming the words at the end of her prayer behind him—a quiet plea for the Goddess to awaken the slumbering power hidden within.

His body ached from remaining in this position for so long, and he could only imagine how she felt. The water, he expected, was cold, and the cool breeze that swept down into the chamber certainly did not help matters. Zelda must have been miserable, yet she continued to pray, so he ignored the aches and continued his silent watch.

"I come seeking help regarding this power that has been handed down over time." He heard Zelda beginning her prayer anew behind him and winced. "Prayer will awaken my power to seal Ganon away… or so I've been told all my life." That was new.

Frowning, Link glanced over his shoulder at Zelda. She still stood in the water before the statue of Hylia, hands clasped over her breasts. Though the water only reached her hips, her hair was long enough that it just barely brushed the pool. As he watched, she slowly unfolded her arms, easing them down to her sides, hands in the water.

"Yet Grandmother heard them—the voices from the spirit realm." Zelda's shoulders slumped, and she looked down. "And Mother said that her own power would develop within _me_. But I don't hear or feel _anything_!" She looked back up at the stone visage of the Goddess, raising her hands in supplication.

"Father has told me time and time again—he always says, 'Quit wasting your time playing at being a scholar!'" She paused, and Link held his breath. " _Curse_ you." Zelda slapped her fists down into the water, bowing her head. "I've spent every day of my life dedicated to prayer. I've pleaded to the spirits tied to the ancient gods, and still the holy powers have proven deaf to my devotion."

A lump formed in Link's throat as Zelda wrapped her arms around herself. He could see her trembling now; whether from cold or emotion, he didn't know. How much longer would she subject herself to this agony? It hurt Link just to see her go through this—what must it feel like to _her_?

"Please, just tell me. What is it?" Zelda only hugged herself tighter, curling up while still standing. Her hair slipped around her shoulders to hang loosely over her face, golden locks dipping into the water. "What's _wrong_ with me?"

A bolt of lightning shot down Link's back. He stiffened, eyes widening. Releasing the Master Sword and allowing it to clatter to the ground, he turned, stepping into the pool.

It was like _ice_. They may as well have been in the Hebra Mountains for how cold it was. And she had stayed in there for hours.

Startled out of her misery, Zelda whirled to face him. Her skin was pale; her lips a shade of blue. "Link, what are you—"

"You've been in here long enough. Come on, let's go start the fire up again and get you warm."

"No, I must keep praying," Zelda said, shaking her head.

Link approached through the water, breaking the silence of the night with his loud sloshing.

Zelda's eyes were wide, and her voice lacked any real conviction. "Link, if I have any hope of awakening my powers, I must continue to entreat the Goddess. Surely she is merely waiting to see proof of my devotion."

"Zelda, if the Goddess still needs proof of your devotion, then she is as blind as that statue." His voice contained a surprising amount of bite, even to him. Zelda looked taken aback, glancing towards the statue in horror. Link took a deep breath, moderating his tone. "I'm sorry, what I meant is that I'm sure the Goddess values both your devotion _and_ your sense of self-preservation.

"You're going to freeze if you stay in here any longer. You need some rest, too. You're exhausted." Link held out a hand to her. "Come on. You've done all you can tonight. You can try again tomorrow, if you want."

Zelda looked at him and then at his hand, biting her lip. She glanced once more back towards the statue of Hylia and sighed. Bowing her head, she reached out and took Link's hand, allowing him to lead her out of the spring.

* * *

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* * *

Link stood in the water, looking up at the statue of Hylia. Truth be told, he still didn't know much about the religion that Princess Zelda and, presumably, he subscribed to. He knew nothing about Hylia, though he saw her statues often enough to know that both the Sheikah and Zora still worshipped her. After experiencing that memory, however, he wasn't sure he wanted to know more.

"Why?" he asked, looking up at the statue. "Why make her experience that?" He could still hear the pain in her voice. He could see her tremble. "Had she done something wrong? Was she made unworthy, somehow?"

Link's expression contorted into a scowl, the emotions of his memory mixing with those of the present day. "Because, the way I see it, all of this is _your_ fault. Zelda— _Princess_ Zelda—worked so hard all her life to awaken her powers, but you refused to grant them to her.

"Impa told me—her powers only awakened after everything else was lost. The Champions were dead. I had fallen. By waiting until the last moment, you doomed us _all_." Link pointed in the general direction of the castle. "And now she's there, waiting for me to somehow pull this off."

He thought back to the fight in the Divine Beast. The creature had nearly killed him— _would_ have killed him, if it weren't for Mipha's lingering power. How would he fare against the others without Mipha by his side? She had given him her powers, but he had no true concept of how to use them. The one time he'd tried to use them—after getting scraped by a tree that he rode past in Zora's Domain—he had been unable to get them to work. So what was he supposed to do?

"It wasn't her fault," Link said, his thoughts turning back to Princess Zelda. The memory had been so raw, leaving him feeling drained after witnessing it. "She blamed herself, just like I've been blaming _myself_ since waking. But the fault doesn't lie in either of us, does it?"

He frowned up at the goddess statue, as silent now as it was one hundred years ago. Finally, he turned away in disgust, sloshing back through the pool to the stone landing. Once back in the quarry, he set about to make a small fire using the various sticks and branches that he found lying around, likely blown into the quarry from storms. He was eager to get back to the Ancient Tech Lab, but he would prefer to ride with dry boots, at the very least.

* * *

The sun was at its peak when he arrived back to New Kasuto. His entrance to the village was greeted more warmly than before, at least, though only a few of the villagers were present, as most were out working in the small fields. He made his way up the hill to the seaside cliff that the old lighthouse sat upon.

As he approached, he noticed that Robbie was outside, goggles pulled down over his eyes as he looked critically at a glowing spherical object. He was standing beside the head of a Guardian that was lying on its side. A compartment had been opened there, revealing a shadowy interior.

His footsteps caused Robbie to look up and around, spotting Link. He raised a hand, waving emphatically. "Just in time! I've been tinkering with this all night." He held up the sphere for Link to see. "This is a Guardian core. It provides power to the Guardians, as well as houses their core functions. Speaking with you last night gave me some new ideas, so I'm going to conduct an experiment. You should stay!"

Link shrugged, hardly desiring any questions about where he had been, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to watch Robbie's experiment.

"Good!" Robbie said, growing excited. "Then you stand right there—yes, there. A little further to the right. My right. Right _there_." Link obediently moved until he was standing right before the inert Guardian. Robbie grinned in a slightly disconcerting way and plunged the Guardian's core into the compartment. It took him a moment before he got it set in its place, but a moment later, he closed the compartment and did something else on the bottom of the Guardian's head.

Suddenly, the Guardian's eye turned on, shining with brilliantly blue light. Link took a step backwards, feeling the back of his neck break out in a cold sweat. The eye looked around before settling on Link. The Sheikah markings around the base of the head suddenly flashed with red light, and the blue of the eye began to shine brighter. Link could hear a hum originating from the Guardian that steadily grew stronger.

"Robbie?" Link said, his own voice rising in pitch. His heart began to race and his palms grew immediately sweaty. He reached back, unsheathing the sword from his back. No matter where he moved, the Guardian's eye tracked him, growing brighter and brighter. The hum kept getting louder as well. "Robbie!"

The Guardian's eye dimmed to black again, and the red lights on its head faded away. Link watched the Guardian warily, waiting for it to turn back on and attack. The attack never came, however, and Link could see now that the door to the compartment had been reopened. Robbie pulled the Guardian core back out, inspecting its glowing surface. Link could see that some of the previously orange lights on its surface had turned red.

"Corrupted," Robbie said as he turned the sphere over in his hand. "Though it is not as complete a corruption as before. That is _something._ "

"It was about to attack me!" Link said, walking around the base of the body to face him. He really just wanted to be away from the eye, in case it turned back on.

"Well, of course it was. That's why I asked you to stand there. It is difficult to detect the corruption, unless it spots a target. And since the original corruption gave the Guardians an overriding command to find and eliminate you and Princess Zelda, I felt certain that having you in its sight would give me some additional data with which to study Ganon's corruption."

"That's… great, Robbie. I'm glad I could be of help," Link said, trying hard not to feel irritated with the scientist. He wasn't so different than Purah in this way. Even after one hundred years, they both loved science for the sake of science.

"Good! I'll let you know if I do any more experiments. For now, though, I believe Jerrin was hoping to speak with you. There is a shrine not far from here, so she is hoping that you can access it."

Link thought that she might want to go down into it, much as Purah had, and grimaced. In his experience, shrines were far from safe places. Perhaps he could convince her to wait outside while he cleared it of any threats. He asked Robbie for the directions and began walking along the edge of the cliff, noting various Guardian parts arranged in mangled piles along the way.

Far below, the waves crashed against the rocky cliff face. Link glanced over, seeing a series of jagged rocks jutting up from the dark waters. He looked out to the ocean, spotting a few distant islands, but no ships. Did Hylians sail? He tried to focus his mind on the thought but came up empty. Certainly, the lighthouse must have served a purpose in the past, though, didn't it? He wondered if anyone sailed these waters now, after the Calamity.

He continued on his way around a small grove of trees until his destination came into view. A Sheikah Shrine lay half-buried by a mound of earth and grass. Jerrin stood at its base, several pieces of paper in hand. When Link came into view, she smiled broadly at him, looking every bit a child excited by a sweet treat.

 _She's definitely going to demand I take her down_ , Link thought, somewhat glumly.

* * *

The shrine did not end up being as complex as some of the others Link had visited, and it, thankfully, lacked anything that overtly tried to kill them. The trial within had forced Link to rely heavily on the Magnesis rune, which had fascinated Jerrin, though not nearly as much as the sheer scope and majesty of the shrine had.

In an effort to keep Jerrin from sketching every detail of the shrine as they progressed, Link took photographs with his Sheikah Slate, promising to let her examine them and make sketches after. Once they reappeared several hours later, standing on the circular platform just outside of the shrine, Jerrin immediately set about writing her experiences on her paper. She, apparently, could not wait to get back to the lighthouse, lest she forget any small detail.

Smiling faintly and thinking of the photograph he had of Robbie, Purah, and Princess Zelda, all dirty but thoroughly pleased with themselves, Link walked alone back to the Ancient Tech Lab. Robbie had, apparently, retreated back inside with the coming evening. Link knocked before slowly pushing the door open, looking around.

When he didn't immediately see Robbie, he stepped inside. "Robbie?"

He received no immediate response, but now that he was inside, he could see a subtle change in the room. The statue in the center—the thing called the Ancient Oven—seemed to be more active than it had been the night before. Its eye-slits glowed more brilliantly than before, and Link noticed a new line of blue that crossed the body just beneath the segment that made its head. The rings on either side of its head spun slowly, and Link noticed a soft hum originating from it.

"Robbie, are you here?" Link called again, frowning at the Ancient Oven. It was trembling slightly as well. Hesitantly, Link reached out and touched it with his finger, finding the black surface to be warm.

"Hey, hey… _FamiliarNameMissing_." A voice suddenly emitted from the Ancient Oven, causing Link to jump back in alarm. The voice was strange and synthetic-sounding, speaking with a strange monotone pitch that Link couldn't determine was supposed to be a male or female voice. Other than the voice, the Oven hadn't changed or moved, and it continued to hum softly. "Please wait. Your—" It beeped and whirred for a moment. " _Ancient sword_ is still in the works."

Link heard footsteps coming from the floor above him, and he took another step back, looking up at the ceiling. "Robbie?" The footsteps paused. Link wasn't quite sure if he wanted to ask the question or not. "Is your Ancient Oven supposed to be talking?"

"Oh, don't mind her! Cherry is just glad to be working again." Robbie's voiced called from the room above. A moment later, Link heard his footsteps on the stairs and he emerged, holding a basket full of what looked like pieces of scrap metal.

"Cherry?"

Robbie swore and looked around, eyes widening beneath his goggles. He apparently did not find what he feared, however, and sighed in relief. "I mean the Ancient Oven. Cherry is an… old name that she used to have." Robbie continued down the rest of the stairs before sighing heavily, letting the basket fall to the ground. He groaned, placing a hand on his back and stretching. When he stopped stretching, he smiled toothily at Link. "I'm glad you woke up before this old sack of flesh gave out."

"How old _are_ you, anyway?" Link said, curious.

Robbie grinned at him, taking a deep breath before striking a strange pose, legs spread, one hand on his hip with the other pointed into the air. "Why, I just turned one hundred thirty-six! I look good for my age, don't I?"

"Is it… normal for Sheikah to live that long?" Link said, thinking about the shriveled Sheikah in the shrines. Did Sheikah live as long as Zora?

"Oh, it's not uncommon for full-blooded Sheikah to live until one-fifty or so. Some live to be older." Robbie bent down to pick back up the basket of scrap with a grunt, walking over to the nearest desk, lifting the basket onto it. "We live longer than you Hylians." He paused for a moment before looking back at Link. "Though I think you'll probably outlive all of us old Sheikah."

Before Link could express any doubts about that, the door to the lab burst open, and Jerrin rushed inside, hurrying to her desk. "Robbie! You will never believe what I saw."

She launched into a brief, but detailed narrative of their journey through the shrine, which Robbie only seemed to pay half a mind to as he scribbled some of his own notes down on a piece of paper on his desk.

Link watched the couple for a time before turning and walking slowly around the room. He came across a portrait that hung off the wall above the small kitchen that showed the two of them, along with another man who looked to be a teenager. Their son, he assumed. Granté.

"Robbie, do you know what this means?" Jerrin said, her voice excited. Link glanced back just in time to see her look around at her husband, only to find him muttering to himself as he inspected what looked like a Guardian's eye. Jerrin picked up a piece of chalk and threw it across the room, lightly hitting Robbie on the shoulder. He gave a start, looking around with wide eyes.

"Oh! No, what does it mean?"

Apparently satisfied by his renewed interest, Jerrin continued, her expression intent. "I think it means that the Sheikah Shrines are not entirely located in our realm. For the Shrine to exist beneath us, it would require the entire hillside to be completely hollow, and I was not even able to see a true ceiling."

She fished within a small pocket just inside of her coat, pulling out a small piece of rock. "However, it _is_ a physical place in reality. See? I brought this from within the Shrine. I was able to break it off of one of the walls." When had she even _done_ that? Link never recalled seeing her chipping rock off of a wall.

Robbie's interest peaked now, and he walked over, taking the stone from Jerrin and lowering his goggles over his eyes, inspecting it. "So what are you theorizing, dear?" he asked as he turned the stone over in his hand.

"I am not _entirely_ sure, but I think Princess Zelda's earliest theories might have been right."

Link's breath caught at the mention of her name. He took a step towards Jerrin and Robbie now. "Princess Zelda's theories?"

"Yes, she theorized that the Sheikah Shrines existed in an alternate plane of reality to our own, in something that ancient texts refer to as the Sacred Realm." Jerrin shook her head, looking amazed. "Her theories about them were shockingly accurate. It is actually difficult to believe that she never stepped foot into one."

"She didn't?"

"Nope!" Robbie said, holding the stone back out to Jerrin. "She tried to get into them several times, but she never could get that Sheikah Slate to work."

"Then how did she know anything about them?" Link asked, frowning.

"How else?" Robbie said. "She _studied_. The old castle had thousands of books and ancient texts in its library, and I think that Princess Zelda might have read each and every one them.

"Still, though, details of ancient Sheikah technology are scarce—usually only fragments that have somehow survived the millennia through imperfect copies. She worked with our scholars to try to unearth every fragment she could, though."

"Oh, to have access to that library," Jerrin said, sighing. "What additional secrets might we find hidden away."

"What happened to it?"

"We're not sure," Robbie said, frowning. "No one dares to approach the castle any longer. Not with the Calamity still flying around it. Not to mention the Guardians."

A chill ran down Link's spine at the word. "So there are still living Guardians in the castle as well?"

"Guardians aren't _alive_ ," Robbie admonished, looking at Link with an expression that Link thought might have actually been disgust. "They're machines! Constructs."

" _Functioning_ , I mean. There are _functioning_ Guardians within the castle?"

"Oh, yes." Robbie turned in his seat, picking up the inert Guardian eye. "And they fire on anyone they can get their sights on."

Link grimaced at the unpleasant image this conjured up in his head. He would have to face those Guardians eventually, even if he managed to free all four Divine Beasts. Perhaps Robbie's research would turn up something useful in taking control of them again, or at least disabling them.

The Ancient Oven suddenly chimed merrily and a compartment on its front, just beneath the new seam of blue light, opened. Steam hissed out of the opening.

"Ahh!" Robbie said, hopping off of his chair and hurrying over to it. He reached in, smiling, and pulled out what looked like a strangely-designed sword hilt with a lopsided cross-guard. Rather than a blade, it had a pair of strange pieces of Sheikah-designed metal that extended out about as long as the hilt. The metal pieces were each connected to a circular piece at the end. "Here!"

Robbie handed Link the strange object, and he took it, turning it over in his hands. He found a small switch reminiscent of that of on his broken Guardian sword and pressed it.

The thinner of the two metal pieces whipped up until it formed a much longer rod with the other piece. The circular piece that connected appeared to be a hinge of sorts. With a brilliant flash, a glowing blue blade of energy hummed to life along one edge of the rod, extending just past it to end with a point.

Link exhaled slowly as he examined the sword, noting that it glowed with a brighter light than his Guardian sword had. It had more weight to it as well, with the metal rod providing some counterbalance to the hilt, which Link greatly appreciated. Overall, it felt sturdier than the Guardian sword had.

He thumbed the switch off, and the blade disappeared. The rod folded in half again, returning to its inactive state. Link looked at Robbie and smiled broadly. "It's perfect, Robbie."

"Well, of course it is," Robbie said, smugly. " _I_ made it." Jerrin snorted in playful derision, which caused Robbie to whirl around and give his wife an irritated look.

" _We_ made it," Jerrin said, smiling with the same smugness that Robbie had. "In case you had forgotten in your old age."

"You assisted with its _refinement_ , yes, but I crafted Ch—the Ancient Oven long before you ever were introduced into my life."

Link couldn't help himself but to smile at the continued banter between Robbie and Jerrin. Though there appeared to be a large gap in ages between them, they clearly cared for each other. Link wondered at how long they had been married. Decades, most likely, considering their adult son.

Absently, he thought back to his memory of Princess Zelda. They had bantered like this.

"Very _well_ ," Robbie finally said with an air of exasperation after Jerrin made another retort. He looked happy, though, as he turned to Link. " _We_ made it. Based entirely on my designs and _decades_ of prior work; but, yes, we made it. And I think you will find that to be far more durable than those Guardian swords."

"Thank you," Link said as he slipped the new sword into his belt. "Is there anything else you might be able to provide me? The creature in Vah Ruta was…" He grimaced. "Difficult to overcome."

"Well, I've been attempting to create some armor that should prove resilient to Guardians' blasts—"

"Really?" Link said, eyes widening. If he had that, then perhaps his future excursion into the castle would not be nearly as suicidal as he feared it might be.

"Well, yes," Robbie said, expression falling some. "But it is not quite where it needs to be yet. As it stands now, it can either be light and largely ineffective against Guardian fire, or it can protect you, as long as you don't need to actually move anywhere very quickly." At Link's confused expression, he continued. "I have found that, to achieve the level of protection needed, the entire armor set would likely weigh over three hundred pounds."

Link grimaced, and Robbie nodded.

"So you see why it still needs some work. Still, though, I have some ideas. It will be my primary focus now that you've awoken." He turned, walking over to a small chest that had been placed against a wall.

"However, in the meantime," he said as he bent down and opened it. He stood back up straight with several thin rods with fletching at one end. Link thought that they were arrows, but they were unlike any arrows he ever recalled seeing. The opposite end was covered in a thick device of sorts. It actually looked a lot like the two metal rods on Link's sword, though shorter in length.

Robbie held the small bundle of arrows out to Link. There were five of them. Each of them was heavier than a normal arrow and definitely weighted to the front. "I call them Ancient arrows. They are just like your sword, only these will activate when drawn on a bow." He winked at Link. "The trigger mechanism is in their nocks. Pretty clever, huh?"

Link turned one over, looking at the small notch in it, just beneath its fletching. He couldn't see anything that looked like the switch on his sword, but he trusted that Robbie knew what he was talking about. "What will they do?" Link asked, thinking to the shock arrows that he carried.

"Besides kill just about anything they come in contact with?" Robbie said, smiling broadly and placing his hands on his hips. "When they strike a target, they will burst with the energy of a Guardian's beam. I am not certain if they will destroy a fully functioning _Guardian_ with one strike, but they will greatly damage it. I think you'll find them to be effective against these creatures within the Divine Beasts."

Link looked up at Robbie, smiling in gratitude. "Thank you. Truly. After facing the last one, I didn't know how I was going to destroy the others. These should help."

"I'm sorry that I can't provide more. Had I known you would be coming, I would have been spending the last few months creating as many ancient weapons as I could. I've been trying to perfect a new type of bow that will be capable of shooting the ancient arrows as straight and true as any other arrow, but it's not quite ready.

"I do not know when you will be able to make your way back here, but I will set to crafting as many of the weapons as I can. Whatever I can provide to help you save Princess Zelda."

"That's not a problem," Link said. "Now that I've activated the Sheikah Shrine, I can use the Sheikah Slate to teleport back here at will."

The explosion of questions that erupted after this statement startled Link, though, in hindsight, he probably should have expected it. He did not emerge from the lighthouse until well into that night, long after both Robbie and Jerrin had experimented with the teleportation rune, and Jerrin had a chance to make her sketches of the shrine from the photographs that Link took.


	22. Chapter Twenty

**Another day, another chapter! I got the sense that a lot of you enjoyed the last chapter, which I'm glad to hear! It was good to finally get to do a real memory between Link and Zelda, as well as have a payoff for that photo introduced way back in Chapter Eight. I think you'll enjoy this chapter as well, as it sees the reintroduction of another familiar face and something else that I've been looking forward to doing since the beginning.**

 **Before we get into it, let me start by addressing a couple of the most recent comments.**

 **Lord Halcyon: I'm glad the last chapter resonated with you! On the issue of Zelda's powers, that is something that I would like to eventually address in the novel, though I have not fully worked out where to add it in. I have ideas, though... I can't comment specifically on your theory, however. I don't want to give away spoilers for the future!**

 **iCards: Thanks for all the reviews! It's been great getting all those comments as you worked through the story. I'm glad you enjoyed Robbie and Jerrin. Throughout the story, I've tried to stay very true to the characterizations presented. Robbie's journal helped a lot to flesh him out in my mind beyond the electric guitars and poses, and I really enjoyed the fact that Jerrin was so mistrustful of Link, if he talks to her before verifying his identity with Robbie. I knew I wanted to work that in.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty**

"Now, if you have any problems with that sword or the arrows, you come right back here," Robbie said as Link placed the wrapped bundle of arrows—they were much too large and unwieldy to place in his quiver with the other arrows—in the saddlebags next to the fresh salted meat and vegetables that he had received from in town. "They are sensitive, fragile things, made of many moving parts and components—not like a piece of iron."

Link would rather not think of his weapons as fragile. They needed to be sturdy and capable of both attack and defense. But Robbie assured him that the sword, at least, would be far more resilient to punishment than the Guardian sword had been.

He wore the Champion's tunic on the day of his departure, Impa's words of providing hope to those who recognized it ringing out in his head. Robbie certainly knew it—he once saw Link dressed in this tunic over one hundred years ago, on this very hill. It was a sobering thought, yet it also made Link stand just a little taller.

"Thank you for your help," Link finally said as he finished strapping down his equipment and turned towards Robbie. "If I see Purah or Impa before your message arrives, I'll make sure to pass it on."

It was time that the three Sheikah elders met once more, Robbie had told him. Their self-imposed exile served its purpose. They outlasted the last century, each having passed on what he or she knew to Link after he woke. Now it was time to look to the future. Robbie recommended they both make a journey to his home before the end of spring so that they could begin the next phase of their plan, whatever that may be.

It was comforting for Link to know that he wouldn't be the only one acting. Still, it was time to get on with his own mission. Death Mountain loomed far over the mountains to the west, and the smoke rising from its open maw seemed thicker and blacker now than before. It was a cause for some concern, especially when Robbie told him that the volcano had last been this active in the year leading up to Calamity Ganon's return. Link hoped that his detour to better prepare himself would not result in disaster for others.

He and the married pair of Sheikah each said their good-byes, with Link promising to keep Jerrin informed of any new shrines that he encountered. She had hoped that Link would travel with her to another shrine some three days away, but he had refused as politely as he could. It had already been too long since he freed Ruta as it was. With one final wave, Link spurred Spirit into motion, riding out of the small ramshackle village of New Kasuto.

After he left the town, he angled to the left, taking the south road instead of riding back the way he came and towards the quarry. The memory still fresh in his mind, he wished to avoid being anywhere near that place for the time being. Perhaps he would try to revisit it another time to see what other memories might surface, but for now, he wanted to keep moving.

As he continued down the gentle incline, he rode past farmland where a handful of residents of New Kasuto worked the fields. Several of them looked up at him as he passed, but none stopped him or called out. The people here, like in many other places in Hyrule, were unaccustomed to seeing newcomers. Merchants like Telma seemed to be the only tenuous links that existed between the scattered residents of Hyrule.

Thinking on the boisterous red-haired woman made Link feel anxious for her safety. She was the first person that he'd really met after waking. He had seen no sign of her on the road since they parted ways at the Dueling Peaks stable, him heading towards Hateno Village and she Zora's Domain. In all of the excitement of the Divine Beast, he hadn't even thought to ask them if she had made it safely. The eastern road that led north alongside Hyrule Field did not seem as infested with monsters as he had initially feared, but the stable that Link had met Kass at certainly indicated that it wasn't always as safe as Link had found it.

As Link rounded a bend in the road surrounded on either side by rock walls, the scenery opened up to reveal an open field, miles wide, without a tree in sight. To the east, the ocean stretched on to the horizon, and Link would see that strange spiral-shaped patch of land that he'd noticed before. A herd of wild horses grazed in the field not so far from the road.

He could tell from Spirit's gait that the horse wanted to pick up the pace, to run in the open field, and Link couldn't blame him. He gave Spirit his head and leaned low as Spirit broke into a gallop, leaving the road behind and running out into the field. The wind blew Link's hood off of his head and caused his hair to stream back behind him. A flock of cranes took flight, startled by the man and horse that ran by. Joy bubbled up from Link's stomach and soon he grinned and laughed as they raced across the land.

Spirit's gallop lasted for a surprisingly long time. Previously, when Link had kicked Spirit into a gallop, the horse had shown good endurance, but no horse could gallop for more than a few miles at a time. This time, however, Spirit maintained his gallop across the entire field, seeming to relish in the salty sea air and the feel of grass under his hooves. What should have taken them several hours to cross ended up taking less than an hour. When, finally, Spirit slowed to a walk, his sides heaving with deep breaths, they had crossed the entire field, and the ground had begun to steadily rise again.

Link climbed off of Spirit's back, patting the horse's neck with some pride. The horse had earned a short rest, for sure. Surprisingly, after nearly an hour of galloping, Link didn't feel sore, either. If anything, he actually felt looser and more rested than he'd felt in days. They had, apparently, both needed to burn off some of the tension.

After giving Spirit a carrot from his pack, Link walked over to a small rise, taking a seat in the grass. He pulled out some of the fruits and vegetables that he'd received from the village to eat.

"Did we see this, when we came here before?" he wondered aloud. Spirit snorted and bent his head low to eat a patch of grass, having finished his carrot. "Not you. I mean me and Princess Zelda. Princess Zelda and I."

He stared out at the ocean. "Zelda and I." Something about saying her name made him feel a rush of… what? Warmth? More than that. It made him feel nervous, too. An excited sort of anxiety.

Link sighed and fell back so that he was looking up at the blue skies. "Goddess, it's like with Mipha all over again. What did I feel for her? She was a princess."

 _A princess that I traveled with alone. A princess that I called by name. A princess that sat beside me for warmth and comfort. A princess that I was sworn to protect_. He didn't like the uncomfortable feeling that settled into the pit of his stomach at these thoughts and closed his eyes.

* * *

Link's eyes opened at a particularly sharp tug of his hair, revealing a bright, though noticeably cloudier sky overhead, and the long face of Spirit directly over him. The horse had a lock of Link's hair in his mouth, along with a tuft of grass. When Link met his eyes, Spirit snorted a blast of hot breath into Link's face.

Groaning, Link pulled his hair free, rubbing his scalp and pushing Spirit's face away from his. He sat up, exhaling slowly, and looking around the open field. He must have fallen asleep, lulled by the warmth of the day and the distant sound of waves. He hadn't been asleep long, judging by the height of the sun. An hour or two at most.

He noticed that the grass around him was much patchier than it had been when they arrived. Link gave Spirit a sidelong look, single eyebrow raised. Spirit, for his part, simply pulled up another tuft of grass, ignoring Link's look.

"You're a glutton," Link said, pushing himself to his feet. "Worse than me." Brushing the grass off of himself, Link sighed and looked around at the field around him. He could see the herd of horses that he'd seen earlier. They seemed curious about him, but also wary, staying close enough to watch him, but far enough to be able to bolt if needed.

After stretching, Link rolled his neck and looked back at Spirit, clicking his tongue. Spirit did not respond. Frowning, Link clicked his tongue again. Again, the horse ignored him, quite happy to graze.

Link walked over to Spirit, taking the reins and pulling the horse's head up to look at him. "We've been working on this." Link patted Spirit's neck before releasing the reins and making a circle around the horse to ensure he still looked healthy and whole. He should have checked over Spirit's legs and hooves before taking his nap, in truth, but he hadn't been planning on falling asleep.

Finally satisfied, he mounted Spirit with a grunt, taking the reins in his hands. He clicked his tongue once more, only for the horse to ignore him for a third time. " _You're_ the one that wanted to run so much. I didn't make you do that. Now, come on." He nudged Spirit with his feet, and finally, the horse stopped grazing and began to walk back towards the road.

The day's travel continued uneventfully after that. Link observed their location with his map, choosing to avoid the path that would take them down into the wetlands. That road would take them right alongside the Citadel, which he would prefer to avoid now that he'd seen what became of it. So, when they came to the fork in the road, he opted to turn left and continue south, their elevation steadily climbing.

According to the Sheikah Slate's map, this area of the Akkala Highlands was largely devoid of Hylian habitation one hundred years ago. There had been a few small settlements, but they were unlabeled. So that was why, as the sun began to set over the mountains to the west, Link was surprised to find a place lit by torches and lamps, and what appeared to be a familiar-looking house in the process of being built.

The strange sight was a little off the road, on a large island in the middle of the lake that made up half of the Torin wetlands. The island was accessible by a natural land bridge that connected it to this side of the lake. The vegetation on the bridge had been cleared away, and he could see cart tracks leading from the road to the bridge.

The island had, likewise, been cleared of vegetation, and a multi-story house had been framed. Several tents stood off to one side, near stacks of construction materials, along with several carts, and a number of horses and mules. The other side of the island, however, held a number of large boulders and stone outcroppings that he imagined would prove very difficult to build around.

Link pulled Spirit to a stop as he reached the bridge, frowning as he looked across to the strange construction that seemed so out of place in this otherwise deserted location. As he watched, several men walked into view, each wearing a colored vest. At their head stood a man that Link recognized—tall and broad, with a mop of black hair and an equally thick mustache. Hudson of Bolson Construction. From Hateno Village.

"What in Hylia's name…?"

He turned Spirit, guiding his horse across the bridge. At the entrance to the construction site, a pair of posts had been driven into the ground on either side of the bridge, with a sign hanging between them. The sign had no words on it, however, and it just served as an arch to pass under.

As he approached, the group of men that had apparently just sat down around a fire to eat their evening meal stood, looking wary. None of them were armed, while Link was, perhaps, _too_ armed. Hudson walked forward, looking up at Link with a frown. Finally, he said, "Mister Link?"

"Hudson, right?" Link said as he dismounted. "What are you… doing here?"

"Building."

Link looked at the tall man, feeling slightly amused by his short way of speaking. It could be difficult to get a sense of what he was thinking behind the mustache. "Well, yes, I can… When did you get here? I just saw you in Hateno Village." And Link had the advantage of instantaneous transportation through the Sheikah Slate.

"About two days ago." That would mean that they had been just a day behind Link on the road. They had probably left right after he bought the house in town. "I think we should have that house finished in another two days."

"But no one lives out here," Link said, still confused.

"We do."

"So you quit working with Bolson and decided to move out here?"

Hudson looked surprised at this, looking back to the other men that were observing their conversation. He looked back at Link. "No." At Link's silence, he continued. "Bolson asked us to come here."

"'Build it, and they will come!' That's what the boss said," said one of the other men. Link thought that he might recognize him from his evenings staying in the inn when he first arrived to Hateno, but he wasn't sure.

"You're just building out here in hopes that people will move here?"

"Yes," Hudson replied. "And no." He paused, seeming to consider for a time. Apparently deciding that more words were needed, he continued. "Bolson heard that some people were hoping to move out here. Some people from Hateno and Lurelin."

"He sent you out here to build houses for them?"

"That's not a house." Bolson looked back at the building being construction, and Link thought that his posture changed slightly. He stood up a little straighter. Prouder. "That is the new headquarters for the North Bolson Construction Company." The other construction workers all beamed at his mention of the name.

Link was not a businessman. He was fairly certain that he hadn't been one in the past, either. Still, this all seemed to be a very high-risk operation to him. Then again, he _had_ met Bolson. The man could be… eccentric.

"But why set up here? Why not New Kasuto?"

"This is where we were asked to set up. And I liked the location."

Well, Link supposed that was as good a reason as any other. And he had to admit, though, that this was probably a better place for a construction company to set up shop. New Kasuto had a few small groves of trees, but it was largely fields and farmland. This side of the Akkala Highlands, however, was much more densely forested. Still, he wasn't sure about the viability of this business expansion of Bolson's.

There was an awkward pause as they both looked at each other, not sure where else to go with their conversation. Finally, Hudson motioned towards the cook fire that he and his men had set up for their evening meal. "Want to join us?"

Link did, sharing some of his own supplies with them as they sat down together to eat. As they ate, they explained in more detail what, exactly, they were doing here. It would seem that the head of a wealthy family from Hateno Village had spoken to Bolson of his desire to move out to the Akkala Highlands in order to recover some land that once belonged to his ancestors before the Calamity. The man had agreed to finance an expedition into the Akkala Highlands, including the construction of several homes for him and any employees that he brought with him.

Bolson, seeing an opportunity, decided to expand on the original investment. Rather than merely build a plantation, he imagined something far grander. A new settlement. The first new Hylian town established in nearly one hundred years. An entire town built by the newly established North Bolson Construction Company, with Hudson at its head.

There was, of course, one little snag.

"We need a Goron," Bolson said as he ate some of the stew that they had made.

"A Goron?" Link asked, looking up from his own bowl, spoon in one hand.

"A Goron." Hudson lifted the bowl to his lips, tilting it back and drinking off the remains. Some of the stew dripped from his mustache when he lowered the bowl. "Those rocks are a lot worse than we were expecting."

"When Bolson told us there would be some rocks that we had to clear, we were thinking some, well, _rocks_ ," said another of the Bolson Construction employees named Nelson. "Not huge boulders the size of houses!"

"We just don't have the manpower to clear them," Hudson continued, nodding towards Nelson. "It would take month, even with everyone back in Hateno Village, and we don't have the necessary tools or materials. With just us, it could set Tarry Town back for…" He looked around at the other construction workers. "Years. Maybe longer."

"But a Goron could help?"

"Well, yeah," Nelson said, his voice excited. "They're the experts when it comes to rock-breaking, right?"

Hudson nodded again while sucking his mustache. "A Goron or two could do it easily. I was thinking about sending some of the Sons up to the mountain and see if they could find any willing to work with us."

"The… Sons?" Link asked, frowning.

Every other eye around the fire turned to look at Link, staring at him. Finally, Hudson cleared his throat. "You… didn't notice?" At Link's confused expression, a few of the other men around the fire started chuckling. "It's one of the most important policies that we follow at the Bolson Construction Company. All employees must have a name that ends with '-son'."

Well. Link supposed that, in the face of the fall of civilization, there would always be some oddities that might crop up. The stress could make anyone crack.

"So, if I wanted to join your team—"

"You couldn't."

"Because my name isn't Linkson."

"I suppose you could choose to change your name, but…" Hudson considered for a moment, but then shook his head. "No, I don't think the boss would like that. So no. We appreciate the offer, though."

 _I wasn't_ _offering_ , Link thought with a small smile. But, out loud, he said, "I'm actually going to be heading up to Death Mountain. I'm on my way there now. I can ask if any Gorons would be interested in coming down to help."

Hudson rubbed at his mustache in thought, squinting at Link over the fire. Link, for his part, wasn't quite sure why he was under such scrutiny. Finally, Hudson nodded. "I can't offer you any pay since you aren't an employee. But we would be very grateful if you were able to find any Gorons to assist us."

"I'm not asking for any—"

" _As long as_ their names adhere to standard Bolson Construction Company naming guidelines."

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Right. Well, if I come across any Gorons who are interested in helping _and_ have names that end in '-son', then I'll make sure to send them your way."

"Great!" Hudson said, clearly happy with this turn of events. The corners of his mustache, which covered most of his mouth, rose in a smile. "In _that_ case…" He rose from his seat, walking over to a nearby barrel. He grabbed a couple of mugs off of its lid. As soon as he did so, the other men around the fire quickly jumped up, hurrying over to him. After a few moments of busy commotion, Hudson walked back to the fire, holding two large mugs full of amber liquid, while the others busily filled their own mugs at the cask.

"Got to ration this stuff, since it's all we got, but since we're entering into a mutually beneficial business arrangement, it seemed like the right time." Hudson held the mug out to Link, who took it warily. He wasn't actually sure how this business arrangement was in any way a mutually beneficial affair.

Hudson smiled broadly and lifted his mug to his lips. After a moment of hesitation, Link did the same, taking a hesitant drink. The ale burned on its way down, forcing him to suppress the urge to cough, before settling in his stomach with a pleasantly warm sensation. The ale or mead had a distinctly honey flavor to it that was very pleasant, indeed. He took another drink.

* * *

"So I don't have any _idea_ how in the goddess' name I'm supposed to kill a giant pig demon!" Link said, gesticulating with his hands. The other men had gone off the bed, leaving Hudson and Link the sole individuals left by the dwindling fire. "But I've got to. For her."

"Well, you have to find a way to save her," Hudson said, nodding sagely.

" _Exactly_. I mean, I can't leave her trapped in there with it, right? I am—or _was_ , I don't know—her knight! And maybe her friend. I think we were friends. I don't know. I wish I could remember more of the damned past."

"I don't remember a lot of my childhood." Hudson lifted his mead to his lips, finishing off his mug. "Apparently I fell off a tree and hit my head. Mama said I barely made it."

"I hate not remembering anything. It feels like I'm missing a part of myself. I can't help but to think that, if I remembered everything, this wouldn't be so bad. I would know just how to defeat it." Link paused, frowning. "Right? I had to know how to defeat it back then. I couldn't have been walking in _completely_ blind."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You killed the thing in Zora's Domain."

"Yeah, by sheer _happenstance_. If Mipha hadn't been there, I'd be as dead as..." Link trailed off, grimacing. "I don't know." He paused, looking down at his empty mug. How many drinks had he had? He couldn't remember. "You know, I keep thinking that I heard Zelda talk to me while I was in Zora's Domain, after freeing the Divine Beast. I could almost swear that I heard her while I was sleeping, but she hasn't answered me since."

"Maybe you were just dreaming."

"It didn't _feel_ like a dream, though. I've had dreams about her, too, and it wasn't the same." Link groaned and set the mug down, leaning forward and placing his head in his hands. "I could have sworn she was there. Right next to me."

Hudson blew a long breath out through his mustache. "Sometimes I dream I have a woman next to me while I sleep."

"That's not—I mean, I don't _think_ that's what I—" Link hesitated, shaking his head. His vision briefly grew blurry before sharpening again. "Regardless, it's just… I have so many questions that no one seems to want to answer." Or that he was afraid to ask, if he was being honest with himself.

Their conversation continued for several more minutes before, finally, Hudson rose, groaning slightly. He walked over and placed a large hand on Link's shoulder, patting it. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." With that, he turned and walked off to lie down in his tent, leaving Link alone.

Link sat there for a time, staring into the fire. Finally, he stood unsteadily. He blinked in confusion as the world around him seemed to spin on its axis. How much _had_ he drunk? After a few moments, the spinning stopped, and he stumbled away from the fire, a hand to his forehead. He dizzily approached his own bedroll, which had been placed on a patch of grass opposite the construction workers' sleeping area.

As he removed his tunic and trousers, he couldn't help himself but to look up at the sky overhead. The lamps had been doused, and the crescent moon overhead only provided so much illumination. He thought that he could see millions of stars overhead, stretching on for as far as the eye could see. It was a beautiful night.

He looked around and saw the shadow of the Akkala Citadel, silhouetted by the orange glow of Death Mountain. He was close enough to it again that it rose high in his vision. A spire of death and destruction. A place where Guardians still lived, still flew. Still searched for him. It sent a chill down his spine, making him wish he was still sitting beside the fire.

He lay down, snuggling into his bedroll and trying to get comfortable. It was difficult, as he found that the patch of grass upon which he'd set up his things hid several small rocks that all seemed to find their way to various points on his back, shoulders, and buttocks. He sighed and set about to trying to clear the rocks away.

* * *

 _Fire._

 _Everything was burning._

 _Everyone was dying._

He stood alone in an open circle surrounded by buildings aflame. Distantly, he heard screaming. People in pain. His people. He whirled around, looking for someone— _anyone_ —that he could save. But he saw nothing but a city in flame.

"Where are you?" he called, eyes wide with panic. Where was his family? Where were his friends? Where was his princess? "Answer me! Where are you?"

More screams. More terror. He broke into a run towards an alley, but the fires spread to engulf it before he could reach it. For a moment, he thought he saw a face—a girl, several years younger than he, with blue eyes—but then it was gone. Consumed by fire.

He turned, sprinting the other way. Another alley. Another way out. But it, too, burst into flames as he approached. He heard the sounds of metal clanging against metal. Men screaming as they died.

" _Where are you!?_ "

"Link!" A voice. His princess. His Zelda.

He turned, eyes wide, looking for her. She had just been with him, hadn't she? When had he lost sight of her? He sprinted around the large circle. In the center of it was a broken fountain that had dried up.

"Princess!"

He heard a scream. A terrible, awful scream. It made his blood run cold.

" _Zelda_!"

Something crashed behind him, and he whirled, eyes widening in horror. Six legs, each long and flexible, climbed over the rubble and bodies of its fallen brethren. It stood over him, and he was too weak to run anymore. He barely stood, leaning against his sword. He couldn't fight any longer, but he could die on his feet.

The blue eye found him and flashed red with recognition. It began to charge its beam, and he screamed in furious denial. The eye fired. He burned.

He bolted upright in his bedroll, chest heaving, eyes wide with panic. For a moment, everything still burned around him. He could see that terrible blue eye looking down at him with the intent on ending his life. But then it was gone, and he was still on the island that had been named Tarry Town. He placed a hand to his chest, feeling the way his heart raced. When he pulled his hand away, it came away wet. He was drenched in sweat. His hair, free of its ponytail, was plastered to the sides of his face. His bedroll was soaked.

Shakily, Link stood. The weakness that he felt made him think of how he'd been in the dream—barely able to stand, using his sword to support his weight. Grimacing, he reached up, brushing sweaty bangs away from his eyes before walking unsteadily over to a water barrel that belonged to the carpenters. He ladled some water into his mouth before pouring some over his head. The chill water sharpened his mind, driving the lingering effects of the dream from his consciousness.

Link took another deep gulp of the water before stepping away, placing a hand to his forehead. It had been so real. He _felt_ the heat of the fire. He felt the terrible blast from the Guardian strike him. Had it really happened? It seemed to him that it was only a dream. Just a nightmare. He hoped it was.

Slowly, he stepped forward, all thoughts of returning to his bed forgotten. He would not be sleeping any more this night. And it was still night, he saw. The moon had moved inexorably closer to the horizon, but the sky had not yet begun to brighten with the coming dawn. The night was cool, but it felt good, for the moment, on his bare chest.

He stepped around a small outcropping of rock, sitting down on it and looking up at the sky overhead. Millions of stars dotted the night sky, as far as the eye could see. Seeing them now, he realized that he could pick out a few constellations that looked familiar to him, yet he didn't know their names or significance.

With a quiet voice, not wanting to wake any of the sleeping men, he said, "Can you hear me, Princess?" He got no response, though, outside of a distant bird's call. She was probably trapped in the castle, unable to see or hear. Imprisoned by Ganon.

"Princess?"

Nothing. He could remember the panic he'd felt in the dream. He'd needed to see her. Needed to know she was safe. Was she safe now?

"Princess Zelda."

Still nothing. The scream wouldn't depart from his mind. That awful sound that seemed to pierce his very soul.

"Zelda."

A whisper on the wind. Quieter than a breeze through tall grass. If there had been any other sounds, he wouldn't have even heard it. But he did.

" _Link._ "

For a time, he sat in silence, breath caught in his throat. Had he really…? It seemed too good to be true. Wishful thinking. And then he heard it again. A breath on the wind. Her voice.

"Link."

"You can hear me? You can speak to me?" Link spoke in a slightly louder tone now, hoping to get a reply, but dreading that he might not.

"I can, but…" There was a pause and, when she spoke again, the voice was slightly stronger than before. "My time is limited. My strength is not what it once was, and I fear that, should Ganon discover that you live… He already rages that you destroyed his blight."

"Are you all right?" The words seemed foolish the moment they left Link's lips. How could he ask her if she was all right, after all she had endured for the last one hundred years? Considering what she endured, even now.

"For the time being, I am still able to hold him at bay. I hold the power of a goddess, after all." He thought that he could detect a note of bitterness in her tone, but it was difficult to tell. After a moment, she spoke again. "What of you, Link? I have witnessed much of your journey. I have seen that you have begun to regain some memories. Do you remember much?"

"Too little," he whispered, looking down. "Fragments. Events. I saw… You. At the Spring of Power."

"Yes… I remember. I had wondered if that's why you went there." Princess Zelda paused for a time before speaking again. "That was a difficult night, but it wasn't all terrible."

He thought of the laughter they'd shared over their supper, their banter, and the warmth of her body next to his. No, it had not been all bad, though those things seemed small in light of the events that followed. He'd accomplished little to change the evening's trials. To spare her from the crushing disappointment that she was to suffer.

"What else do you remember?"

Link exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Bits and pieces. Some of my time in Zora's Domain, with Mipha. Flashes of other things. Places I've been. People I may have known." Link fixed his eyes on a distant point on the horizon, trying to imagine for a moment that he could see the princess standing before him. "Some of them are jumbled, without any context to tell me when they happened or where they took place."

"My own memories are like that somedays," she said. She could have been right beside him for how close her voice sounded now. "Sometimes, I can remember things with such clarity that I almost feel like… myself. Other days, I barely have any concept of who I am. On those days, there is only the struggle against Ganon."

"I am so sorry, Princess," Link said, dread filling his heart. "I wish I could remember more—to know where I could have done more to stop all of this from happening."

"Don't be ridiculous." Did he detect… mirth in her tone? "It is largely _because_ of you that this world still lives." She must have been able to see Link's confused expression, because she continued before he could reply, speaking more quickly now. "I am afraid that I do not have time to explain at this moment. I am not entirely certain that I even could. I can feel Ganon pressing against my barrier once again.

"But, Link, know that seeing you alive, hearing that you are recovering your memories, and witnessing your victories against Ganon's creatures… These things give me hope. They give me strength. I may not always be… available to speak to you like this, and I am sorry. I know that you are still confused, but, please, be strong. Have faith that all will be revealed in time."

"I will," Link said, frowning into the night air. "I'll find a way to get you out of there."

"I know you will."

He felt a shift in the air that seemed to signify that Princess Zelda's presence had left him. She had gone, seemingly retreating back to the castle in order to prevent Ganon from using her distraction in order to break free of her prison.

With a grimace, Link leaned back on his hands, looking back up to the stars. He remained there until dawn, watching silently as the sky gradually lightened and the stars faded from view.


	23. Chapter Twenty-One

**You all have a real thing for drunk Link! I'm glad the last chapter garnered such a positive reaction. The conversation with Zelda is one of those things that I went back and forth on, all the way up to the day of posting. However, I felt Link needed a bit of a win, especially considering what I have in store for him throughout the rest of Part Two...**

 **iCards: Thanks for the comments, as always. I do have a plan for Hudson and Tarry Town, but I won't reveal everything quite yet. Needless to say, it's difficult to turn what is really the big BOTW fetch quest into a side story in the novel, and I'm still ironing out a few details... but I have plans. Also glad you liked the nightmare sequence. There's definitely a few nuggets of information in that, but as for what is dream and what is reality, we'll find all that out later. Much, much later!**

 **AncientHeroofTime: Thanks for the review! The line you pointed out is one that I'm particularly happy with. I'm glad you thought it captured things so well. Also, for the record, I think this might be the oddest review I've ever gotten... so kudos to you!**

 **Inheritance1990: Thanks for going through the whole story! You powered through it in, what, two days? Dang. Thanks so much for all the comments, though.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

"Don't forget the Bolson Construction naming conventions," Hudson said as he looked up at Link, who sat atop Spirit. "I'm sure you'll find a Goron that meets those requirements."

Link, for his part, was not very sure of that at all, but he nodded in agreement to Hudson. "If I find anyone, I'll tell them all about Tarry Town," he said, smiling wryly.

Behind Hudson, the construction workers already started working again. They woke with the first rays of sunlight, ate a quick breakfast of salted fish, and got right to it. One of them—Matheson was his name, Link thought—predicted rain later in the day, which sent the crew into a kind of working frenzy. He was, apparently, never wrong about this sort of thing.

"Thanks, Link." Hudson smiled at Link from beneath his bushy mustache. "You know, I thought you were pretty strange back in Hateno Village. But now I see you're a pretty good guy."

 _Thanks, I guess?_ Link thought. Verbally, he said, "Well, great. Good luck with Tarry Town. I'll make sure to stop by when I visit the area again." He leaned down a moment later, grasping Hudson's outstretched hand, shaking it briefly before sitting back up and clicking his tongue, urging Spirit into a slow walk across the bridge.

Once free of the bridge, he rejoined the old road, turning south and beginning the climb back up the hill. As he climbed, he looked back over at the small town in its infancy. As strange as the men founding it were, it lifted his heart to see. As far as he had seen, the _only_ new settlement created since the fall of Hyrule had been New Kasuto, and that town had been founded by the families of the soldiers that fought and died at the Citadel. It was a town founded in tragedy by refugees. This new town—though Link knew that it couldn't be called one just yet—was something else. Founded, not off of tragedy or even necessity, but out of hope. A wealthy Hylian's hope for new riches and Bolson's hope for renown, true, but hope, all the same.

It seemed a good omen for Link as he continued on his journey to Death Mountain and the Divine Beast Vah Rudania.

* * *

Matheson's predictions came true by midday as a blustery rain blew in from the west, accompanied by strong winds. As Link made his way across a bridge, leading Spirit by the reins on foot, the rain wall hit, immediately soaking him through. Having begun to grow used to getting rained on while traveling by now, Link donned his cloak, cinching the collar tight, and raising his hood. It did little to keep him dry, however, as the bridge passed close by a waterfall originating from Zora's Domain that sprayed him with mist, in addition to the rain falling from the sky.

The rain did not abate until after he eventually made camp a few hours later, after trudging across the series of bridges that spanned the South Lake Akkala and Akkala Falls. When he finally did decide to rest for the night, he managed to find a small overhang in the cliffs surrounding Zora's Domain, where he was able to huddle up in. Unable to find any dry wood, he was forced to go without a fire that evening, but that served him just fine. The cleft in the rock that he'd found was right across from the old Akkala Parade Ground.

As the sun set, he kept his eyes on the towering Citadel, watching for any signs of the remaining Guardian he knew was still active up there. To his dismay, he did eventually see the flying Guardian that still circled the structure, but it was not alone. As darkness fell over the land, the colored lights on the Guardians' bodies became more pronounced, revealing to Link that at least two of the six-legged walking Guardians remaining active up there as well, stalking around the fortress like they were on patrol.

It made his stomach twist in fear and anticipation. None of them ever appeared to notice his small, huddled form so far away, but regardless, he was grateful to mount Spirit again the next morning and make his way away from the Citadel. The overcast sky overhead promised more rain.

Spring in Hyrule, it seemed, was a very wet season, indeed.

* * *

Later the next day, he approached the fork in the road that led up towards Death Mountain. Gratefully, he patted Spirit's neck, whispering his thanks for the horse's perseverance. It _had_ rained again—several times—as the morning transitioned into the afternoon. They still had plenty more to traverse before the day was up, but he felt that this would be as good a place as any to rest for a time.

He dismounted off Spirit's back, grimacing at the soreness that had already begun to set back into his legs. His wet clothes hadn't helped any, leaving Link able to feel the multitude of places that were chafing underneath his tunic and trousers.

"It's just… a _wonderful_ day," he said, removing the cloak from his shoulders and draping it over a low hanging tree branch. After a moment of hesitation and glancing around at the roads to the north and west, he removed his tunic as well, twisting it tightly in an attempt to wring the water out of it. "Honestly, Spirit, I can't imagine a better couple of days for travel."

Spirit responded by snorting and bending down to eat a tuft of grass.

"Right. Good idea." Link removed his sodden boots and socks and began to walk around, looking for the means to make a small fire. It would be nice to try to dry off some before getting back on the road. Unfortunately, the rain appeared to have fallen here just as heavily as it had in the Akkala Highlands, and it hadn't been clear or warm enough to dry anything enough to make use of. The day had warmed enough, though, that Link didn't feel terribly chilly, even bare-chested as he was.

After eating a small meal, he removed his sword from the saddle, unsheathing this silver Zora weapon and admiring its surface. This, at least, seemed perfectly fine with the wet weather he'd been experiencing. He imagined that it would have to be completely impervious to rust and water damage, considering where it had originated from.

He walked over to a small clearing away from the road and where Spirit was grazing. Once there, he took up a swordsman's stance, smiling as his body naturally responded. It knew exactly what to do, even if his own memories of learning such things were non-existent. As he began to go through the motions of the forgotten kata, he found his worries of the day fading away. His mind felt clearer than it had since speaking with Princess Zelda two nights prior, allowing him to reflect from a more detached perspective.

He supposed that speaking with the princess as he had should have brought him some peace and comfort, but it had only left him feeling more conflicted, highlighting the gulf that separated them now, both in body and mind. It was clear to him how dedicated he had been when they traveled together—he had been passionate about his duties as her protector. Though he had few memories of those times now, his heart still remembered that dedication and respect he had for her.

There was, of course, something else. He would be foolish to deny that he had felt something more for Princess Zelda than just duty and dedication alone. His memory of the Spring of Power provided plenty of evidence for that alone. They had been friends, and Link thought that there could have been more that he felt towards her. He supposed it wouldn't surprise him if he found out that he once had feelings for the princess—she was a beautiful woman, indeed. They had traveled together, too. Seemingly alone.

The thought made him feel suddenly flush, and he renewed his efforts to engage with his kata, swinging the sword in a variety of single and double-handed flourishes. A light sweat broke out on his forehead, plastering a few loose strands of hair to his face. The light breeze that blew across him felt pleasantly cool.

It was strange to him, the way he was reliving his memories. When he saw them, he did not see them through the eyes of an outsider, but from his own perspective. Yet once removed, it felt like he was reading a book with the pages scrambled. He had little context for any of these things. He knew things that he directly reflected on in the memory—there were three springs. The Spring of Power, the Spring of Courage, and another spring. He only knew of the location of the Spring of Power, though he distinctly recalled thinking of their time at the Spring of Courage during his memory.

It was frustrating. Even the fragments of memory that he saw contained fragments of other memories, leaving tantalizing hints at previous experiences with no way to follow those teases to their conclusion. Even his memories of Mipha and Zora's Domain were woefully fragmented, though his time there had certainly helped him piece some of them together to form a larger picture.

He set his jaw, beginning to move faster than before, grunting with the exertion of his swings and thrusts. Part of his mind raged at the injustice of it all. He was no naïve child. Even without his memories, he knew that good would not—could not—always prevail over evil like in children's tales. Yet this still felt so wrong. They were not supposed to have failed in the way they did. And whose fault was it? He wouldn't believe that it had been Princess Zelda's. Not after what he'd witnessed in the Spring of Power. Had it, then, been his? Had he not attained what he was supposed to attain—the Master Sword? And his skills with the blade were apparent, even one hundred years later. So then who? Whose fault could it—

A woman yelped in terror, breaking Link's concentration. He grew aware of his surroundings again. The clouds overhead had broken in places, giving way to shafts of golden light that brought out the color of the grass and trees. His body was covered in a layer of sweat from head to toe. And there was a woman in filthy traveler's garb sitting on the ground in front of him, a look of fear in her eyes.

Blinking in confusion, Link stepped back, glancing briefly at his sword. He hadn't—no. His sword bore no blood, and the woman didn't immediate show any signs of being wounded. How had she approached without his notice? Had he been so focused that he'd shut out the world around him so completely?

"I'm sorry, I was… distracted. Are you all right?" Link turned the sword over, sinking it into the wet earth point-down and stepped forward, holding his hand out to help the woman to her feet.

The woman looked up at him with some fear, eyes darting from his face to his extended hand. "I tried calling out to you, but you wouldn't answer me. I thought that maybe you just didn't hear me, but even when I stood right in front of you…"

Link grimaced, feeling his face flush. "I was _very_ distracted, it seems. I'm sorry if I scared you. I was lost in my thoughts. I hope you are not hurt."

"Not by you, no," she said before, finally, accepting his outstretched hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. Link noticed immediately that she was favoring one leg, and he frowned.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I…" The woman grimaced and looked down at her own feet. "I was traveling on the road when a nearby lightning strike spooked my horse. She threw me and bolted. I think that I must have sprained my ankle when I fell."

"Sprained your ankle?" Link asked, thinking of the healing abilities given to him by Mipha. "Do you need me to look at it? Maybe there is something I can—"

"Oh, no, sir!" the woman said quickly, eyes widening. She hobbled a step back from him, hands up. "It's quite all right. I only came over because you are the first traveler that I've seen on the road for the last two days. I have been trying to make my way up towards the trader's outpost at the foot of Death Mountain, but it has been slow moving because of my ankle. I had hoped that you might be going in that direction."

She was a clearly skittish woman, but Link could hardly blame her. With a sudden flash of embarrassment, he thought of how he might look. He had been swinging his sword around like, well, a trained killer, nearly taking her head off in the process. To make matters worse, he had taken off his tunic, leaving his multitude of scars visible for the woman to see. It must have taken a great deal of courage for her to even approach her—he'd seen no sign of her presence when he arrived in the area.

"You are in luck," he said, trying to keep his voice as calming as possible. "That is exactly where I am headed. I will be happy to help you get there."

"Really?" Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank the Goddess. I did not know what I would do if you chose to pass me by."

Slowly, Link moved passed her, trying to keep his movements from anything that might appear threatening. He felt dread in the pit of his stomach. He did not want to imagine what could have happened to this woman if she had approached someone else. He reached up and pulled his tunic from the tree branch, slipping it back on over his head. When he looked back at her, she inspected the tunic with a curious expression.

"Such color. I imagine that you must have had that dyed in Hateno Village," she said.

Link glanced down at himself, and the blue Champion's tunic that he had chosen to wear that day. "It was a gift, actually, but I imagine that's where the person that made it could have gotten the fabric."

"It is very nice," the woman said. Link looked back to her, smiling slightly. She was a pretty enough woman. With auburn hair pulled into a loose ponytail and faint freckles on her cheeks, she looked like she might have been close to Zelda's age from his memories. She was dressed in a simple blouse and a pair of trousers, though her clothes were very muddy, likely from sleeping on the ground during the last couple rainy days.

"Thanks," he said before pulling his cloak from the tree branch. "Are you hungry or anything? I still have some food leftover."

The woman patted a small pouch that she had slung over her shoulders. He supposed that she must have been wearing it when she was thrown off her horse. "I've been able to eat, at least."

"Good." After a moment, Link cleared his throat. "I am Link, by the way."

The woman smiled warmly at this and stepped forward, still favoring her hurt ankle, holding her hand out to him. "I am Delilah. It is so nice to meet you, Link." He shook her hand, noting the strength of her grip and that her fingers seemed calloused. _She clearly works hard with her hands_ , he thought.

After shaking hands, he motioned towards Spirit. "I imagine you're eager to get off that ankle of yours. Do you need me to help you up?"

"That would be most appreciated, thank you. I don't know if I could do so easily with my ankle the way it is."

Link approached her, allowing her to place an arm over his shoulder, and helped her hobble over to Spirit, who stood not far away. Once there, he held her injured leg steady and lifted her up, allowing her vault her other leg over the saddle. When she was seated, he adjusted the stirrups and helped her slip her injured foot into one.

"How is that?" he asked when he stepped back from her. "Comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you," she said, smiling warmly down at him. A moment later, she frowned. "But what about you? I don't want to force you to walk the whole way. I'm sure we both could fit, if needed."

Link felt a sudden heat rise up his neck and shook his head. "No, I'm all right. Spirit would probably appreciate having someone lighter than me on his back, anyway. He's been ridden pretty hard these last few weeks. I can walk."

"If you're sure. I'd just hate for you to have to walk so far."

"It's not a problem." Link sat down in the grass, pulling back on his socks and boots, which were still damp. With some irritation, he noticed that one of his socks now had a hole in it, allowing his big toe to poke out. Sighing, he pulled his boot on over that foot and laced it up. When he stood up, he couldn't help but to think that, yes, the walk _would_ be uncomfortable, with how damp his clothes and boots were, but there was nothing to do about it. Such a long ride with the two of them sharing the saddle would be just as uncomfortable, as far as Link was concerned.

He stepped up to the horse. "Excuse me, I just want to get this…" He untied his sheathe from the saddle, careful not to accidentally touch Delilah's legs in the process. His earlier thoughts of traveling alone with Princess Zelda had put him in a poor mindset altogether, and he scolded himself. Still, it might be nice to have someone to talk to, if only for the rest of the day. Something to keep him from dwelling on his thoughts of the past.

"That is a very nice sword," Delilah said as he strapped the scabbard to his back and then retrieved the sword. Link used the grass to wipe off any mud that clung to the blade after being stuck into the ground, and then sheathed the sword.

"It, too, was a gift," Link said, smiling wryly. "In fact, just about everything I have with me was a gift, one way or another."

"It sounds like you have generous friends," she said, eyebrows raised.

"Something like that."

"What is that on your hip? Another gift?" She pointed at the Sheikah Slate that Link still wore.

"Oh, this?" Link reached down, running his fingers along the Sheikah Slate's cool surface. "It's just… something that I'm holding onto for a friend of mine." He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly found that he didn't want to answer any questions about it. He reached forward, taking Spirit's reins and gently pulling the horse around so that he was facing uphill.

"If you don't mind my asking, why were you traveling alone, anyway?" Link asked as they began to walk up the muddy dirt road. He'd left the brick roads behind as he left the Akkala Highlands. "I was under the impression that these roads can be dangerous."

"Aren't you traveling alone?" Delilah asked, curious.

"Well, I'm armed." Link smiled back at her, patting the sword hilt over his shoulder.

"I have some family that live up at the outpost. I was hoping to spend some time with them," she said, looking a little embarrassed now. "To be honest, I assumed that I would just be able to outrun anything I came across on my horse."

"Some of the monsters around here have horses of their own," Link said, his eyes meeting Spirit's. He patted the horse on the nose fondly. "Where did you travel from?"

"Hateno Village."

Link looked back at her, eyebrows raised. "Really? I just purchased a home there. I don't remember ever seeing you around the town, though." He saw a flash of uncertainty cross her eyes at this, though it disappeared quickly.

"My family are farmers. We don't travel into town very often, unless we're purchasing supplies."

"I haven't really spent a lot of time there, anyway. I've been doing a lot of traveling. I purchased the home more to keep some of my things, instead of making poor Spirit carry everything that I don't immediately need."

"Why are _you_ traveling so much? You came from Akkala, didn't you?"

Link flushed a little at the question, still not really sure what he should say to questions such as these. He didn't like the idea of everybody knowing his true mission. "I'm… a traveling researcher," he finally said, lamely.

"Oh? What are you researching?"

"Guardians." Link paused for a moment, wincing a little as he looked away from her. He probably should have chosen something like the Sheikah Shrines. At least he had some inkling of what those were really like. "I'd heard that there were some functioning ones still in the Akkala Highlands."

"Were there?" He glanced back and saw that Delilah had leaned forward in the saddle, showing a great deal of interest in Link's words. He felt a slight flush creep up his neck again.

"A few," he said, thinking back to those he saw on and around the Citadel. "I didn't want to approach too close, lest they decide to attack me."

"They sound scary, from the stories I've heard. I've never seen one from up close, though." Link frowned slightly, looking away from her. That seemed odd to him for some reason. But before he could think about it any further, she continued speaking. "My grandfather once said that he saw them when they attacked the castle."

He grimaced at thought. What terror the people of Hyrule must have experienced when the Guardians—creations made to _protect_ them—turned and attacked. The familiar sense of shame fell onto his shoulders like a heavy weight. If only things had happened differently. If only they'd been more prepared.

"You don't seem much how I would imagine a traveling researcher to be, though," Delilah said.

"How do you imagine a traveling researcher should look?"

"I don't know…" She sat back up straighter in the saddle, looking up thoughtfully. "Older, I suppose. Scrawnier."

"I'm a little older than I look," Link said, chuckling softly.

"But you're not scrawny. You look like you've seen a lot of battles, actually."

"Researching Guardians can be pretty dangerous work, if you aren't careful. And I have a tendency of walking into trouble."

He looked forward again, but he could still feel Delilah's eyes on him from behind. Thankfully, she did not press any further with her questions, and soon the conversation turned to less personal matters that didn't require Link to outright lie.

* * *

Together, he and Delilah traveled up the road for a couple more hours before she asked if they could stop. The sun was beginning to set in the west, and they were still a couple of hours from the outpost, at least. Traveling together slowed their pace, as Link was forced to walk, and Spirit began to show signs of tiring. Link noticed, though, that the land around them was beginning to show subtle signs of change. The color of the grass had shifted from a verdant green to a paler color with shades of yellow. The dirt had begun to show a hint of red. They were nearing the base of the volcanic mountain range.

"Are you doing all right? Is it your ankle?" Link asked as he slowed Spirit to a stop, looking back at her.

"No… Well, yes, a bit. It's aching a lot. I'm also getting very tired. Would this be a good place to stop for the night?"

Link frowned slightly, looking back up the hill. "We aren't too far from the trader's outpost now. Are you sure you wouldn't like to keep going? It's maybe another couple of hours up the road."

"My ankle is just really sore after so much riding. Riding like this has me feeling sore, too."

He grimaced slightly, thinking that her choices for riding would be to put pressure on her ankle to relieve herself from the constant bouncing of the saddle, or to just endure a sore backside. It sounded to him like she ended up with both.

"Yeah, of course. Here," he said, walking over to the side of the saddle. "I'll help you down."

Delilah smiled gratefully down at him and leaned over, placing her hands on his shoulders. After a moment of embarrassed hesitation, Link carefully placed his hands to either side of her hips, helping her off of the horse and setting her down onto the ground. Once she was firmly on the ground, he quickly released her hips and turned so that she could wrap an arm around his shoulder again.

"Thank you so much for all of your help," she said as he helped her walk over to a small grassy mound, where he helped her sit. "I know that I've probably slowed you down terribly."

"It's really all right. I just wish we'd seen your horse out here somewhere," Link stood back up, turning back to Spirit and beginning to pull his saddlebags free. "I'm glad that you have family to stay with when we get there. Are they expecting you?"

"They knew I would try to come stay with them in the spring, but we didn't discuss any other time frame than that." Delilah gently rubbed her ankle through the leather of her boots. He thought that she would probably feel better if she removed them but didn't voice his thoughts.

"Would it be better if I rode ahead and retrieved one of them? Maybe they could bring a wagon or something to help carry you. That way, you wouldn't have to spend another night outside."

She smiled up at Link and shook her head. "One more night won't hurt me. Besides, I don't mind the company."

Link felt his cheeks grow warm. When he'd first met her, she'd seemed like a very shy girl, but she had gained confidence as they spoke throughout the day and grew comfortable in each other's presence. And he had to admit to himself that he found her to be attractive. She was no blonde princess with green eyes, true, but she had a different kind of prettiness to her. He thought that she might have a similar attraction to him from some of the things she'd said.

Not that he had any intent on taking that mutual attraction anywhere. He had far more important things to worry about than a pretty face.

"If you're sure," he said after recovering his wits about him. "I'll see if I can gather some supplies for a fire. With any luck, maybe I can catch some fresh meat as well." After he knew for sure that she was comfortable, he grabbed his bow and arrows from Spirit's saddle, setting off down the hill, to where the trees had been thicker.

When he later returned carrying a rabbit by its ears with one hand, and a bundle of sticks under his other arm, he found Delilah where he'd left her. She had pulled a brush from her small pack and used it to delicately brush out the tangles in her hair, which she'd pulled free of her ponytail.

Link froze and, for a moment, did not see Delilah at all. Instead, he saw Princess Zelda, seated upon a tree stump, dressed in her travel clothes, brushing her hair with a silver hair brush. But he did not just see her on a stump. No, he also saw her on a rock, seated on the bare ground, on horseback, on a sandy beach. All at once, he saw images flash through his head of the princess brushing her hair in a dozen different positions, wearing a dozen different outfits. It had been a nightly ritual of hers.

"Link?" Zelda asked, looking up at him curiously.

Blinking rapidly, Link dispelled the images, taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, the images of Princess Zelda had faded, replaced by the single image of Delilah, looking at him with a concerned expression. It hadn't been the princess who had spoken.

"Oh, sorry, I… Distracted." Link cleared his throat, trying to hide the sudden uncomfortable urge he got to be away from this woman who, for the briefest of moments, brought images of his princess to his mind.

"You get distracted a lot," she said, slipping her hairbrush back into her pack. For a brief moment, he thought he saw a flash of white in the pack, but it had been too quick for him to see any kind of detail. "You need to be more careful, or it will be the death of you one day."

"I'll take that under advisement," he said, a little more gruffly than he meant to. He set the wood down on the ground, placing the dead rabbit down next to him.

"Poor little guy," Delilah said, looking at the rabbit. "He had no idea what was coming."

"I'd be a poor hunter, if he did," Link said, trying to inject some humor back into his tone. She didn't deserve for him to get moody around her just because she had been brushing her hair.

"That's true."

She watched him as he assembled the bundles of sticks into a small stack before he took out his belt knife and began to shave pieces of bark off to be used for kindling.

"I can skin the rabbit, if you'd like," she offered after a few minutes of watching him prepare the fire. He handed the dead rabbit over, along with his knife, and she went to work while he set about starting the fire with a rock and a piece of flint. When he was completely finished, he looked with some satisfaction at the small, but healthy fire that he'd been able to get started.

Delilah proved very adept at skinning the rabbit, as well, her cuts delicate so as to preserve the animal's pelt. That was good—Link might be able to trade it for a few rupees in the outpost. He did not have many rupees left to his name at this point, and Purah had not been willing to part with anymore after he convinced her to buy his house for him. He supposed that he would probably split whatever amount he sold the rabbit for with Delilah, though.

By the time she had finished, he had set up a small stand for his cookpot using leftover wood and stones to lift it off the fire. He took over the cooking, cutting the rabbit meat up and combining it with other vegetables and herbs he had or had foraged.

"Wow," Delilah said as she watched him prod the meat with a wooden spoon. "I hadn't expected that you would be so adept at cooking as well."

Link glanced up at her and smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Just something I picked up, I suppose."

She hummed a response, and Link looked back down at the pan, satisfied with how everything looking. He carefully removed it from the fire, setting it down on a flat stone that he'd carried over. Once satisfied, he held the wooden spoon out to her.

"I don't really have any plates or utensils," he explained at her questioning look. She took the spoon and he took the knife, wiping it before letting the fire burn off any excess blood from the blade before using it to spear a chunk of rabbit.

They ate in silence for a time. Link was mostly satisfied with the dinner, but he felt like something was missing, though he just couldn't placer a finger on it. He felt certain, though, that whatever it was must have been locked behind a memory that he hadn't regained. Delilah, it appeared, agreed with him, as she fished in her pack after finishing their meal and pulled out a pair of ripe bananas, holding one out to Link.

After their supper, Link laid out his own bedroll for her to use, finding her a spot of soft grass before backing away to the other side of the fire, where he'd laid out his cloak, which had, gratefully, dried by the warm fire.

"You've been incredibly sweet to me, Link," Delilah said as she watched him clean up and prepare for bed. "You didn't have to do any of this at all."

"What should I have done? Made you go get your own?" he said, looking up at her with a wry smile.

"Regardless, I do not think I will ever forget the kindness you showed me."

Link couldn't quite read her expression in the flickering firelight, so he merely shrugged again. "I couldn't very well leave someone in need."

"That's why I'm so glad that I found you." He could see her smile from beyond the fire before she lied down, curling up in his bedroll. Link watched her as she settled for a time before lying down himself, wrapping his cloak around him, and soon falling asleep.

* * *

" _Open your eyes…"_

She appeared before him, resplendent in her white dress. Her green eyes were like emeralds. Her blonde hair shone with the sun. He couldn't but to smile at the sight of her. It was nice to see her again.

 _"Open your eyes…"_

She was saying something to him, but it seemed distant. Hard to make out. It sounded as though he were underwater. He shook his head to try to tell her that he couldn't understand her, still smiling.

 _"Open your eyes…!"_

He frowned now. Her expression had come into greater clarity; she looked terrified. Her eyes were wide, lips forming her frantic words. Now Link heard her.

 _"Open your eyes, Link! Wake up!"_

Link's eyes opened with a jolt. Standing directly over him was a dark figure in a white mask with an inverted Sheikah Eye emblazoned on its face.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Bit of a shorter chapter this time, but an exciting one, nonetheless! My apologies for the cliffhanger last week. I try not to do those _too_ often, but that was such a good spot for one... Either way, hopefully the conclusion will make up for it. Also, you are all really good at spotting Yiga. I knew I should have taken out some of the hints... Either way, this was another of those situations that I wasn't sure where it should go. I knew I wanted to add in a Yiga assassination attempt, but where? Initially, it was going to be on the way to Robbie's, but it just felt too forced there. And it really disrupted the tone I was going for, which was much lonelier and reflective. So it got moved to post-Akkala, where I think it fit much better. **

**Lots of reviews for the last chapter, so I'm just going to address a couple here.**

 **Lord Halcyon: I'm glad that you liked that part in Tarry Town. Though that quest is a little fetch-questy for a novelization, I think, I knew that I wanted to keep it in, anyway. It was really important to me to show Hyrule (finally) starting to rebuild, even if it's just one small town.**

 **AncientHeroofTime: You're going to have to see this chapter to find out how Link feels after the assassination attempt. Maybe he won't feel anything at all...**

 **iCards: As much as I love that scene (and that memory _is_ what inspired that little training sequence for Link), it's definitely not time for it... You'll see what I mean as Part Two progresses. Suffice to say, the order in which Link gains his memories is very important to his growth as a character.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

 _"Open your eyes, Link! Wake up!"_

Princess Zelda's voice still ringing out in his head, Link swept his cloak off of his body, kicking his legs out to the side, catching the ankles of his would-be assassin. The masked figure stumbled over his feet but didn't fall. It still gave Link enough time to roll to the side, throwing himself to his feet. He leaped backwards, stumbling slightly over the uneven ground, as the attacker's wickedly curved blade hissed through the air, seeking Link's chest.

Link had no time to think, to try to wonder at who the assassin's identity was or if Delilah was safe. As the assassin whirled, wielding a curved sickle in either hand, Link spun out of the way and ducked, trying to sweep a leg out again. The assassin was prepared for it this time and jumped over Link's outstretched leg, spinning the sickle around in their hand, and plunging the pointed edge down towards Link's exposed scalp. Link rolled, avoiding the worst of the attack, though he felt a sudden, searing pain down his bare back as the blade sliced his flesh open there.

He jumped to his feet and placed the tree he'd been sleeping near between him and the assassin. He heard the attacker's sickle strike the wood, and Link spun around the tree, slamming a fist into the side of the attacker's head, sending him sprawling onto Link's cloak. Satisfied, Link reached down to where he'd left his sword lying against the tree trunk, only to find his hand closing on empty air.

His sword was gone.

Link looked up as the assassin spun and rose in a blur of movement. So fast. Faster than Link, for sure. This time, however, the assassin didn't immediately attack, instead reaching up and straightening his mask, which had been knocked askew by Link's punch. The assassin looked up at Link and tilted their head curiously, looking at him.

"Looking for your sword?" the assassin spoke with a female voice. "You aren't going to find it. I threw it in the lake."

He knew that voice. Eyes widening, Link looked to the side, where Delilah's bedroll lay empty. The clothes and boots that she had been wearing earlier sat next to it in a crumpled heap. Link's eyes found the assassin again, taking in her appearance.

Thin and muscular, yet bearing an indisputably female figure now that he had a moment to pay attention, she was the right height and build. She wore a tight-fitting black and red body suit that covered her from head to toe. He could see no sign of her auburn hair, and the mask covered her face. With the voice, there was little doubt in his mind that the assassin standing before him was Delilah.

"Delilah?" Link said, eyes darting around for another weapon. His ancient sword was in Spirit's saddlebags, which could work, if it weren't for the fact that they were on the other side of the fire—and Delilah. "What are you doing?

"Well, I thought that would be obvious," she said, rolling her head on her shoulders. "I plan to skin you like a rabbit."

She leaped forward, spinning her sickles in either hand with deft fingers before bringing them together in a move that would have decapitated Link, if he hadn't stepped back. She kicked out, and her foot caught him in the midsection, knocking the breath from his lungs and making him double over. Her knee slammed into his face.

Stars burst in front of Link's eyes, and he cried out, stumbling back. He tasted blood. When his vision cleared, she was there, moving as fast as a viper. He caught her first arm with his palm, but before he could disarm her, the other sickle swept in towards his exposed gut. He shoved her back, disrupting the slash enough that it passed within a hair's breadth of his bare stomach.

Delilah spun, twisting her sickle around into a backhand grip, sweeping it in a wide arc towards his head. Link ducked it, leaning towards her and striking her twice in quick succession with his fists. She grunted in surprise, leaping back, one fist pressed to her midsection where his punches had landed.

"I'm glad you woke up," she said. He heard a new edge to her voice that had never been there when they spoke during the day. "I had heard from some of our spies that you were an adept fighter, and, of course, I have heard the legends."

"Who are you? Are you Sheikah?" Link asked, standing up straight and reaching up to wipe blood from his nose and mouth.

Her laugh that followed sounded almost crazed. It sent a chill down his back. "You truly don't know? Oh, how delicious."

Delilah moved, her body twisting like that of a dancer. Every move she made seemed to flow perfectly into the next with blinding speed. Her sickles were flashes of dark metal in the night, difficult to make out in the dim light. Only her white mask truly stood out.

Link dodged the flurry of blows, diving into a roll that took him just past her spinning form. He came back to his feet and sprinted towards the saddlebags, leaping over the smoldering remains of his fire and landing near where Spirit stood, looking anxious. Something flashed past his ear. A small metal disc lodged itself in the leather of the nearest saddlebag, and Link looked back just in time to see her grab another of the throwing weapons off her waist and whip it towards him.

Link dodged, but Spirit was not so lucky. The horse behind Link screamed in sudden pain and terror, kicking his legs and breaking into a gallop, running away from Link and Delilah. Link felt a flash of fury. If she had hurt his horse—!

She sent several more of the spinning discs Link's way, and he was forced to leap to the side, landing in a roll and coming back up a few feet away from where he'd been standing. Delilah was on him almost immediately, wielding both sickles again with deadly accuracy. She struck with quick cuts, aiming not to catch his vital organs, but to give him multiple shallow gashes on his forearms, biceps, and chest. Pain flared wherever the metal blades touched, but Link had little opportunity to break away and run back to the saddlebags. Every time he tried, she would follow his movements as if she could read his mind.

Finally, Link leaped into a backflip, landing a kick to her face in the process. Her head snapped back, and she fell onto her back. Delilah did not remain lying down for more than a split second, kicking herself back up to a standing position. He could tell from the set of her shoulders that he had angered her this time.

She came at him again, and Link was forced to give up ground, his feet soon leaving the grass of their small encampment behind and setting down on the red dirt road. He slapped aside one of the sickles but felt the second one slice into his side. He hissed in pain and spun away from her. _I need a weapon, dammit!_ If he kept trying to fight her unarmed, he would die. He already lost too much blood as it was. He would begin to slow soon. Adrenaline could only carry him on for so long.

He rolled to the side, avoiding another flurry of blows, and came up on one knee next to a thick tree branch that had fallen off the tree he slept under. _That will work_ , he thought as he snatched it up, catching Delilah's next attack. The sickle cut deep into the wood, but the branch held. The second sickle came in for the kill, its point aiming for his neck. He threw his other arm out, catching the back side of the blade with his hand and driving it forward, towards her own torso. She twisted her wrist just in time, and the flat of the blade struck her chest, rather than the point.

Delilah disengaged, stepping back and looking him up and down. He thought that she was smiling behind her mask. Link stood to his feet, suppressing a groan. His side flared with terrible pain, but the pain in his arms had faded some. In fact, he could not much feel his arms at all. That wasn't good.

"Such a valiant hero you are, Link," she said, her tone delighted. "Fighting me with nary but a stick."

Link gripped the stick with both hands, taking a deep breath and trying to dispel the pain of his many wounds. He felt blood running down his sides and back, soaking into the trousers that he'd worn to bed.

When he did not engage in her banter, she make an irritated sound and leaped forward again. With the stick in hand, Link was not quite at such a severe disadvantage, able to keep her at a safer range. The sickles had a very short range, and the stick was slightly longer than Link's silver sword.

He was slowing, though, and they both knew it. Every time one of her sickles struck the stick, he was afraid that it would be the blow that knocked it from his increasingly unfeeling hands. And though he was able to keep her from striking him, he had no way of going on the offensive.

He caught one of her sickles with the stick again, but this time, she did not lunge out at him with her other sickle. Instead, she swept the other sickle across the upper portion of the stick like a pair of pincers. Link's heart sank and he knew what would happen, even before the second sickle connected with the piece of wood, snapping it in two. The longer of the two pieces spun away into the darkness, leaving Link with a jagged piece of wood that was shorter, even, than the length of Delilah's sickles.

She laughed in a manic sort of way, thinking that she'd finally won, and brought her sickle around to cut Link's throat. Link jumped, catching the blade in his shoulder instead, and drove the jagged stick into Delilah's chest.

Delilah screamed in pain, leaping back and grabbing at the piece of wood that jutted from her body. Link smiled faintly, reaching up and covering the new cut on his shoulder with his hand. The sickle had cut deep into the muscle, leaving that arm feeling weak and difficult to move. He couldn't really feel the pain, though.

The assassin wrenched the jagged piece of wood from her chest and threw it to the ground in disgust. Link's aim had, unfortunately, been off, plunging into her chest just to the right of her heart. Ah well. It had been worth a shot.

"I will _enjoy_ presenting your head to Master Kohga," Delilah spat, her tone ragged.

"Sounds like your master has some strange tastes," Link said, taking a labored breath. He glanced to the saddlebags, but they were just too far. He had one other tool at his disposal, though. One other chance. He just hoped he could reach it.

Delilah spun her sickles in her hands once more before running towards Link. He waited until she was barely upon him, her curved blades seeking his flesh, before he spun into a crouch, kicking his outstretched leg out. It connected solidly with her side, and it, along with her own momentum, sent her sprawling to the ground past him.

Link jumped to his feet, sprinting for the spot he'd been sleeping. If she had disposed of _it_ , too, then he was doomed. But if she hadn't seen it or known what it was—yes! He rolled, hearing a pair of the spinning blades hiss through the air just over him, and came up holding the Sheikah Slate, his back to their camp site.

He spun, fingers dancing across the surface of the smooth rectangle device. Delilah had already caught up with him and leaped in the air, both sickles held to plunge into either side of Link's chest. He pressed the spot on the screen where he knew the icon to be located.

Delilah froze in midair, suddenly glowing with a brilliant yellow light. She was mere feet from him, suspended in a field of Stasis. Link leaped to his feet and punched her in the torso once, twice, three times. The yellow light began to pulse rapidly as the stasis field neared its breaking point. He continued to hammer blows into her frozen body, though his punches were growing weaker. He was losing too much strength now.

Suddenly, she flashed with a brilliant yellow light, and Link heard an agonizing crunch. He thought it might have been her ribs. Delilah flew backwards in a low arc, hitting the ground, and tumbling end over end, before coming to rest some ten feet away. For a moment, she was prone, and Link thought that she had been knocked unconscious or worse. But then she began to stir and pushed herself to her feet, groaning.

Shaking her head, Delilah looked back around at Link, and he read fury in her posture. She pushed herself to her feet, still holding both of her sickles, and sprinted towards him again, screaming. He couldn't use Stasis again so quickly, so Link's fingers danced across the screen again, selecting another icon.

A glowing blue ball appeared on the ground between them, and Link pressed the button again almost just as quickly. The remote bomb exploded, and Link flew back, hitting the ground and sliding across the grass and into the still-warm remains of his fire. The Sheikah Slate flew from his hand, spinning away into the darkness.

He rolled over lest he add burns from burning coals to his growing list of injuries and came to rest on his back beside the firepit. To his horror, Delilah was suddenly there. She had lost her mask and one of her sickles, and he could see that her outfit looked scorched and torn in multiple places.

She sat down on his legs, straddling him so that he could neither trip her to move away again. His hands searched out in the darkness, hoping to find a stick leftover from the fire—anything he could use as a weapon. His fingers brushed something smooth. Something forgotten. Delilah raised her hand, readying to end his life.

Link pushed himself up from the ground and drove the short knife he'd used to eat his food before directly into her heart.

She grunted. Delilah's sickle clattered to the ground beside them. Her eyes widened with shock. Link met them, gritting his teeth, and drove the knife in deeper. She opened her mouth, but the only sound that escaped her lips was a bloody gurgle.

Link gently pushed her off of him, and she slumped to the side. With difficulty, Link sat up and rolled her over onto her back. He met her eyes again and saw, to his shame, tears at their corners. He wished that she had never lost her mask. It would have been far easier if she were the faceless assassin, rather than the woman he had spent much of his time with the day before.

Delilah spasmed, and Link held her shoulder to keep her still, never looking away from her face. Soon the life leaked away from her eyes, her face grew slack, and her body stopped moving. Convinced that she would rise no longer, Link slowly pushed himself to his feet, only for his legs to collapse under his weight.

 _Too much blood_ , he thought as he struggled to rise again. _I've lost too much blood_. He couldn't stand, but he was able to slowly crawl over to the tree that he'd slept beside. Once there, he turned and sat against the rough bark. It probably should have hurt the wounds on his back, but he could no longer feel them.

He needed to bind his wounds. Prevent himself from losing any more blood. He needed…

Link's eyes closed, and his head slumped to the side as darkness overtook him.

* * *

The sound of hooves on dirt eventually woke Link. He blinked bleary eyes and lifted his head slowly, looking around. The sun had come up while he slept, and he saw Spirit walking slowly down the dirt road. "Hey, boy," Link said, his voice a croak. The horse looked up at him and snorted softly, turning and walking towards him.

Link groaned softly and pushed himself off of the tree, his body aching and feeling sore all over. It didn't seem to hurt nearly as much as it should, though, and he frowned, looking down at himself. He was covered with dry blood. A _shocking_ amount of blood. It was on his chest, his arms, and soaked into his trousers. However, as he prodded at his body, where he knew he had taken wounds, he found nothing beyond tender flesh. His wounds had healed.

"Thanks, Mipha," he said softly as he rolled onto his knees. He pushed himself to his feet, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Though his body was still sore, he found that he had regained much of his strength.

Spirit approached Link, and he turned, hugging the horse's face fondly. "I'm sorry about that." Spirit only nickered in response. Link ran his fingers along his horse's neck, petting him gently. Finally, he pulled away and began to inspect Spirit's body until he found where the small blade had struck. Thankfully, it had not gotten lodged into Spirit's flank or had otherwise come free when Spirit began to run. The cut didn't seem so bad; the blood around it had dried.

Just to be sure, Link made a full circle around Spirit, checking for any other wounds, as well as checking his hooves for any damage. Only when he finished did he pull an apple from one of the saddlebags and hold it out for Spirit to take, which the horse happily did.

Finally, Link turned and looked at the body of his would-be assassin. Delilah lay where he had left her the night before. The knife still protruded from her chest. The dirt and grass around her body had been stained red with blood.

He stood there and looked down into her lifeless face for a long time. She looked tiny in death. No longer lithe and muscular, but wiry and defenseless. Link felt sick. Disgusted. Bokoblins and lynels were one thing, but this… He felt as if he had killed for the first time all over again. Link had killed this woman.

Link wasn't a fool. He knew that she had every intention on killing him. Her attack was not due to chance or some offense taken to the extreme. No, this had been an assassination attempt on _his_ life. She had been waiting there for him to arrive. Someone wanted Link dead.

The thought should scare him somehow. He had barely survived the fight during the night. In fact, were it not for Mipha's latent powers that Link now possessed, he still _might_ have perished. Yet all he could think about was the smile Delilah gave him before laying down to sleep. Should he have known then? Was there something in her smile that should have tipped him off?

Slowly, Link knelt on the ground beside Delilah and gently closed her unseeing eyes. He did not know how he should dispose of her body. How did Hylians honor their dead? Were the prayers that needed to be spoken? He couldn't remember.

Link wrenched the blade from her chest and turned, throwing as hard as he could into the valley to the west. He watched as the blade spun rapidly through the air until it sank out of view. His shoulders slumped, and he lowered his head, eyes closed.

After a time, he opened his eyes and looked in the direction that the castle stood, hidden from view by the mountainous terrain that surrounded the base of Death Mountain. "Princess? Princess Zelda, can you hear me?"

On this day, he received no reply. Grimacing, Link sighed and picked up his Sheikah Slate from where it had fallen nearby. He turned and began walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

True to her word, Delilah had, indeed, thrown Link's sword into the lake. Using the Magnesis rune, Link was able to find the sword glowing crimson on the Sheikah Slate's display. He carefully made his way down to the edge of the water and used the rune to lift the sword from the lake's depths.

Once he completed that task, Link waded into the water himself, washing the dried blood off of him. His trousers would likely be ruined, but that was fine. He had an extra pair to wear. It took him a long time before he was satisfied that the blood was gone—both his and hers—from his body and hands. Even then, he still felt soiled when he emerged from the lake.

He climbed the craggy cliff, sword slung over his shoulder and Sheikah Slate attached to his hip and made his way back to the small camp. Once there, Link began to gather the largest stones that he could find.

The work took several hours, and the sun had reached its high point before Link stepped back from the small pile of stones that now served as a grave for the woman, Delilah, who had tried to kill him.

Link didn't know if he had ever killed a person before. Certainly, he was skilled with the blade, and had killed many monsters, both since awakening, and likely a hundred years ago. Had he killed men with the same skill? Had he gone to war for his king and country? Had he protected Princess Zelda from assassins, such as Delilah? Had he ever experienced this terrible hollow feeling before? He wasn't sure he actually wanted to know the answer.

 _It will all be worth it_ _if I can find a way to defeat Ganon_ , he thought as he began to pack up his remaining supplies. He had long since replaced his blood-stained trousers with his second pair and donned the tunic that Telma had given him in Kakariko Village. He was packing away the bedroll that Delilah had slept in when he noticed her small pack lying beside it.

Link picked it up and opened the flap. He found little of value in it, however. Another two of the bananas that she'd shared with him during their meal together, a few additional circular throwing blades, and a small knife with what appeared to be an ivory hilt. Link took the knife out, inspecting it, and decided to keep it as a replacement to the one he'd thrown away. Unfortunately, he found no indication in her bag of who Delilah really was or why she had been sent to kill him. He had a few hints, however.

First was the mask that she'd been wearing. He found it while gathering stones earlier in the day. It had the Sheikah eye emblazoned on its white surface in deep crimson ink the color of blood, but she had worn it in such a way that the eye was inverted with the tear drop above the iris. He had asked her if she was a Sheikah, but she had scoffed at the implication. So, what was she, then?

Furthermore, she had mentioned a Master Kohga. The name was unfamiliar to Link, but this appeared to be the man that had ordered his assassination. So, why did this Kohga want him dead? Link looked back in the direction where he knew the castle lay and thought he had a pretty good idea why.

"Someone is trying to stop me from freeing the Divine Beasts," Link said aloud as he looked back down at the white mask. "Trying to stop be from defeating Ganon, perhaps." But _why_? Why would anyone _want_ that? Princess Zelda had told him that she didn't believe Ganon knew that Link still lived, so this seemed unlikely to have been by his order. Which meant that this was another party entirely—one that still existed today to serve Calamity Ganon, even in his absence.

Link rose from his spot on the ground, still holding the mask in his hands. He walked over and slipped the mask into his saddlebags. There was much that he didn't know about the whole situation, but he had an idea of who would. Once he was finished with Divine Beast Vah Rudania, it would be time to pay a visit to Kakariko Village again. Impa would likely know what was going on.

When he finally saddled Spirit again and climbed onto the horse's back, the day had given way to the afternoon. Link looked down at the remains of the camp site and the pile of rocks to one side of it. He took a deep breath and then nudged Spirit into motion, looking ahead to the road before him. It would still take a couple of hours to reach the trading outpost, and Link wanted to be there before night fell.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Bonus chapter! I'll be honest, I had a really productive week this past week when it comes to writing. I finished four chapters back-to-back. The first four chapters of Part Three, if you're curious. It's going to be a while yet before we get to them, but I'm excited to eventually share them with my readers. In the meantime, because of that and because we passed 10,000 hits on the story, I figured I could do a quick edit on the next chapter and get it out early. I will still plan on posting a chapter on Wednesday and Saturday, like normal, no worries.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Regarding your question to Mipha's Grace, the answer is... yes? Kind of. While I don't have hard rules for when Link can use Mipha's Grace, it does have its limitations. It can't heal Link indefinitely, nor do I ever show it healing him immediately outside of the time Mipha used all of it at once to save him. Furthermore, it's largely instinctual at this time. He doesn't know how to actually use it intentionally. Link is, in no way, immortal with Mipha's Grace.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

Hot. It had gotten very hot. Overwhelmingly so. Link had been warned, of course, that Death Mountain was very unwelcoming to outsiders, especially as of late, when the Divine Beast had mysteriously grown active again, causing the ancient volcano to begin spewing magma regularly. But though he had been warned, Link still hadn't known what to expect. He had expected something like a hot summer day, not that the very air itself felt like it was on fire.

It was hot enough that Link was in serious danger of dehydration, especially as he had to leave his horse back at the Foothill Stable, found within the center of the Eldin trading outpost. Without his horse, Link would have had no way to carry large amounts of water for the three-day hike up to Goron City.

Thankfully, he had found some help.

"I don't understand those treasure hunters at all," Boldon, the Goron, said as he and Link made their way along the path. "I mean, I'm sure the castle has plenty of secrets and valuable treasure, but it's dangerous, too! I hear it's inhabited by all sorts of monsters. They're just crazy."

The large, brown-skinned Goron had his yellow hair tied up above his head and wore a large pack on his back. In one of his massive hands—it was easily large enough to wrap around Link's entire head with room to spare—he held a metal chain that was linked to a huge lizard that lumbered along behind them.

Boldon was what he called the ambassador of tourism to Goron City. The giant lizard, which had an iron muzzle around its maw, was something called a dodongo. Boldon assured Link that it was perfectly safe, as long as they kept the muzzle on it and Link didn't get too close to its mouth, lest it try to breathe fire through the muzzle anyway. "Once saw a Hylian catch on fire that way, I did," Boldon had told him. Link gave the dodongo a wide berth ever since.

He met Boldon at the Foothill Stable, where he'd found out about the mountain's recent increase in activity. When Link told him of his hopes to visit Goron City, Boldon had been excited, offering to help Link make his way up. It would seem that Boldon's job had become very uneventful lately. Boldon had offered to help Link by carrying a large barrel of water for him in what looked like an old minecart strapped to the dodongo's back. At least that way, Link would not be at risk of dehydration.

Unfortunately, the heat of the mountain was not so easily beaten. While at the stable, Link had purchased several disgusting-looking elixirs that Boldon had assured him would help with the extreme heat. Fireproof elixirs, they were called. He hadn't tried one yet, as Boldon warned him that it would get far hotter the closer they got to the volcano, and they would only last for about six to eight hours apiece. He would be able to get more at Goron City.

"So, people actually still venture into Hyrule Castle?" Link asked after taking a long pull on his water skin. The water from the barrel had gotten very warm by now and had a strange, earthy aftertaste. Link tried to ignore the gritty texture that he felt on his teeth after drinking the water.

"That's what I hear, anyway," Boldon said, looking down at Link. "Some claim to have found a great big library in it with books that reach the ceiling."

"Do you know the way they use to get in?"

Boldon shrugged his great big shoulders, the chain in his hand jingling softly. "No clue. It's just things that I've heard from other travelers."

"Do you get travelers up here a lot?" Link asked, taking another swig of his water. The tunic he wore—the Champion's tunic, as it was the lightest of his tunics—stuck to his sweat-drenched body. His feet felt as they were smoldering in his boots, but he had already learned the hard way that he couldn't safely remove his boots here. The ground was far too hot. Thankfully, he had been able to purchase a special pair of new boots from the outpost that had soles that would not melt from the extreme heat as he had been assured his old boots would.

"Not anymore," Boldon said, frowning and looking up towards Death Mountain. The volcano perpetually spewed smoke and ash into the sky now, and Link could see far more clearly the magma trails that ran down its sides. It certainly seemed to live up to its name.

Their first day of walking had taken them by several bodies of water that Boldon had explained were natural hot springs, though they were not the famous _Goron_ hot springs that were found up on the mountain. They had stopped there to wade into the pools of steamy water—an experience that Link had found incredibly refreshing and oddly nostalgic for something he couldn't remember. The hot water had done much to sooth the aches of the last several days.

Shortly after commencing with the second day of travel, they had come near the Sheikah Tower, where Link had requested they pause. Boldon had watched him with fascination as he climbed up the tower's lattice, which was surprisingly cool, considering most everything else that he touched around here was at the very least warm to the touch, if not hot. Once having activated the tower, Link used the paraglider to sail down to where Boldon watched with wide eyes.

They had slept that night in the southern mine. Link had found the somewhat cooler caves where the Gorons worked to mine various ore and precious metals to be a relief when compared to the outside trail, where at any given point in time, they could have been walking past a bubbling pool of molten rock.

On the third day, they encountered the strange creatures known as pebblits.

"Oh, they're not so bad," Boldon said as Link backed away, alarmed at the strange formation of stone that had suddenly risen up and walked towards him on stubby rock legs.

It had a large central body made of a large rock, with two arms and two legs, also made of formations of stone. Link had been walking along the path beside Boldon, who had just been explaining the joys of mine cart racing to him, when a rock they were passing just started moving.

Boldon bent down, wrapping his massive hand around the central stone, and picked it up. Somehow, the various stones that made up the pebblit's body all stayed together, even though it appeared to Link to be made up of about a dozen individual rocks, all of different sizes and shapes. The Goron held the pebblit upside down, looking at it with a grin. The strange creature's little arms and legs still pumped, as if it thought it was still on the ground.

"They taste terrible," Boldon said, looking over at Link. "If they didn't, we probably would have eaten them all ages ago!" He tossed the pebblit into the pool of magma they were next to. Link watched as the pebblit hit the lava with an oddly subdued splash and sank beneath the yellow and orange surface.

"Don't worry," Boldon said. "It'll be okay. It'll reform on the bank after a while."

Link hadn't been that particularly concerned about the pebblit's safety, as much as he was alarmed with the new creatures he'd seen since arriving at Death Mountain. Walking rocks and giant, fire-breathing lizards were hardly comforting to him.

"Now, if you ever come across a Talus, I'd run."

"What's a Talus?" Link asked, looking back up at Boldon.

"It's like a pebblit, but about that size." Boldon pointed to a massive rock outcrop. It was easily at least twice as tall as the Goron, if not even taller. "Mean piles of rock, those are. Sometimes, Gorons go out in hunting parties to try to destroy them when they get to close to the city."

Link thought of all the rocks and boulders they had passed on the way up the mountain, feeling a chill run down his spine. What _was_ this place? He suddenly found himself missing the bokoblins and lizalfos of Hyrule Field and Zora's Domain.

"Oh, we have lizalfos too, brother," Boldon said after Link mentioned this, grinning widely. "Fire lizalfos."

"Why are they—oh, let me guess: they breathe fire," Link said, the pit in his stomach growing ever more insistent.

"Yep."

"Fantastic."

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when Link and Boldon, along with the muzzled dodongo, passed underneath a giant arch made from what looked to be pieces of scrap metal, and Link got his first look at the great Goron city, appropriately titled Goron City.

Goron City seemed to take every concept and idea that went into the creation of the capital of Zora's Domain and invert it. Where Zora's Domain had been carefully created with order and aesthetics in mind, Goron City was laid out seemingly haphazardly. The city seemed to be located in a giant bowl or crater, with pathways of rock or metal crisscrossing throughout with no discernible pattern. Buildings were made from combinations of rock and sheets of metal and were, likewise, seemingly random in their location and size. Some buildings were side-by-side while others had been built nearly on top of each other, with ramps leading up to the upper levels. Shockingly, Link even saw a few pools of magma interspersed throughout the city, often with bridges made of iron crossing over them.

Everywhere he looked, there were Gorons of varying shapes and sizes. He saw young Gorons that were shorter than him, with much softer and rounder looking bodies, as well as very old Gorons with drooping skin and bowed rocky backs. Some Gorons were bald while others had massive amounts of hair and beards. Some wore clothes while others worn nothing but a small wrap to cover their waists.

"Do all Gorons live here?" Link asked, eyes taking in the full sight before him. While Goron City was sprawling, to be sure, it was not as large as he would have expected. He saw dozens of Gorons—maybe even hundreds—but that couldn't have been all of them.

"Oh no, brother," Boldon said, chuckling. "Most of us live underground. Lots of us are in Gortram Mountain." He thumbed a finger over his shoulder, pointing back to the large ridgeline that the path up to Goron City had circled around. He also pointed at another massive outcrop of rock on the other side of Goron City. "And under Monument Rock."

Link looked over at what Boldon called Monument Rock, his eyes traveling up its strangely shaped surface. Giant pieces of rock jutted off of it in different directions, none of them quite how he expected they should look… And then he saw it. The faces.

Four different Goron faces had been carved into the massive cliff. Some of their bodies had been carved into the rock as well—the strange extensions of rock that looked strange to Link, he now recognized as arms, complete with hands and fingers. One of the hands even ended up in a giant thumbs-up. Three Gorons stood level—the Goron with the thumbs-up, an older Goron with what looked like some kind of bead necklace, and a youthful Goron. Standing above those three, however, was another Goron. One that Link instantly recognized.

Daruk.

Daruk, with his white hair and bushy beard. Daruk, with his confident half-smile. Daruk, with his eyes on the distant Death Mountain, hand outstretched as if to take it. Daruk, Link's friend. Daruk. Link's brother.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

No one told Squire Link to watch out for monsters around Death Mountain. No one told him that, if he were to wander away from Goron City, where the knights were spending time coordinating with the Goron warriors in their annual training exercises, then he would be in danger of being ambushed by a group of _fire-breathing_ _lizards_ , along with a massive long-snouted moblin.

Of course, no one told him he could leave Goron City either.

Link had thought his little detour would just be a chance to see that strange Sheikah structure that he'd spotted while touring the area. He'd seen a few others of those in his life—there was even one near the Royal Ancient Lab that he'd seen when visiting it with his father and the king a few years back—but he never had a chance to really _look_ at one up-close. Those Sheikah scientists had shooed him away from seeing the one at the lab, since they were having a private conference around it with the king and the princess.

What Link found out, though, is that the monsters on Death Mountain could be very territorial and didn't like it when lone Hylians showed up to poke their distinctly non-piggish noses around their home. Just _fantastic_.

Link whirled, moving out of the way of the gout of orange flames that the lizalfo sent his way. He swore that he could feel the hairs on his arms singe away. Great. He was already teased for having almost no hair on his chest and arms just because the hair was so light—now he really _would_ have no hair on his arms! He brought his sword down on the back of the lizalfo's extended neck, cleaving it right off.

Behind him, he heard the moblin roar in anger, and he rolled to the side just in time to avoid being crushed by a large rock that the moblin had thrown at him. Link spun and charged at the now-weaponless moblin. The moblin swung a meaty arm at him, but Link ducked low, sliding under the arm, and thrust his sword up into the moblin's armpit. The moblin made a pained sound, backing away from Link before he could plunge the sword in any deeper.

Something large and metal spun past Link's ear from behind, and he followed its progress in the air as it flew out and then, startlingly, arced around and came right back towards him. He threw himself to the side as the bladed boomerang swept through the air where he'd been standing. He hit the ground in a roll and jumped back up just in time to see another of the lizalfos catch the boomerang and hiss dangerously at him.

These lizalfos were different than the ones he'd seen in Zora's Domain before. These were taller and brawnier than those ones, with thick snouts and longer teeth, and a set of sharp spines that began at their heads and ran all the way down to their tails. They had grey skin that helped them blend in with the rocky environment of Death Mountain, too.

They also wielded much nicer weaponry than he'd seen the river lizalfos wield. Like a three-bladed iron boomerang that actually _worked_.

The lizalfo winded its arm back and then threw the boomerang at Link again, who side-stepped it as it passed. He turned, watching its lazy arc and gauging its speed. When it looped back around towards him, Link held his breath, narrowing his eyes. He stepped to the side again, just out of its path, and everything seemed to slow for just a second. He could see the individual blades spinning, shimmering in the red-tinted air of Death Mountain.

Link raised his sword and brought it down on the boomerang just as it passed him again, sending it clattering to the ground. Behind him, the lizalfo released a screech of surprise as its weapon of choice hit the dirt well out of its reach. Grinning, Link spun and sprinted at the lizalfo. The lizalfo took a deep breath, preparing its fire-breath, but Link didn't give him a chance to exhale, plunging his sword right down the open maw. The lizalfo's eyes opened wide in shock and pain before Link ripped his sword free.

Link spun, eyes finding the moblin again. It had seemingly recovered from its earlier panic, as it now picked up the fallen boomerang and threw it at Link. The spinning blade flew far too wide, however, and Link stood still as it passed on one side of him and then returned on his other side. The moblin went to catch it but misjudged the angle of the boomerang terribly, crying out in pain as the boomerang struck its outstretched hand, falling to the ground, along with two of its thick fingers.

Before it could recover from its shock, Link was there, looking up at the towering pig-monster, and thrust his sword deep into its chest, finding the moblin's heart. The monster shuddered, and Link pulled his sword free, stepping to the side and letting the moblin fall forward to the ground.

Link breathed heavily as he surveyed the carnage around him, sword held to his side, multi-colored blood still dripping from its blade. _Damn._ He had just wanted to see that Sheikah thing, not engage in a fight. He hadn't expected to be forced to kill today. It felt pointless. He hadn't been protecting anyone, hadn't been on a mission to help some poor farmers or save a village being raided. He'd walked in on their home and slaughtered them.

It didn't feel very knightly of him.

Suddenly, something crashed to the ground behind him with a loud battle cry. The impact was enough to cause the earth around him to shudder and nearly send Link to his knees. He stumbled, spinning around, ready to face whatever new creature had shown up to defend its home. Would this be one of the Stone Taluses that he'd heard so much about?

What Link saw, though, surprised him. Rather than a new monster out for his blood, he found a massive Goron standing in the middle of a noticeable crater in the rock, huge Goron weapon in hand. It wasn't a sword, per se, but was shaped somewhat one, with a long hilt made to be wielded by two Goron hands and a thick blade that ended in blunted edges. It ended in more reinforced iron, forming something like a sledgehammer's head at its end. He had seen weapons like it being used in the mines to shatter stone.

The Goron himself had wild white hair, a thick beard, and strikingly blue eyes. He wore no clothes other than the standard wrap of twisted cloth around his waist that the Gorons called a mawashi, but he did have a black metal chain that crisscrossed on his chest, forming an X right over his heart. A brilliant red ruby cut into the shape of the Goron sigil sat housed in the center of the X.

"Don't worry, Little Guy! The mighty Daruk is here to—" The Goron stopped, lowering his weapon, looking around in confusion. "What happened?"

Link ran his hands through his hair, which was beginning to get long. He would need to tie it back into a ponytail soon to keep it out of his eyes. This wasn't good. He _had_ hoped to check out the Sheikah structure and then go back before anyone noticed his absence.

"I was out walking, and stumbled upon—"

"Wait, you took all these guys out by yourself?" Daruk asked, stepping out of his self-imposed crater and nudging the headless lizalfo with one of his feet. "Good job, Little Guy!"

Behind Daruk, another lizalfo poked it head up from behind an outcrop, looking down at Link and Daruk. Link's eyes widened and he stepped forward, hand out.

"Watch out, there's a—"

"I came down here because I saw you from the peak. I thought you needed some help, but it fine all along!" Daruk was oblivious to the danger behind him as the lizalfo stood, holding its spear.

"Behind you!"

Daruk frowned at Link and began to turn, but he was moving too slow. Far too slow. Link dropped his sword and grabbed up the fallen boomerang. The lizalfo hissed and leaped into the air, preparing to bring its spear down on Daruk's unprotected back. Link threw the boomerang.

The spinning blade whistled through the air as it passed over Daruk's shoulder, eliciting a confused "Huh?" from the Goron. The boomerang caught the lizalfo in the face, rocking its entire body back and causing it to slam into Daruk feet-first, rather than with the point of its spear. The lizalfo fell to the ground, dead, and its spear landed beside it. Daruk, for his part, barely stumbled when the much-smaller lizalfo hit him, looking down at the fallen creature with confusion.

Daruk turned to look back at Link, blue eyes wide with surprise. He looked a little… dopey, in a way. "Little Guy, you just… you saved me!"

"Link. My name is Link."

"Link, huh?" Daruk said, reaching up to rub at his bearded chin. "You know what, Link?" He stepped forward and slapped Link on the back hard enough to send him painfully to his knees. "Oh, sorry about that. But I think you're the first Hylian to ever save _me_. That make you all right in my book."

Link smiled painfully, standing back to his feet. He picked up his sword and used a piece of the moblin's clothing to wipe its blade before sheathing it. "Thanks. Daruk, right?"

"That's my name!"

Link had heard the name of Daruk, though he'd never met the Goron. Daruk was well-known for being a great warrior among the Goron people and had, indeed, helped many times in clearing away monsters around Death Mountain and in the Akkala Highlands. Curiously, however, Link would have expected such a great warrior to be conferencing with the other Goron warriors and Hylian knights in the city.

"Well, thanks for coming to my aid, Daruk."

"Hey, it's no problem," Daruk said, nodding. "Tell you what, brother. Let's go back into the city. I was just up on the peak, looking for some rock roast, but I don't feel like going all the way back up there. You feeling hungry?"

Link couldn't help but to smile up at the massive Daruk. He was Squire Link, after all. He was _always_ hungry.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Brother?"

The memories flashed through Link's mind in a rush. He could remember how they went down to the city and how Daruk told the knight about Link's defeat of the monsters, making him out to be a hero. When it came time to eat that night, Daruk had also insisted that Link be allowed to sit next to him as they ate, making Link the only squire allowed to eat with the knights and Goron warriors.

After all, Link was Daruk's new brother. Of course, he should eat by his side.

"Brother, are you all right?"

Link blinked his eyes and came back to himself, looking around in confusion. Boldon was looking at him, frowning. How long had he been standing there, staring up at the monument to Daruk?

"Yeah, I'm… fine, Boldon. Thanks. I was just remembering something from another time I was here."

"You've been here before?" Boldon frowned. "I thought you said you hadn't."

"It's been a long time," Link said, shrugging. "I don't remember a lot."

Boldon seemed to accept his explanation and nodded, smiling broadly. "Well, come on! I'll show you where you can stay while you're here in Goron City."

* * *

"Hey, Tray! We've got a customer coming through!" the older Goron, Volcon of the Rollin' Rock Inn, called over his shoulder. He grinned at Link, giving him a thumbs-up as Boldon ushered Link inside. "If you want a massage, just let me know. You'll feel as loose as gravel afterwards."

Link couldn't help but to think that a Goron massage sounded excruciating, but before he could respond, another Goron inside of the inn grinned broadly and called out to him.

Tray, like Volcon, was an older Goron, as evidenced by the wrinkles on his forehead and the way he carried himself with a slight bow to his back. The rocky texture on his back was more pronounced than on Boldon's, and Link silently wondered if that was a sign of age as well. His white hair had been pulled into a small topknot, and his beard was wispy and thin.

"Welcome to the Rollin' Rock Inn, brother!" he said with typical Goron enthusiasm. "You're the first Hylian we've had up here in a while. Had a Gerudo last week, but she didn't stay long. Couldn't take the heat!" Tray laughed at what Link assumed had been a joke. When Tray's laughs subsided, he leaned forward some. "So, you want a bed, right? Don'tcha worry now—we've got ourselves some soft beds for ya, and some complimentary elixirs thrown in."

Link had finally downed the first fireproof elixir as they entered the city. It had been thick like sludge and foul tasting, but the relief it provided had been almost immediately apparent. While he still felt the heat, it seemed far more manageable than it had been.

After Link agreed to a room, Boldon clapped Link on the back nearly hard enough to send him sprawling. "Tell you what, brother—I'm going to go grab your stuff for you. After that, I can show you around some more."

"Thanks, Boldon," Link said, grateful for the Goron's help. He turned back to Tray and placed a red rupee on the counter, which Tray gladly took from him.

"Now, how about that massage?"

"No, I think I'm all right," Link said, glancing back towards Volcon, who stood just outside of the door. He watched as the large Goron cracked his knuckles, seemingly oblivious to the nervous looks that Link was giving him.

"New to the art of the Goron massage, eh?" Tray said, grinning at him. "It's pretty good! Mostly pain-free."

 _Mostly_?

"It's done on a hard rock bed. Pressure is applied to your whole body to _squeeze_ out all of that tension. I'll tell ya—it really doesn't hurt one bit once you get used to it. Honestly, I doze off sometimes! And then, when it's all over, you'll sleep like a rock and feel great when you wake up. What do ya say?"

"Maybe next time," Link said. "Right now, I really just need to drop some things off and go talk to someone about Divine Beast Vah Rudania."

"Rudania?" Boldon said as he entered the inn again, carrying the barrel of water with one massive arm, and holding a bundle of Link's other effects in the other hand. "I don't know if I can get you up to see Rudania, brother."

Link felt a twinge of guilt. He kept his true purpose for coming to Goron City from Boldon. Perhaps it had been the distrust he felt after Delilah's betrayal, or perhaps he had just not wanted to deal with the questions that would inevitably follow. Now that he was here, though, he had little choice but to be honest.

"That's why I'm here," he said, smiling faintly. "I'm going to stop Rudania from causing problems with Death Mountain and free it from Calamity Ganon's control."

As Boldon and Tray looked at each other in confusion—and proceeded to start laughing—Link wondered if he should have worded things a little differently. He pursed his lips, expression growing irritated.

"Brother, the Boss isn't going to let ya up to see Rudania," Boldon finally said once their chuckling died down. "He's not even letting us Gorons go up there."

"That's right," Tray said, nodding sagely. "It's gettin' too dangerous, even for us. There's always new magma vents and rock slides."

"That's why I'm here," Link said, trying to keep the edge of frustration from his voice. In truth, he probably should have waited until the next day before broaching the subject—he wasn't in any shape to tackle the Divine Beast today after three days of hard travel up to the mountain. "Just let me talk to whoever is in charge."

Boldon and Tray looked at each other curiously before Boldon finally shrugged his large shoulders. "If you say so, buddy. I can take you over to him."

Boldon led Link back out of the inn and along a winding path that took him to the other side of Goron City, opposite its entrance. They approached a strange building positioned on an upward slope. The building was made mostly of black volcanic rock in the form of huge slabs that had been laid against one another to form a hut-like structure. On top on it rose a massive black boulder that had been emblazoned with the symbol for the Gorons—a rough yellow diamond with three triangles arrayed across its top.

When they arrived, Boldon approached the building first, motioning for Link to stay where he was. Link remained standing in front of the building while looking around in curiosity at the city around him. The city seemed… familiar to him, yet he couldn't place it. Once again, his memories came and went at seemingly random, triggered by any number of stimuli. Yet when he wanted to know more, they were often frustratingly absent.

He did notice, however, that he was beginning to attract an audience. A younger Goron that only stood to about Link's waist had stopped rolling down the incline into the city to look at him curiously. Not far away, one adult Goron reached up and smacked another Goron with the back of his hand, nodding towards Link. They both stared at him with little shame.

At least none of them had walked up to him, claiming to have known him one hundred years ago. How long did Gorons live for, anyway? Link couldn't remember. It was possible that any Gorons that knew Link may have long since passed away. It was an odd feeling, thinking that he was a true stranger in this place. Every other place that he had been had at least one person that recognized him and could vouch for his identity.

He didn't wait long until Boldon came back out of the stone hut, followed by another Goron. This Goron appeared shorter than Boldon due to the aged curvature of his back, but he looked anything but old and feeble. Instead, this Goron was a massive brute. He was far wider than Boldon in pure muscle. His arms were each easily thicker and longer than Link's own body, and he looked to have hands that could wrap completely around Link's torso. He was bald on top, but a ring of white hair began at the level of his eyebrows and continued down into a long, thick beard that had been tied into four different clumps. He only had one eye—the other was covered by an eyepatch that did not quite cover up old scars.

The Goron Boss, as Boldon had called him, was incredibly intimidating, especially since he fixed Link with a dark, single-eyed stare that didn't particularly look very happy.

"You're the one wanting to go up and see Rudania?" His voice, deep and gravely, seemed to cut through the bustle of Goron City, silencing those around them.

Link took a moment to find his voice. "Yes. My name is—"

"No." The Goron Boss turned to head back into his hut.

"Wait!"

The Boss stopped, and his shoulders heaved in a sigh. He turned back to Link and a painful wince passed over his face as he did so. "Look," he said, fixing Link with an unreadable expression. "No one can go see Rudania. It's too dangerous, even for Gorons. The best we can ever do is chase it off."

Link took a deep breath, stepping closer to the Goron Boss, looking up at him. "I _have_ to get on that Divine Beast. I can free it and stop it from causing so much instability with Death Mountain."

The Boss snorted in derision. "Death Mountain's a _volcano_. It's unstable. Rudania just riles it up sometimes—we'll chase it off like we always do."

"It's being controlled by Calamity Ganon and—" Link started, but the Goron Boss waved his hand dismissively again, beginning to turn back towards the hut. Link took a deep breath and took another step forward, placing a hand on the Goron's arm. "I knew Daruk!"

The Boss stopped again, fixing Link with his beady stare. "What did you say?"

Link hesitated, looking up into the Goron's angry expression. "I knew Daruk. He was my friend." Link hesitated for a just a moment. "He called me brother."

The Boss stared at Link, unreadable and dangerous. All of the other Gorons seemed to be listening now as well.

"My name is Link. I am the Hylian Champion charged with defeating Calamity Ganon. I'm here to finish what we started one hundred years ago. Rudania is being controlled by a creature created by Calamity Ganon, and Daruk's spirit is _trapped_ there as a result. I can free him. I can free both Daruk and Rudania."

He fell silent. Everyone's eyes were on him, but the only sound that he could hear was the slow sound of magma flowing under and through the city. The Goron Boss looked at Link for a long time before grunting and motioning for him to follow. He turned to walk back in his hut, but before he continued in, he paused to look at Boldon. "Go find Yunobo and bring him to me."

"Got it, Boss!" Boldon said with sudden energy. His voice broke the spell over Goron City, and Link heard dozens of voices start up again, filling the air with a dull rumble. Link resisted the urge to grimace, reflecting that he couldn't have remained a stranger for long.

When he followed the Goron Boss into his hut, he found the interior to be even hotter than outside—enough that it was uncomfortably hot, even with the fireproof potion. It didn't take him long to see why. At the center of the room was a chair, not unlike a throne, made from pieces of iron that had been fused together. On either side of it, magma flowed down into twin falls, pooling under the throne and flowing out underneath the hut. How could anyone stand to be in this place?

The Goron Boss didn't seem to mind the heat, though. He walked over to the throne and sat down in it with a heavy groan, closing his eyes in apparent relief as he did so. When he opened them again, he fixed Link with another stare, but this one seemed different than before. Less threatening. Kinder.

"The name's Bludo," the Goron said. "You said you're Link?" Link nodded slowly, stepping up to stand in front of Bludo. "Daruk mentioned you in his training journal. Even said you saved his life once."

"Did you know Daruk?" Link asked, curious. This Goron seemed older now than he had first appeared.

Bludo snorted, shaking his head. "No, but my father did. He was the one that carved that big statue of Daruk out there." He got a far-off look on his face for a time before fixing Link with another stare. "You'd better start from the beginning. I thought all the Champions were dead."

Link nodded, having known that this was coming up. He was grateful to be able to do this out of earshot of the rest of the Gorons, at least. He gave Bludo an abridged version of his adventures thus far, explaining how he'd woken in the Shrine of Resurrection and had visited Zora's Domain and freed their Divine Beast—and Mipha—from Ganon's control. He had little in the way of proof outside of the Sheikah Slate, which didn't seem to interest Bludo in the slightest. However, the massive Goron appeared to believe him, listening intently.

When Link finished his story, Bludo simply pulled at his beard, thinking. Shortly after, another Goron entered the room. This one was younger than Bludo by far. He seemed rounder than he was muscular, with only a small tuft of white hair atop his head. He had blue eyes and expressive eyebrows that rose high on his forehead in confusion when he saw Link.

"Hey, Boss, what's up? I was just about to go to the Southern Mine to pick up—"

Link stopped listening to the Goron's voice, instead noticing what he was wearing. A familiar emblem in the form of the Goron symbol was tied around his neck by a length of light blue cloth. Link knew that cloth. Link _remembered_ that cloth.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Hope you all are ready for this one... It's a long one! And a busy one. But I am quite fond of what I do in this one. Hopefully you all agree! Also, I'm glad you all enjoyed the bonus chapter on Sunday. I had the most single-day views on Sunday, and this past weekend, likewise, saw the largest number of readers in a single weekend. Feels good!**

 **Lord Halcyon: Glad you like my efforts to flesh out the different races and cultures. The one thing I have against _most_ open-world video games is the disregard for scale and a realistic sense of how people live. Countries aren't made up of just their major cities, after all-towns and settlements far outnumber the big ones. The post-apocalyptic nature of Breath of the Wild helps, in a way, but I still feel as though there is no way the country could survive with so few people. So I've tried to expand on that.**

 **iCards: Another area that I want to spend time detailing is, of course, Link's relationship to each of the Champions. They may not all get the first-introduction memories, but that will only be because I feel there are better ways to show that relationship.**

 **AncientHeroofTime: I had trouble initially writing Yunobo. I wasn't that fond of him in the game, for one, and I felt that the Goron arc was among the weaker quest lines. That being said, writing about his character and getting into his head made me like Yunobo far more. Ultimately, I think I did his character justice. As someone who liked his character from the start, though, you'll have to tell me if you think I got him right or not!**

 **Thanks to all my other reviewers as well! I truly appreciate the comments, and hope to read more! Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

 _"I officially appoint you Hyrule's Champions and bestow upon you this sacred garb. That blue is a symbol, of the royal family—one that has been passed down for countless generations. Those garments you now wear were all crafted by my daughter, Zelda."_

"Do you think it's true?" Link said, pinching some of the blue tunic he wore between his thumb and index finger, looking at its color. "That Princess Zelda actually sewed this?"

"I don't see why not," Daruk said, reaching down to touch the bolt of blue fabric that he'd wrapped around himself like a toga. "Isn't sewing something that your Hylian women do?"

Link chuckled. "Be careful who you say things like that around, Daruk." At Daruk's confused expression, Link reached out and patted his arm. The large Goron could be a little clueless at times. It's one of the reasons that Link enjoyed being around him so much. Daruk spoke from the heart.

He turned his attention back down to the blue fabric that he wore now, considering. "I doubt she sewed mine."

"Why do you say that, brother?"

"Because she hates me," Link said, his voice growing soft. He shifted the sword on his back, trying to make it comfortable. It never seemed to sit right. He missed his old sword. No one ever looked at that sword.

"Oh, don't be crazy," Daruk said, shaking his head. He slapped Link's hard, nearly knocking the air from his lungs. "She doesn't hate you. She's just stressed! She's a princess—that's a stressful job."

Link gave Daruk an incredulous look. How could he not see it? The looks that Princess Zelda gave him—or, other times, the looks she _refused_ to give him. She had greeted each of them with warmth and kindness that day as she gave each of them their Champion's garment—except for Link. _He_ had been given a curt, "Sir Link," before she practically shoved the tunic into his arms and turned away from him to address the others again.

The day had started pleasantly enough. It was supposed to be a day of celebration. Hyrule Castle had been decorated in sky blue banners to celebrate the occasion—the Champion appointment ceremony. Link had risen early, before any of the other knights, and had gone to bathe. His official duties had been put on hold that day due to his participation in the ceremony, allowing him some precious time alone. He got less and less of that solitary time lately.

Then the Champions began to arrive. The Zora contingent arrived with all the splendor and fanfare that was expected of them, swimming through the river in a brilliantly colorful formation, Mipha at their head. Leaping out of the water like salmon swimming upriver, the Zora's wet scales shimmered in the morning light like jewelry. When Mipha emerged from the banks after swimming up a waterfall, she greeted the King and Princess Zelda first, and then her eyes had immediately sought Link's.

The Gorons followed, arriving like a line of rolling boulders across the land. They rolled right through the center of Castle Town. Though they lacked the showmanship of the Zora, their speed of approach and size more than made them an intimidating sight to behold. When Daruk unfolded himself, he grinned far more broadly than decorum would had suggested, taking the King's hand in both of his own and shaking enthusiastically. Then he _hugged_ Princess Zelda—a sight that had been almost worth the later unpleasantness to see. She merely patted his arm uncomfortably, dwarfed by his massive size.

The Rito followed shortly after the Gorons. They flew in the air, carrying with them long, colorful streamers. Using these streamers, they put on a show over Castle Town, creating rainbows and other designs in the air. Revali outflew the rest of them by far, swooping low over the rooftops and even dropping candy and flowers for the awaiting children, who had screamed with delight. When Revali finally landed, he did so in what Link considered to be a far too dramatic fashion, landing in a crouch with his wings outstretched to either side. Then he had greeted the King and Princess Zelda with a deep bow and a flourish of his wings before meeting Link's eyes—and giving him a look of utter disdain.

Finally, the Gerudo arrived, and their arrival excited the townspeople for an altogether different reason. Riding in on their tall, slender desert horses, they approached more like a war band than a delegation, riding through Castle Town at speed, each armed with a sword and bejeweled shield. The women were dressed in an assortment of colors, and each wore enough jewelry to prosper a small nation. Urbosa rode at their head, approaching the Castle gate and rearing her horse back in just the right way to allow the sun to catch her fiery red hair. Then she dismounted and approached the king and princess, unsheathing her sword and bowing low with it held in the palms of her outstretched hands. When she rose, Link thought for sure he had caught something of a mischievous look pass between her and Princess Zelda.

What followed only seemed to cement the fact that Link did not want to be here. Lady Impa, Sheikah scholar and historian gave them all the history lesson that they all knew by heart by this point. The old fight against Calamity Ganon, the Sheikah technology used to subdue it, the roles of the Hero, the Princess, and the Champions Four, and of course, the sealing of the beast. It had been an uncomfortable lesson, as they had all of those things that contributed to their victory, except for one. Likely the most important one. The ability to seal Calamity Ganon again.

Without that, it was very possible that everything they did was for naught. Princess Zelda's posture during the proceedings spoke volumes of the pressure upon her. Link thought that he could relate, in a way. Though he had the Master Sword firmly strapped to his back, he felt woefully unprepared to actually use it in battle against the beast. If only he could find a way to actually say as much to the Princess. Every time he tried to speak with her when he passed her in the halls of the castle or out on the castle grounds, she either rebuffed him or he lost his nerve. What good would it do to admit to her that they were in even worse trouble than she already thought? But who else could he speak to about it?

Thankfully, Daruk had been there to brighten the mood. During the lessons, he had been the only one to speak up, asking questions of Impa. Questions like: "Do we know how big this Calamity Ganon guy is going to be?" and "Are you _sure_ there isn't another Divine Beast out there for the Hylians? Kind of strange that they don't get one, if you ask me." Each had the effect of easing the tension, whether or not that was Daruk's intention.

Following the lesson, the Champions' garments were each given by Princess Zelda in the room set apart for their preparation. Then each of the Champions, along with Link and Princess Zelda, gathered in the Sanctum and swore to King Bosphoramus to work together to defeat Calamity Ganon. He proclaimed them to be Champions of Hyrule, charging Princess Zelda to lead them against the threat of Calamity Ganon. It was striking that, in that moment, Princess Zelda had been the only one of their six to not be wearing a special Champions garment, instead wearing a royal blue dress. Set apart. Different. Similar, but not quite what she needed to be.

The whole ceremony was given all the gravitas and ceremony that it probably deserved, and it had been utterly miserable for at least two involved.

"Link?"

Link blinked, coming back to the present and looking at Daruk's concerned expression. "Sorry. I was distracted. Just thinking about…" Link sighed. "Everything."

"You probably need to eat some food. Eating always helps me clear my mind," Daruk said, nodding sagely.

Link smiled, feeling a sudden warmth for the Goron. He could be so simple at times, but Link didn't think any less of him for that. To Daruk, things _were_ simple. He lived his life to the fullest without worrying about what others thought of him or even what he would do tomorrow. Link wished he could live the same way. In fact, he _had_ lived that way before pulling the Master Sword. Simple. He missed simple.

"You're probably right. I felt like I couldn't eat very much during the feast. Too many people watching me. Us."

Daruk raised his white eyebrows. "Really? I just ate like I always do." He considered for a moment. "Was that wrong?"

The big Goron had eaten incredibly disruptively, crunching rocks between his teeth loudly enough to make conversation around their table—the head table in the feast hall—difficult. Not that there would have been much conversation anyway. Link was sure that some of the nobles in the hall had been shooting Daruk disgusted looks, but he neither noticed nor cared.

"Not at all," Link said, shaking his head. "I just didn't have much of an appetite."

"Well, that's not like you at all! Are you feeling sick?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"Maybe you should talk to Mipha, then!"

"I don't think her healing would work on this," Link said, fingering the leather strap of the Master Sword slung across his chest.

Daruk fixed Link with his blue eyes, and Link suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that the Goron could see right through him. For all his simplicity and bluntness, Daruk could be surprisingly astute at times.

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" he finally asked.

Link felt the tips of his long ears grow warm. Always to the heart of the matter, Daruk. He quickly dropped his hand back to his side. "Yes." Link paused. "No. Not really. Every time I'm around her, she… Well, it's like I said. She hates me. She doesn't _want_ me to talk to her." Glumly, he added, "I'm not even sure I want to talk to _her_."

"We're all Champions. That means that we're all brothers—and sisters—now."

"We'll see, Daruk. We don't exactly have reason to spend time around each other. She's a princess. I'm a knight. Maybe if I become a royal guard like Father, but I'm not so sure that's what I want, anyway." He preferred to be outdoors and disliked the times that he was expected to stand guard in some cold hallway of stone.

"Well, maybe you'll get chosen to be Princess Zelda's personal knight. She told me that they're going to select the best swordsman in the country."

Link closed his eyes, grimacing. "Don't remind me. But I don't think she would want me to be chosen. She would insist on it being someone else."

Daruk placed a massive hand on Link's shoulder, squeezing. "You'll get there, brother. She will too. You two just need to learn to see the hidden diamonds."

Link didn't respond, walking to one end of the stone gazebo they were standing under, directly under the castle in one of the many royal gardens. He leaned against one of the pillars, looking up towards Princess Zelda's room and laboratory, far above them. He could see her on the rampart there, joined by Urbosa. She was leaning against the parapet. Looking down. Towards him.

Link felt his face grow hot, and he turned away, instead turning to look out over at the land stretching before them. He could see so far here. The land of Hyrule seemed to go on forever. What would happen to this wild and beautiful land, should he fail?

"Say, you know what you need?" Daruk said, scratching his hairy chin. "Now, hear me out here. You just picked up the Master Sword out and got recognized as a Champion, right?"

Link looked back at him, confused. "Basically, yeah."

"So you didn't really have a choice in the matter like we did."

"Right," Link said, his lips forming a thin line.

"Well, you know, the Princess came and asked each one of us if we would be the Champions. I'm willing to bet that she never did so for you."

"Daruk, there's nothing to ask. I drew the sword. I was chosen or… something." Child of Destiny. Chosen of the Sword that Seals the Darkness. Hero of Hyrule.

"Yeah, but _she_ asked all of us. It made us a team, you know? But she never asked you."

"Exactly. She never _wanted_ me."

"She never wanted the sword to be drawn," Daruk said, smirking. "I don't think it has anything to do with you." Link thought that the Goron was wrong on that but said nothing. "Anyway, maybe we should get her to ask you. We can make it official that way."

"But the _king_ just asked me today. I accepted. In the ceremony."

"But the _princess_ didn't ask it." Daruk nodded, slapping his hands together. "That's it. I'll talk to the princess today. We'll all be there, and she can ask you formally to join us as the Hylian Champion. That'll fix things, I bet."

Link looked at Daruk, perplexed at how Daruk thought that would fix _anything_ … but again, Daruk often saw things in a more simplistic light. Maybe he would be right, ultimately. Link doubted it, but maybe. Of course, he wasn't sure the princess would even deign to do such a task. She had made her feelings on him _abundantly_ clear.

He looked back out, searching past the bustling Castle Town and Hyrule Field, finding the distant Great Plateau. It was so far away, yet he could just make it out, hazy in the distance. He hoped that it would be a long time before the sword on his back was needed. He feared that it wouldn't be.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Yunobo was nothing like the giant that was Daruk. Where Daruk was imposing and powerful, Yunobo seemed smaller than his size would suggest. Where Daruk was loud, boisterous, and always had the ability to make Link laugh, Yunobo was quiet, nervous, and hesitant. It wasn't that Link _disliked_ the young Goron, but seeing him wear that sash—fashioned after the same one worn by Daruk all those years ago—felt wrong to Link. That cloth _meant_ something one hundred years ago.

The youthful Goron was, Link found out, Daruk's grandson. Link had no memory of Daruk as a father, but he supposed that he simply did not remember such details yet. Daruk _did_ appear to have been older than the rest of them—other than Mipha, perhaps. Yet, for as little as Link could remember of the big Goron, he did not see much of Daruk in his descendant.

He sighed, turning over in his bed at the Rollin' Rock Inn. He felt as though the effects of the fireproof elixir had begun to wear off, and the temperature in the open room was steadily climbing. Even lying on top of the bedding, Link was sweating, unable to get comfortable.

Bludo had insisted that Yunobo accompany Link to visit Rudania. It wasn't something that either Link or Yunobo seemed altogether pleased with, though the young Goron had accepted without verbal complaint. Yunobo, Bludo claimed, knew how to work the cannons that they used to drive Rudania off when the machine got too close to the prime spots to collect good rock roast. They would have to hit the Divine Beasts with enough cannon fire to drive it back down into the mouth of Death Mountain, where he said it would be easiest place for Link to board it, once Link revealed the existence of the paraglider. He had no idea how Link would get back out, but Link assured him that would not be a problem.

When Link had brought up the danger involved, thinking back to the way that Ruta had attempted to kill Link and Sidon before it had been freed, Bludo laughed, patting Yunobo on the back. He exclaimed that Yunobo was perfectly capable of defending himself and left it at that, allowing no further arguments.

In truth, Link hadn't wanted to argue much further at that point, thoughts of the memory he'd seen upon coming face to face with Yunobo swirling around in his mind like a swarm of biting gnats. He had needed to get away from the other two Gorons. He'd needed to be alone with his thoughts.

The Champions. The princess. The apparent disdain that Princess Zelda felt towards Link, and the seemingly reciprocal feelings he had for her. What had happened between them that made them dislike each other in those earlier times? Link wished he knew. What he saw had been a far cry from what he experienced at the Spring of Power, and it bothered him that the two glimpses into his past did not line up with each other.

He wondered if Daruk was right in the end. Perhaps Link had eventually approached Princess Zelda with the concerns and anxiety that he felt about their shared destiny. Maybe she had come to him, instead, expressing anguish over her continued lack of sealing power. It seemed likely to him that they had somehow gotten over their differences before Link had been assigned as her personal knight, or she would have rejected his assignment. At least, he had expected that she would do so in the memory. He wished he still had Daruk nearby to speak to about it.

He closed his eyes, experiencing a stab of remorse at the thought. Daruk and Mipha. The two Champions that he had any real knowledge of. Their loss suddenly felt all the more tragic and painful, though Link still only had a handful of clear memories of either of them. They had both been his friends. And they were gone.

Link sat up in his bed, sliding his legs off the edge, and placing his feet on the floor. Thick carpeting had been laid out to prevent him from burning his feet on the hot stone that made up much of Goron City's ground, but he could still feel its warmth through the carpet. Link walked over to a shelf, where a number of glass jars had been laid out, each full of the same grey, sludge-like liquid. He unstopped one of them and downed the elixir, feeling its effects shortly thereafter. The carpet did not seem as warm anymore. The air wasn't as sweltering. His sweat suddenly felt cooler on his skin than it had a few moments before.

Link walked over to where he had laid out his clothes, pulling on his tunic and trousers before slipping his feet into his boots. He walked as silently as he could out of the inn, out into the mostly-quiet city.

Goron City had an orange glow to it in the night. Magma still flowed through it similar to how a stream of water might bisect a village like Hateno. Far above Goron City, Death Mountain rose, shining brilliantly with evidence of recent eruptions. Even the smoke rising from its open mouth glowed with the light of the lava in its depths. It looked dangerous and unwelcoming.

A shiver ran down his spine as Link realized that he could very well perish on the next day. It was a sobering thought, though he also thought it to be simultaneously ridiculous. He had nearly died several times since awakening, mostly recently by an assassin's blade. He didn't think that he feared death any longer, yet the thought still came. He would attempt to free Divine Beast Vah Rudania tomorrow. He would either succeed or die trying.

He focused on Death Mountain. Rudania crawled up there somewhere, ever present. Narrowing his eyes, Link glared towards the fiery peak. He had already died once. He would not be afraid to face that death again. Especially if it meant avenging a brother.

* * *

"So you really knew Daruk?" Yunobo asked as he and Link circled the path around Monument Rock and walked towards Death Mountain. The air already seemed to be getting hotter as their elevation increased.

They had passed by a massive lake of magma—the northern mine that the Gorons used to get some of their best ore from. It was abandoned now, however, thanks to Rudania. The increased magma flow had quickly cut off most of the mine. It would take a long time to ever be able to use the mine again, even if they managed to stop the constant eruptions.

Link looked over at Yunobo, trying again, but failing to see much of Daruk in the Goron. "I did. He was a good friend." Link frowned some, looking away from Yunobo. "From what I can remember."

All that Yunobo said in response was, "Oh," before he fell silent once more.

Link wore his blue Champion's tunic, but no excess armor or shirt under the tunic. His armor had done little to protect him during his previous encounter in Vah Ruta, so it made little sense to worry about it now. He had donned a pair of gloves and tied his hair back with a bandana to better keep sweat from dripping into his eyes.

He carried his bow and arrows, including the ancient arrows provided to him by Robbie. He left his Zora sword at the inn, instead opting to just bring the ancient sword at his waist. His Sheikah shield remained strapped to his back, however. He also carried the paraglider, which he had wrapped in a leather sheath to keep it protected from the elements.

Yunobo looked the same as he did the day before, including the Champion's sash wrapped around his neck like a kerchief. The ruby Goron symbol rested on his chest, held in place by the two ends of the Champion's garment. Today, however, Yunobo also carried a large bag full of water on his shoulders, and he had slung another, smaller bag on one arm that was full of fireproof elixirs for Link to use. Link appreciated it, as it meant less to weigh him down on the climb, which was already promising to be difficult.

Link allowed the silence to stretch between them for a time, letting his eyes wander around the barren landscape around them. Though it was barren of plant life, he found that it was not lifeless. Various lizards and insects scuttled across the hot rocks as if they did not even feel the heat, and Link even saw a bizarre species of bird nearby that looked to be as tall as he was with long legs and an equally long neck. He didn't see any of the larger dodongos along this path, however.

"What was he like?"

Link frowned and looked back to Yunobo, finding the Goron looking down, tapping his fingers against his legs nervously. "Well, I don't… really have a lot of memories of him." Yet Link thought he knew exactly what Daruk was like. "But he was strong. And kind."

"That's what everyone always says about him. Boss is always telling me that I need to try to be more like him, but when I ask what he was like, he tells me that he was strong and kind." Yunobo looked over at Link. "But no one knows what he was really _like_."

 _Oh._

Link felt an immediate stab of guilt for his earlier thoughts towards Yunobo. He was certainly different than Link remembered Daruk, but Link knew something of trying to live up to an impossible expectation.

"Well… I think he is probably the friendliest person that I remember. And he wasn't just nice to people—he wanted to _help_ them too. He always wanted to find a way to fix things." As Link spoke, he found that the words started to come easier. Details that he hadn't known a few minutes ago suddenly began to seem obvious to him. "He _protected_ people. If he ever saw anyone in need, he would rush to their aid." A smile crossed Link's lips. "That's how we met."

"He saved you?"

"I…" Link glanced towards Yunobo again. "Yeah, he did. Well, we saved each other. Somewhere around Death Mountain. He saw me fighting some monsters alone and rolled all the way down from the peak to help me."

"Wow… I wish I was that brave." Yunobo looked up towards Death Mountain. "Anytime I see a monster, I just… freeze up."

"Daruk was terrified of dogs," Link said, and then his eyes widened. He _remembered_ that.

"What?"

"Dogs," Link repeated, smiling more broadly now. "He hated them. He would react… just like you said, actually. He hated walking through Castle Town because dogs always followed him around."

"But dogs aren't scary at all! I've seen them before, down at the trading outpost."

"We're all scared of something," Link said, shrugging. "Daruk was scared of dogs. I think they chased him when he was younger."

He could picture Daruk in his mind, standing with his back against the large fountain in the fountain square of Castle Town, arms raised to his chest-level, trying to shoo no less than four dogs that had all come running towards him, barking merrily.

"Are you okay?" Yunobo asked.

Link blinked the memory away and was surprised to find moisture at the corners of his eyes. The tears evaporated almost immediately, leaving a salty residue that Link wiped away.

"Yeah, just… I really thought of him like a brother. Now that I'm starting to remember him again, I miss him."

"I feel like that when I think of my dad sometimes," Yunobo said, nodding. He smiled faintly. "But I try to just think of the good times I had with him."

"What happened to him?"

"Mining accident. A cave in the south mine collapsed on him." The young Goron looked over at Link. "He died when I was pretty young, so I don't really remember many things about him either. But what I remember is good."

"Yeah, I…" Link tried to clear his throat, but the lump that he felt there wouldn't go away. "I guess that's what I should do to. Just try to remember the good times with Daruk."

Yunobo frowned at Link, looking concerned. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I didn't think about the fact that you were friends with him…"

"No," Link said, shaking his head quickly. "I'm glad to talk about him. It… helps me remember him."

"Oh! Then maybe you could tell me more about him. If you don't mind."

Link smiled at the young Goron and began to do just that.

* * *

Link carefully jumped over the stream of magma that crossed their path, feeling the sudden wave of heat as he passed over its mottled black and orange surface. Once past, he turned back to look at Yunobo, who simply walked across its surface without much concern, his feet sinking into the shallow stream of magma as he did so.

"I didn't know that Gorons could do that," Link said, eyebrows raised as Yunobo shook the remaining molten rock from his feet once across.

"That wasn't so bad. It's cooled off a lot, see?" He pointed to the black spots that covered much of the magma's surface. "We don't usually _wade_ in it, but a little thing like that isn't bad."

"So Gorons don't go swimming in Death Mountain, I take it?"

"What's swimming?"

Link grinned. Before he could reply, though, he heard a terrible roar emitting from high above them on Death Mountain. He looked up, his heart sinking at the sight of Rudania on the slope above them.

Its four feet perpetually burned, the individual toes masked by the flames that rose up around them. The feet were at the ends of its long, flexible legs that reminded Link a great deal of Guardians. Its body was long and slender, though largely flat on its surface, ending on one side by a long, angular head that ended in a point. It had lizard-like spines raised above its back that continued down its segmented tail.

"Oh, that's not good," Yunobo said from beside him, fear suddenly creeping into his voice. "I think it saw us!"

Rudania made another roaring sound, throwing its red-eyed head back before sweeping its tail along the side of the mountain. This action swept the side of the mountain clean, throwing boulders and chunks of molten rock into the air—and straight towards them.

"Run!" Link said before breaking into a sprint down the path. It took only a few seconds before the debris began to fall around him. It began with a spray of gravel-sized stones that pelted his arms and face, followed by a massive rock larger than his head striking the ground in front of him. He swerved around the rock, only to feel the ground beneath him shudder violently as a massive boulder hit the path right behind him.

The air was suddenly filled with dust and flying stones. All around him, rocks and boulders began to hit the ground, each one causing the ground to shudder violently enough to nearly knock Link off his feet. He quickly ducked behind one of the boulders, but not before he felt a sudden flare of pain on his arm. He glanced down, eyes widening when he saw the orange globule of magma clinging to his forearm. He brushed it off as quickly as he could, already seeing an angry red patch of burned skin underneath. When he looked at the fingertips of his glove, he wasn't surprised to see that the leather had been charred some in the process as well.

He remained behind the boulder as the rumbling continued around him. He watched as one boulder the size of a small house suddenly rolled past him and his comparably smaller boulder, continuing on down the slope. If that had _hit_ the rock he was hiding behind…

 _Yunobo!_ Link's eyes widened suddenly, and he looked around desperately for his traveling companion. Where was Yunobo? It was hard to make out anything in the sudden dusty haze filling the air. With rising panic, Link risked stepping out from behind the boulder and cupping his hands over his mouth, calling for the young Goron. He received no response.

Feeling the rumble of another approaching boulder, Link ducked behind his shelter again, closing his eyes tightly. It crashed into another boulder, sending them both tumbling down the hill. Breathing a sigh of relief, Link looked back out, eyes scanning the mountain path for any sign of Yunobo.

"Yunobo! Are you all right?" Still nothing. Gritting his teeth, Link looked back up towards Death Mountain. He could barely make out the shape of Rudania far above him, but the onslaught of falling rocks and magma had ceased for the time being.

He risked running out from behind his boulder, ducking behind another one, holding his breath after doing so. No roars followed, however. No falling boulders. Link did it again, using the dust-filled air to his advantage before it settled. With each step he took back in the direction they had come, the more terrified he became. There was no sign of the Goron.

Above him, Rudania had apparently been satisfied with the destruction it caused. It roared again and began walking along the side of the mountain again, away from them. Link broke into a sprint now, weaving between rocks and splattered lava, until he came upon a huge pile of rocks that had completely obscured the path—a rockslide.

"Yunobo!" Link called as he halted, looking around desperately.

"Is it gone?" The voice was muffled. Eyes widening, Link realized that it came from _under_ the rockslide.

"Hold on! I'll get you out of there!" He quickly began to scoop loose rocks from on top of the rockslide, throwing them away. How long could Yunobo survive under the stone? Was he injured? Unbidden, images of a faceless Goron that he imagined to be Yunobo's father appeared in Link's mind—killed in a tunnel collapse. He dreaded that the same might happen to that Goron's son.

Suddenly the rocks began to shift and tremble. Link stepped back as the surface of the rockslide sank inward, as if a hole had opened up underneath it. As the rocks fell into the hole, Link spotted a curled form in its center, almost indistinguishable from the stone surrounding him.

"Yunobo!"

Yunobo lifted his head, looking around, and then stood. He reached up, brushing pieces of rock out of his tuft of white hair, and straightened his Goron medallion. "Wow!" he said as he walked forward, simply pushing a path through the loose rock. "That was close."

Link breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes and silently offering up a prayer of thanks to the Goddess. "I'm glad you're all right. For a moment, I thought…"

"Oh! Yeah, I was…" Yunobo looked suddenly embarrassed, his brown cheeks growing redder. "I mean, I'm glad you're safe too."

"Is that Rudania's defense mechanism?"

"Oh, it can do some other stuff as well. We're probably lucky that it didn't cause another eruption."

Link grimaced, looking up the mountain towards Rudania's retreating back. _Great_ , he thought. He didn't really think things would get much worse than spikes of ice being flung at him.

"Are you able to keep going?" Link asked, turning back to look at Yunobo.

The younger Goron hesitated, looking nervously up towards the Divine Beast. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah, we're not far now."

Link nodded and turned, continuing on down the path, Yunobo following behind him, strangely silent. He had picked back up the bags of water and elixirs. As they weaved around the boulders that littered the path now, the Goron finally spoke again, his voice soft. "I wish I could be brave like my grandfather."

"Courage isn't…" Link looked back at Yunobo, trying to figure out exactly what he could say to the boy. "It's not the absence of fear, Yunobo."

" _You_ don't seem very afraid."

Link laughed a little bitterly. "I'm terrified of a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Failure." Silence fell between them for a time before Link cleared his throat, speaking again. "We both almost just died—a lesser man would have refused to continue on after that. But you're still with me. That takes courage."

"That's just because I want… I want to help you. I wouldn't be able to do this if it were just me."

Link smiled at this, hearing echoes of Daruk in the young Goron's words. "Why do you think I'm here? I mean," Link laughed, waving his hand toward the very boulder he hid behind during the attack by Rudania. "This isn't exactly my idea of a good time. I'm here to help people. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

Yunobo fell silent after that, but after a few moments, he stepped up to walk beside Link again. Link wasn't sure, but it seemed like he walked a little taller than before.

* * *

"You can come out now," Link called as he deactivated his sword. Around the large cannon, several bodies belonging to a group of lizalfos lay bleeding. Yunobo stepped out from behind the rock that he'd been hiding behind, looking at the carnage around them.

They had come upon the lizalfos as they reached their destination—a rocky outcrop that extended out from the mountain. A strange structure made of rock and iron had been constructed upon it—a squat building with a long opening cut into its front, facing upwards towards the peak of Death Mountain. The lizalfos had apparently taken up residence in the building but came rushing out when Link alerted them to his presence.

The battle that ensued had been fierce, but brief. Thinking back to the tactics that he used when fighting the lizalfos in his memories, Link quickly dispatched the creatures while deftly avoiding their fire breath.

Link bent down to pick up one of the lizalfos fallen weapons—a bladed boomerang, just like he remembered from the past. The lizalfo hadn't even had a chance to fling it at Link before being killed.

"That sword is really _something_ ," Yunobo said as he approached.

Link looked back at him and smiled. "It's pretty good. I got it from a friend of mine who studies ancient Sheikah technology."

"Like the Divine Beasts?"

"That's right. His focus was on the Guardians, though. And their weapons." Robbie studied Guardians. Purah studied the Sheikah Slate and Shrines. Impa was, apparently, a historian and expert on Ancient Sheikah culture, if his memory was correct. Absently, Link wondered if there was someone else who specialized in studying the Divine Beasts themselves.

He turned and threw the bladed boomerang off the mountain, watching as it spun through the air, arcing back around towards him. Narrowing his eyes, he watched its trajectory, stepping out of its way. His breathing slowed as he watched it approach, preparing. Time seemed to slow. Link thrust his hand out, fingers wrapping deftly around the handle and stopping its motion.

" _Wow_." Yunobo clapped his hands together, grinning at Link. "Good job! I would have been afraid that I would cut my fingers!"

"Yeah," Link said, musing. It _had_ felt as though time had slowed in that moment before he caught the boomerang. He could have sworn that he could see every detail of it as it approached—the orange light of Death Mountain reflected on its sharpened edges, the spots of blood on one of its three blades, the wrapped leather of its handle. "I have a little bit of experience with these, though."

Link walked back to the lizalfo that had wielded the boomerang, finding the pouch that it used to sheathe the deadly weapon. He carefully extracted the pouch from the lizalfo before roughly attaching it to his own belt. It would do for the time being.

"Oh, _gross_!"

Link turned back to see that Yunobo had approached the squat building, peering down into it from an opening around its backside, facing away from the volcano. Link walked over and looked into the doorway, surprised to see that the building had actually been built down into the rock. Though the outer structure appeared squat and short, the interior was actually quite spacious—it was just mostly underground.

Inside the building, Link could see several old skins recently shed from the lizalfos and the bloody remains of one of the tall running birds that Link had seen on the mountain, along with some other things that he preferred not to look or think about. He also saw a large metal tube on a rotating track, with one end aimed out of the opening in the opposite wall. The massive Goron cannon.

He stepped slowly inside, boots coming down on some of the filth inside, looking at the cannon with a critical eye. "How do you work this?" He spotted a stockpile of large cannonballs sitting against one wall. They looked heavy enough that he thought he would have difficulty loading them into the cannon.

Yunobo stepped into the structure, gingerly avoiding what he could of the refuse on the floor. He walked over to one of the cannonballs, picking it up with apparent ease in one hand. "Well, we shoot these at Rudania." He crossed the room to stand by the cannon, where he slid open a compartment and dropped the cannonball into it with a loud clang.

"How does it fire?"

"That's where the bomb flowers come in."

"Bomb flowers?"

Yunobo motioned towards another doorway in the structure that led to another chamber deeper underground. They both stepped down into that room, finding more refuse left behind by the lizalfos, but also a small plot of overturned dirt. Growing out of the dirt were a handful of large, round plants, each roughly the size of a melon, but dark in color with pale yellow blooms on their tops.

"This isn't good," Yunobo said, looking at the handful of plants. "They must have been here for a while. A lot of the bomb flowers are gone. They're lucky they didn't blow themselves up."

Link crouched to look at the strange plant. Reaching out, he touched one of them, finding its skin to be surprisingly solid. "These are explosives?"

"Yep! We usually use them down in the mine—they don't grow well in sunlight. That's why we had to make these side rooms in the bunkers to grow them near the cannons."

"How do they work?"

"They're pretty simple, really." Yunobo crossed over the upturned dirt, bending down and plucking one of the bomb flowers from its stem. He held it out to Link in one hand. "You can hold it. It shouldn't explode as long as you don't drop it or shake it too hard."

 _Shouldn't?_ Link thought as he hesitantly reached out and took the explosive plant from Yunobo's outstretched hand. It was heavier than its size would have suggested—heavier, certainly, than his own remote bombs created by the Sheikah Slate.

"You can blow them up a couple ways. We used to use fuses, but we figured out a better way." Yunobo motioned for Link to follow, and he did, walking after Yunobo back into the main room of the bunker. Yunobo took the bomb flower from Link, gingerly placing it into another compartment in the cannon, set behind the compartment that held the cannonball. Once he closed this compartment, he motioned to a small lever to one side of the cannon.

"If you pull that lever, it will slide a trapdoor out from under the cannonball, and then it will roll back and squish the bomb flower. That will make the bomb flower explode and…" Yunobo thrust his hand out to indicate the trajectory of the cannonball.

"Doesn't Rudania retaliate?" They were further up the mountain than they had been when they were attacked earlier, leaving Link feeling exposed.

"Well… yes," Yunobo said, sounding suddenly more nervous. "But that's why we built these bunkers. They can usually withstand a few boulders."

"Why doesn't it just come down here and destroy the bunker with its tail?" Link doubted that the structure would withstand directly confrontation with the Divine Beast.

"It doesn't come down this low on the mountain for some reason," Yunobo said, looking out of the opening to the volcano. Rudania wasn't currently visible, having circled around to the other side of Death Mountain. "But it's still not very safe. We actually passed two other cannons on the way up here. They got flooded with magma. We've been trying to send Gorons up to clear them out and make repairs, but it's been _really_ aggressive lately. Way more dangerous than it used to be. Boss got injured the last time he tried to chase it off."

"Great," Link said, exhaling slowly. "Well, let's get things ready for when it comes back around the mountain."

* * *

Link really wasn't sure about this plan. He watched the Divine Beast make its slow way around the slope of Death Mountain, occasionally pausing and roaring or swiping its tail along the mountain and sending debris raining down on whatever poor creatures it had seen. He couldn't help but to think that there should have been a better way to do this. He could have climbed to the peak, for example, and just tried to glide down onto the Divine Beast, perhaps. Of course, it would have likely been impossible to fight the creature controlling it due to its extreme angle.

Still, though. Sitting in a partially underground bunker and firing cannonballs at it just felt like a poorly thought out plan. Especially when it became clear to Link that Yunobo had not actually _done_ this before.

"Well, I've used the cannons at the northern mine, so I know how to _use_ them," the Goron said defensively, eyes widening.

"But you've never actually chased Rudania off with them?"

"Well, no… The Boss always handled that."

"Then why didn't he come?" Link said, feeling his irritation growing. He didn't mind Yunobo's presence—not after getting to know the youth during their trek up the volcano. But it seemed reckless of Bludo to send someone so inexperienced.

Yunobo looked away for a moment, wringing his fingers together. "I'm not _really_ supposed to talk about it."

"Talk about _what_?" The edge in Link's voice grew harder. Now _really_ wasn't the time to be revealing more information. Not when they were mere moments from opening fire on the Divine Beast.

"The Boss, he, uh… Remember when I told you he got hurt the last time he tried to drive Rudania off?" When Link just looked expectantly at Yunobo, the Goron sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Well, it's his back. He got hit with a boulder. It almost killed him, but he doesn't want everyone to worry. It's really difficult for him to get around right now."

Link frowned at this. He hadn't detected any indication of injury when talking to Bludo earlier. "He seemed fine when I was talking to him."

"Right! That's because he was trying not to let on how hard it is for him to stand and walk. But he couldn't make it up the mountain. That's why he hasn't come back up to try to drive Rudania off again since."

Link grimaced but nodded, looking back out of the cannon opening, up towards Rudania. "But you can hit it?"

"I _think_ so. I'm not usually firing at… moving targets."

Link sighed. "Well, I suppose now's as good a time as any to start." He looked back at Yunobo and nodded. "Let's do this."

"Okay…" Yunobo took a deep breath, bouncing a little on his heels. "You might want to cover your ears." Link glanced at the cannon and back up at Yunobo. He stepped to the side, away from the cannon's barrel, and did as Yunobo suggested, pressing his hands to his ears.

Yunobo carefully rotated the platform that the cannon sat on and then adjusted its height, peering up towards Rudania. Once satisfied, he covered the small holes on either side of his head that made his ears and kicked the lever to release the cannon. The cannon's barrel flashed with white light.

 _BOOM._

The explosion from the cannon nearly jarred Link off his feet. The thunderous sound struck him—nearly deafening, even with his ears covered, and strong enough to steal the breath from his lungs. He stumbled, reaching out and catching the lip of the opening to steady himself, and looked up, following the trail of black smoke that arced through the air. It appeared to have struck high, above Rudania's head on the mountain.

"Too high!" Link called, but his voice was drowned out by a sudden, angry roar by Rudania.

Yunobo had seen what he had, though, and used a crank to reduce the cannon's angle. He then turned, grabbing another cannonball and loading it. Link, in turn, picked up a bomb flower and set it carefully into the bomb compartment. The whole room smelled of the acrid smoke that bellowed from that opening.

Once the cannon was ready, Link leaned against the wall and covered his ears again, nodding to Yunobo. A moment later, the cannon fired again, rattling Link's teeth. He watched the ball fly, following it as it crashed into the side of the mountain, just between Rudania's front and back legs.

Link cursed, but Yunobo was already moving, reloading the cannon with surprising quickness. Rudania, in the meantime, began to stomp its feet. Far above them, Death Mountain suddenly erupted, sending molten rock and smoke high into the air. Link threw himself back from the window as the first splatters of magma began to fall around their bunker.

The cannon fired again—Yunobo had loaded the bomb flower without Link's help—and Link had been unprepared for the explosion of sound that hit his unprotected ears. Stunned, Link rose, looking around with wide eyes. Yunobo looked out the window and suddenly thrust a hand into the air in triumph, yelling, but Link couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything but a steady ringing noise.

Link shook his head, trying to rid himself of the ringing, but to no avail. He approached the window and looked out, seeing a spot of black smoke rising from Rudania's face, where a cannon had struck right beneath its glowing red eye. That was good. What _wasn't_ good was the stream of lava that now slipped out the mountain's side, heading straight for them.

He looked back to Yunobo to tell the Goron about it but almost just managed to get his hands in place again, covering his ears as Yunobo fired the cannon once more. Link spun, watching the cannonball as it sailed through the air and slammed into one of Rudania's outstretched front feet. Rudania lost its purchase, slipping and collapsing with an earth-shaking crash.

Well, at least Link could hear _that_.

"Yeah!" he heard Yunobo yell. But any celebrations were far too premature, as Rudania slowly rose back to its feet, seemingly unharmed.

"Hit it again!" Link yelled.

"Last one!" Yunobo cried. Link whirled, seeing the single remaining bomb flower in Yunobo's outstretched hand. Link nodded. Well, now it was time to see if his plan worked. And they had to do it quickly—the magma was still rolling down the side of Death Mountain, slowly approaching their position.

Yunobo fired the cannon again, his aim true as the cannon struck the side of Rudania's body. The Divine Beast roared, and far above it, lava burst into the air again. Several new fissures and cracks appearing in the side of the volcano, spewing molten rock out in smaller streams.

Link backed away from the opening as magma and rock fell all around them, and quickly pulled the Sheikah Slate from his waist. He hit the remote bomb rune, and with a flash of blue light, one of the round bombs appeared on the ground in front of him. He picked it up and held it out to Yunobo.

Yunobo took it, staring at the explosive with wide eyes. "Load it!" Link cried, snapping Yunobo out of his reverie. He quickly shoved it down into the opening, sliding the door closed. Without waiting for Link to cover his ears, Yunobo hit the lever to open the trap door…

And nothing happened… They could hear the door slide open and the cannonball roll down to strike the bomb, but no explosion. Link and Yunobo looked at each other, momentarily confused, before Link's eyes widened. He grabbed the Sheikah Slate back off his waist and hit the blue Remote Bomb Rune.

There was a flash of blue out of the cannon's muzzle as the cannonball fired out with every bit of velocity and power as it had with the bomb flowers. The explosion did not seem nearly as loud, though, which was a relief—he couldn't very well cover his ears if he had to manipulate the Sheikah Slate.

Outside, the Divine Beast roared. Link looked back out of the window and noticed with a shock that the magma had gotten even closer now. How much time did they have before it was upon them? Not enough. Rudania continued to roar and fling boulders down towards them, still seemingly unharmed by the cannon fire.

"Yunobo, we need to go!" Link called, turning back around to look at the other Goron. Yunobo looked outside, his eyes wide with terror. He danced back and forth on the balls of his feet, fingers twitching rapidly on either of his hands.

Finally, he took a breath and looked at Link. "Keep firing the cannon! I think I can stop it."

"What?" But before Link could say anything else, Yunobo turned and run outside. "Yunobo!"

He whirled to look back out of the window as Yunobo ran around to the front of the structure to a boulder that was roughly his size that had fallen near the front of the bunker. He pressed against it, grunting, and it began to move, rolling slowly towards where their outcrop met with the slope of the mountain. He pushed it into place and then immediately turned, running back towards another of the boulders that had been flung at them.

Link broke from his amazement, turning back and reaching to grab one of the cannonballs. It didn't budge. Cursing, Link pulled out his Sheikah Slate, entering the Magnesis Rune, and selecting the cannonball. Slowly, it lifted into the air with very little effort on Link's part—though the Sheikah Slate _did_ suddenly seem heavier than it had before. He carefully maneuvered it over to the cannon and dropped it down into the appropriate slot. He flipped over to the Remote Bomb and loaded that as well. Imitating how he'd seen Yunobo activate it, he kicked the lever—which resisted his leg far more than he had expected—and then blew the bomb.

The cannon fired, sending another ball of solid iron into the flank of the Divine Beast. This time, it started to slowly turn to face them, and Link saw with some horror that its segmented head was starting to open like blooming flower. He… he knew what that was. He knew _exactly_ what that was. And what it meant for him.

Outside, Yunobo placed another boulder in place, and went back for a third, but there was no time. The magma was upon them. It crashed into the boulders with enough force to cause them to shift back in the direction of the bunker. Yunobo cried out, turning around and rushing back, throwing both of his hands up and digging his feet into the dirt behind him, adding his own strength to the boulders. Magma splashed up and over, some of it falling on his outstretched arms and back, but he only ducked his head and pressed harder. The magma began to flow around the boulders, angling to either side of the bunker.

It wouldn't last. It couldn't last. Even if Yunobo could hold the magma back indefinitely, the attack that was about to come would end them both. Link loaded another cannonball and went to close the compartment… but then he hesitated. One shot. _One more shot_.

He had an idea.

He switched to the Stasis rune.

A moment later, he loaded the Remote bomb and blew it. Though the bomb's explosion rocked the room, the cannonball did not fire. He opened the bomb compartment, the door of which was incredibly hot to the touch, and loaded another bomb. He slammed the compartment shut and blew the second bomb. Seconds. Seconds left. He created another bomb and loaded it, blowing it a split second after loading the bomb. The door to the bomb compartment blew off, flying up and lodging deep into the stone of the ceiling.

Link supposed that would have to do.

A second later, the Stasis rune ran out and the cannonball shot out with the sound of an incredibly loud thunderclap, sending Link stumbling back, momentarily deafened. He could still see, though.

Rudania's head had opened completely and a red light was forming at the end of a rod that protruded out from the center of its opening. Suddenly there was an explosion of light, followed by sound, against one of its head fins. Rudania jolted violently with the force of it, actually rising up onto its back two legs briefly before collapsing back down with an earth-shaking crash.

A column of black smoke rose from where the cannonball had struck. For a time, Rudania didn't move, its front legs splayed out to either side. Then it began to move again, but more slowly now. It rose back to its feet, and its head began to close, though the fin that the cannonball had struck didn't move, remaining open. It turned away from Link and Yunobo, slowly climbing up the mountain towards Death Mountain's peak, which had abruptly stopped erupting.

Breathing heavily, Link slowly approached the cannon opening, looking out at Yunobo. He trembled with the exertion, but the boulders he pressed his hands against held. The air around him seemed to shimmer with a strange, orange glow, but it was difficult to make anything out with the hazy dust that fell around him. The magma rolling down the mountain continued to come, but its flow slowed now that its source no longer added to it. Thanks to his efforts, lava flowed to either side of the boulders, with the space immediately behind them free of the molten rock.

Slowly, Yunobo stepped back from the boulders, which were no longer being pressed upon by the magma. The lava on the other side of them had cooled enough, forming a more solid barrier to the remaining oncoming flow, redirecting it further. The Goron looked up with amazement at the retreating back of Divine Beast Vah Rudania as it crested the mountain and laboriously climbed down into the maw.

Yunobo exhaled heavily and turned, sitting on the ground with his back against the boulders. Link met his eyes and smiled, feeling suddenly exhausted as well. After a moment, he raised a hand and gave Link a thumbs-up, calling out, "That was so _cool_!"


	27. Chapter Twenty-Five

**I'm glad that my version of the Divine Beast fight last chapter went over so well. Going into it, this was one of them that I was somewhat uncertain of how to put it on paper. The game's version was good, but also very "game-y", if that makes sense. Launching Yunobo out of a cannon just wasn't going to work for me. Plus I didn't really want to have to try to write a stealth section with Yunobo... However, I did enjoy the cannons. And since the cannons were all controlled with Link's bombs, it made me wonder what the Gorons used when they didn't have ancient Sheikah Tech available. Hence bomb flowers. There was at least one other callback to a previous game in the last chapter, too, if anyone caught it.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: No, thank _you_ for making my day! Always appreciate the comments.**

 **Guest: Thanks for the comment! That chapter was a fun one to write, and turned up far more intense than I originally thought it would be.**

 **iCards: Figuring out how to properly use a cannon against a Divine Beast was probably the hardest part of that chapter... But it was immensely satisfying when it all came together. And you're right about the memory-that is what ultimately leads into the first memory of the game. I'm glad that Link and Yunobo's friendship came out believable and realistic. I wasn't sure about that one at first, but when I started writing, it just sort of clicked. So much of this game is about living up to expectations and past selves, and the Champions' descendants (literally, in Yunobo's case) are no different.**

 **Now, onward! The fight isn't over yet.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

"No one has ever tried to _board_ Rudania after driving it back into the volcano," Yunobo said, looking down into the maw of Death Mountain.

The aftermath of the battle left the both of them exhausted, and they had agreed to rest for a time before beginning the climb up to the peak. In that time, Yunobo had informed him that Rudania had never fought so hard before. It usually only took two or three cannon shots before it would retreat back into Death Mountain, only to emerge a few days later to cause problems again. It used to retreat for months at a time, but that changed several weeks ago.

He had never seen it open its head before. That was new to Yunobo, yet Link was certain that it wasn't new to _him_. He'd seen it do it before, though the memory of its doing so was indistinct. But he was fairly certain that he knew what its purpose was, even without clear memory.

They finally began the climb up to the peak of Death Mountain, which was just another chore in itself, though Yunobo's presence had helped immensely. He had Link tie a rope around his waist and then went ahead, climbing with apparent ease and then helping Link do so after him.

When they reached the peak, the two of them had looked down into the volcano. Rudania rested deep within it, seemingly floating atop a bed of molten lava a hundred feet down or so. It had turned its head so that the open fin was angled vertically, safe from the magma that surrounded it.

"Well, defeating the Divine Beast was just the first step," Link said, pulling back from the volcano. Even with the fireproof elixir, leaning over into the volcano felt akin to holding his hand above a fire. It was bearable, but extremely uncomfortable. He wasn't looking forward to going in there. "Now I have to go down and destroy the monster controlling it."

Yunobo shuddered, stepping back from the edge of the opening. "I hate monsters," he said, his voice quieter now.

Link placed a hand against Yunobo's arm. "You don't have to come with me to do this. I don't even know how you could. You did your part—now I can do mine."

The Goron looked relieved, but then ashamed immediately afterwards. "I wish I could be brave like you, Link."

 _Again, with that_. Link smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Yunobo, I just watched you hold back a mountain's worth of lava. That took a great deal of courage."

"I mean, I would have been okay. I wasn't in any real danger," Yunobo said plaintively. "But I knew that if I didn't do that, then you probably would have died."

Link knew that Goron skin was tough enough to withstand touching magma, but he somehow doubted Yunobo could have survived being engulfed by it. He didn't contradict the Goron, though. "You still risked your life to save mine. I think you're a lot more like Daruk than you think."

Yunobo looked down towards his feet, seemingly unsure of what to say. That suited Link fine. He didn't think he liked long good-byes, anyway.

"Wish me luck," he said, freeing his paraglider from its leather carrying case and unfolding it. Before Yunobo could say anything else, he ran forward and leaped off of the lip of Death Mountain, sailing down into its depths.

The heat rising from the volcano was intense. The very air felt too hot to the touch, leaving his eyes stinging and his lungs burning with each breath. He could only imagine what it would be like if he had not downed another fireproof elixir right before reaching the peak. He had another jar in his waist pack.

He squinted his eyes against the bright yellow and orange glow of the magma that pooled below him. There were no dark spots here—no cooled sections of hardened rock being swept along by the lava. This was all liquid heat. If he misjudged his descent, then Link would surely die a very painful death. No Shrine of Resurrection could ever hope to bring him back from that.

The heat rising seemed to buoy him, slowing his descent, which gave him plenty of time to think on that fate. As he circled the interior wall of Death Mountain, he could see fissures in the rock wall where magma oozed out, contributing to the overall pool beneath him. He had to be careful not to approach too close to those magma falls, lest he or his paraglider get splashed. That would be an unfortunate way to end his adventure.

So it was that Link felt a great deal of relief when his feet finally touched down on Rudania's flat upper surface, near the base of its tail. All around him, the orange glow of the magma cast dark shadows over much of the platform he stood on, leaving things silhouetted strangely in the light. Nothing moved. No one spoke. The only sound was that of the magma on all sides, bubbling lazily.

Link took a slow step forward after folding and putting away his paraglider, eyes darting around to look for anything out of place. The ground beneath him suddenly fell away and he stumbled forward, his foot coming down onto a metal flooring of some kind, inset in the floor about a foot lower. He looked down, finding that the floor he now stood on looking like it was made of sheets of metal overlaid on top of each other.

As he looked up and paid more attention to the ground, he noticed that, especially further out from the center of Rudania's back, there were several other sections of metal inset in the floor, including four circular sections, one at each of the four corners, where the shoulders might have been on a real lizard.

He stepped back up onto the stone flooring, which he was beginning to be able to see better as his eyes adjusted to the lighting. In the center of the structure was one of the strange teardrop-shaped devices that was in the central room of Ruta. The room where he had fought the creature. He moved closer to the device, reaching a hesitant hand out to touch its surface. It was cool to the touch, regardless of the heat of the volcano.

As he looked up at it, he was struck by a sudden overwhelming _familiarity_ by this place. He had been here before. He had walked this very deck, touching this very device. He'd witnessed Daruk looking at it in dismay, trying his best to understand why the ancient construction wouldn't respond to his commands in the same way that the other Divine Beasts had responded to their respective Champions. And Link could remember his own role in helping Daruk overcome that.

* * *

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* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, little guy, I just can't get the hang of this thing!" Daruk said, reaching out and placing a hand against the control console. There were no visible controls on it, of course—that was just what was used to establish the mental link between the Divine Beast and its pilots. Or so Princess Zelda claimed. "Every time I try to make it do… _something_ , it just sits there. Like a pile of rocks. Only at least I can _eat_ a pile of rocks."

Link watched Daruk, smiling. Not everyone got to see Daruk's sulky side. Still, though, Daruk was the last of the Champions who was still struggling to control his Divine Beast. Link had been watching Princess Zelda try for days to help him gain some measure of control over it, but she had as much difficulty as Daruk was. Still, she was patient with Daruk.

It would be nice if she were as patient with _him_.

Announcing that she would be taking a day to relax and enjoy the hot springs—and making it _abundantly_ clear that Link was not to follow—he decided to see if he could help his old friend. He'd heard Mipha talk about her own experiences in controlling her Divine Beast, not to mention the Princess's endless prattle about why she thought Daruk was having so many problems—thinking out loud while writing in her journal, not while talking to Link—so he thought that he had a decent handle on the situation.

So, he'd asked Daruk to meet him at Rudania, which sat at the base of Death Mountain when not in use. Not too far from where they first met, actually, now that he reflected on it. It was a nice day with blue skies overhead, and the temperature was cooler than the earlier days they had been there.

"When I'm having trouble figuring out a new sword technique or getting used to a new bow, I like to lock myself away and just practice it until I master it." He turned back to look at Daruk. "Sometimes it takes an hour and sometimes it takes all day. I figure that you might just need to do the same thing."

"I dunno. The princess seems to think that I need to… what did she call it?"

"'Achieve perfect mental balance'," Link supplied in what he thought was a decent approximation of her accent.

"Right. I need to do that with Rudania." Daruk frowned, looking at the control device. "Just wish I could make diamonds or quartz of what that meant."

Link resisted the urge to snort. He was here for Daruk's benefit—not to start venting about his difficulties since being assigned as the Princess's personal knight. "Well, what do you like doing on your free time?"

"Besides eating?"

Link smiled. Always a kindred pair, they were. "Besides eating."

"Well…" Daruk rubbed at his beard. "I like to go up to the peak of Death Mountain. Look down and see Goron City way below me." He paused. "And gather some prime rock roast to eat."

Daruk had tried to force Link to try that prime rock roast before. Best to be careful on how to proceed. "Rudania is specially made to walk around on Death Mountain, or so the Sheikah say. Seems reasonable to think that it likes to do that too. So… just take it up there."

"I don't know if it's that simple, little guy."

"Sure, it is." Link laid his pack on the ground, along with the Master Sword, and lay down with his head resting on it. "It is if you tell yourself that you can't leave the Divine Beast until you figure it out." He considered. "And think about how much easier it'll be to climb Death Mountain on this thing." He draped an arm over his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the day, thinking that now was as good a time as any to catch a nap.

It took Daruk some time. Even while dozing, Link could hear the large Goron stomping around the deck, muttering to himself and occasionally punching something. Little by little, though, Rudania began to respond to his urges. It was just the front legs at first. Then the back. Then its head. And then various other little functions like the vents used to control airflow inside.

Link awoke to a sudden lurch. The flat ground underneath him had become an uncomfortably steep slope, giving him the sudden feeling of vertigo. He looked around and saw that Daruk was further forward on the deck, holding onto a section of Rudania while looking ahead. The Divine Beast was walking forward, climbing over a section of rock, moving in the direction of Death Mountain.

Scrambling up to his feet, Link picked up his bag, nestling it in against the control device to prevent it from accidentally rolling off, and shouldering his sword. He carefully made his way over the rocking deck, finally making it to Daruk and grabbing hold of the structure that he was holding onto.

"Oh, sorry, little guy! Guess I should have warned you that we're going for a ride." Daruk grinned down at Link, clearly pleased with himself.

"I see you figured it out," Link said, returning his smile.

"Yeah! I think I'm finally getting the hang of this Divine Beast! Guess I just needed some more time to chip at the bedrock." Daruk laughed as Rudania crested the ridge and lifted its head, roaring with a thunderous sound that echoed off the canyons and crevices around them. A nearby flock of hotfeather pigeons took flight.

He felt Rudania level out beneath him. Daruk stretched his arms as though he had been working them hard. How many things had he punched before getting the Divine Beast under control?

"I tell you what—sure is a blast piloting a toy like this around. Now that I've got it figured out, there's going to be no stopping me. You let those other Champions know: they better eat their gravel if they want to keep up with Daruk."

"I'm sure Revali will appreciate hearing that," Link said, dryly. Daruk chuckled, patting Link's shoulder, and walked past him, looking around at the view of mountains and rocky outcroppings that surrounded them. Death Mountain smoked overhead, the perpetual thin streams of lava that flowed down its sides glowing warmly.

"Speaking of people with their heads in the clouds, can you believe this view?" Daruk waved his arm. "Just look at all those delectable rocks sprinkled on those mountains. Mighty tasty."

"Like hard candy," Link said, smirking up at Daruk.

Daruk looked down at him, grinning. "Exactly! Knew you'd see things my way eventually."

Link patted Daruk's arm. He'd pay for that—Daruk would almost certainly try to convince him to try a rock again. They fell into a comfortable silence for a time before Daruk spoke up again.

"I may not know a whole lot about this Calamity Ganon thing, but mark my words—I'll protect this land of ours to the death. Right, little guy?" Daruk slapped Link in the back hard enough to nearly knock him to his knees. Link coughed, holding his back and shooting a glare up at Daruk, who seemed completely oblivious.

"So how are things going with you and the princess after being appointed her knight? It's a big deal—protecting the king's daughter. No pressure!"

Link stood back up, wincing slightly, and glad for the chance to take his time in responding. Finally, he said, "Nothing has changed except for that now she has to suffer in my presence all the time, instead of just occasionally."

Daruk frowned. "It can't be _all_ bad. Have you tried talking to her about it?"

Link didn't reply. In truth, it wasn't _all_ bad, but it was difficult to pick out good moments. She didn't like him, and she made that perfectly clear. Repeatedly.

It was in the tone of her voice when she spoke to him—the disdain and irritation. The way she would often call him "hero". But then there were times that she seemed to forget who he was. Perhaps she just forgot he was there altogether. In those times, she changed. She brightened. She talked excitedly about Guardians and Divine Beasts. Or perhaps she found a particular animal, insect, or plant that caught her eye. In those moments, she seemed far more approachable. But then she would look at Link, her smile would fade, and any hope of speaking to her would die on his lips.

"Ahh," Daruk said, nodding. He had likely noticed the coolness with which Princess Zelda regarded him since arriving. "The princess is a strong personality—so strong that, sometimes, she can't see the range for the peaks. Remember that, and you'll be fine."

Link had no idea what he even meant by that. Goron idioms could be so… _difficult to crack_. Link opened his mouth to say so—and to tell Daruk that he was confident that the princess had no interest in hearing what Link had to say or thought—when everything began to shake around them.

Link stumbled, thinking that Rudania had begun to move on its own, but soon realized that it wasn't just the Divine Beast. The entire mountain range was trembling with an earthquake that quickly grew violent. Barely keeping on his feet, Link reached out, grabbing Daruk for support. The Goron was solid as always, even as the ground beneath them bucked.

Suddenly, Daruk shoved Link behind him and threw his arms to the front. His glowing shield—orange and multi-faceted—appeared to surround the both of them, and a split second later, a massive boulder cracked against it, shattering into smaller pieces that fell to either side of them in a cloud of dust.

Daruk left the shield up for another few seconds as the earthquake subsided, scanning the mountain range for any other threats. Finally, he turned back to Link, the shield fading into nothing. He held a hand out, pulling Link to his feet, and then looked back out towards Death Mountain. "That was a little strange.

"Death Mountain has been quiet for decades. But if it's shivering enough now to—" Daruk glanced at Link, who was brushing himself off. Link saw his eyes briefly flick up to see the leather-wrapped hilt of the Master Sword on his back. "You know what? Never mind. Why don't we get back—I'm sure the princess is going to want to hear that I've got this thing figured out."

Link felt a shiver run down his back that had nothing to do with an earthquake. The unspoken fear. The signs. Death Mountain growing active. Monsters appearing in higher numbers and closer to civilization. Rumors of a secret Sheikah sect growing in power. Prophecies. The Master Sword drawn. It all pointed towards the Calamity.

As Rudania began to turn, its powerful legs bending and stretching to propel it back down the mountain towards its resting place on top of Gortram Mountain, Link couldn't help but to wonder how much time they had left. Would it be enough? Would he be ready?

Would any of them?

* * *

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* * *

Link stumbled back from the control device, clenching his trembling left hand into a tight fist. His eyes darted around, trying to banish the images from his mind. Daruk, smiling at him. Daruk, laughing. Daruk, confident in their coming victory. It was agonizing to think of what became of his friend in the end.

He looked back to the control device, glowing with a soft orange light that was barely visible in the glow of the volcano. Where was Daruk's spirit? For that matter, where was the Malice? Where was the creature that he knew controlled this Divine Beast? It was too quiet. Mipha had greeted Link at the entrance, and the creature had been waiting for them by the control mechanism. So where were they?

"Daruk?" Link said, his voice cutting through the quiet. "Daruk, are you here?" He received no response. He began to walk around the upper desk, feeling increasingly uneasy. The back of his neck prickled with the feeling of being watched, yet nothing moved around them.

He found out a few moments later why he hadn't seen any of the purple Malice anywhere. As he neared the opposite end of the upper neck, near the head, he passed by another section of inset metal sheets and found that several of the sheets had been damaged, bent inward by the force of something striking it. Like a cannonball.

Inside, Rudania was dark, but enough light filtered in to reveal a mass of Malice that writhed on the interior walls and hung from the ceiling, dripping in large, slow globules. As Link looked down into it, that same unnatural, oily air that he remembered from Ruta's interior seemed to float up from within, making his stomach turn. He pulled back, reaching down and pulling his sword from his waist, activating the blue blade.

The light from the sword brought him some measure of comfort, throwing back some of the shadows cast by the magma. He looked around warily, eyes open for any danger. But none came. Why? Where was the creature that he knew inhabited this place? Where was Daruk? Could it be that Mipha had been unique in her spirit's preservation?

"Come out and face me," Link said, voice low, as he stared into the dark mass visible through the broken section of floor. It seemed to respond to his voice, quivering slightly. He held his glowing sword low, casting some of its light down into the hole. "Come out!"

There was a definite reaction this time. The Malice rippled and shifted, moving away from the light of the sword. An interesting reaction, to be sure, but one that Link didn't have time to focus on. No, because at that moment, he finally heard the voice he had been hoping to hear.

"Little guy?"

Link whirled, eyes searching, and he found the faint form of Daruk standing behind him. It was more difficult to make him out than it had been to see Mipha, though Link wasn't sure if that was because of the light of the volcano or something else. Daruk smiled broadly at Link.

"It's _great_ to see you, brother. I always knew that you'd be back. Never stopped believing in you." Daruk stepped forward, reaching a large hand out to place on Link's shoulder, but it only passed through, leaving the place where he'd touched feeling cold. Daruk's face fell. "For a moment, it almost felt like… But no matter. How have you been? What's been going on out there?"

Link looked up at Daruk's wide face, smiling weakly. "It's… kind of a long story. I fell in battle, and the princess put me in a Sheikah Shrine to restore me. It healed me, but it took all of my memories. I was in there for one hundred years, Daruk. And the princess has held Ganon back during that time."

"It's been… one hundred years?" Daruk said, his tone quiet. He looked out in the direction of Goron City. "I knew it had been a while, but that long…" His shoulders slumped. "Huh. Darbus would be long gone by now."

"Daruk, you—"

They were both interrupted by a new sound. This one came from above. A strange sound. It sounded like…

Yelling?

Something suddenly slammed into Rudania, causing the entire Divine Beast to rock with the impact. Whatever it had been hit not far from where Link and Daruk stood, surrounded by a plume of smoke and dust. As the dust cleared, however, he could see a familiar silhouette uncurling and standing.

" _Yunobo_?"

The young Goron stepped forward out of the dust, spotting Link and smiling anxiously. "Am I too late to help?"

Rudania roared and, all around them, the sheets of metal that made up the inset flooring slid back, revealing openings that led down into the depths of the Divine Beast. Malice began to bubble up out of those openings—a dark purple mass that slowly rose, spreading out over the upper deck.

The ghostly image of Daruk, who had been staring at Yunobo in confusion, whirled to face Link. "It's here."

Link grimaced, thinking that he wished Yunobo had gone back to Goron City. He appreciated the Goron's newfound bravery, really, but now he had to not only worry about his own life, but Yunobo's as well. Link reached down, patting the arrows at his waist. He wouldn't use them yet. Instead, he removed some of his excess equipment—the paraglider and his satchel—and strapped his shield to his arm.

He looked around as the Malice began to congregate near the central device. It seemed to congeal and grow upon itself, a mound rising from the center of the mass. The blight began to take shape, growing taller and wider.

It was large—larger than the one in Ruta. Like the other, this one had no legs, its body beginning at its waist, revealing a muscular form. One of its arms were long and slender, in a long-fingered hand. The other arm was thick and covered in Sheikah technology, ending in a massive glowing sword that was not so unlike his own, except for its size. Its face, like the one in Ruta, was covered by a flat mask that contained ancient Sheikah designs, with a blue eye in its center and two protrusions rising from its top that looked like a pair of horns. Red hair sprouted from the back of its head, spreading in all directions.

It thrust its head back and shrieked with an ear-piercing roar. Behind him, Link heard Yunobo whimper, stumbling back in shock. Link only grimaced, able to hear his pulse pounding in his ears. He was sweating, but the moisture seemed to evaporate almost as immediately as it appeared. It was so damn _hot_.

His eyes found the creature's sword. It was shaped more like a giant cleaver than a sword—short and thick, rather than long and slender. One clean sweep of that, and it was over for him. He wasn't even sure his shield could take it. Sheikah weaponry seemed able to cut through metal and stone. The good wood of his shield would likely put up little resistance to it. The creature's outstretched hand, though—those fingers ended in long claws. And Link wasn't sure what other abilities this thing might have.

"Careful, Link," Daruk said, his voice soft so that only Link could hear it. "That thing is tough. I fought it hard, but my boulder breaker couldn't even crack its shell." He reached out and placed a hand on Link's shoulder. This time, Link could just feel the touch—faint, but solid nonetheless. Link looked back at Daruk and gave him a grim smile before stepping forward to face the beast.

The creature looked down at Link, turning its head slightly to the side. It seemed to be considering him, confused at the man daring to challenge it. Link brought his ancient sword up to the ready, looking up at the creature.

The first attack came quickly, but Link expected it. The giant's sword swung down at Link in an arc, and he leaped to the side, avoiding the blade as it slammed down into the stonework of the Divine Beast, sinking deeply into it.

His shield would most definitely not be any use against that thing. _Good to know._

The creature wrenched its sword free and advanced on Link, swinging for him again, but this time, Link rolled forward, coming up just underneath its floating form on his knees, and stabbed his sword directly up into the creature's underside.

"Yeah, right in the crag!" Daruk pumped his arm into the air. "Don't let up!"

The creature screeched in pain and anger, quickly moving away from him. It spun, sweeping its sword out, but Link ducked, feeling it pass overhead, and ran forward, leaping and stabbing his sword up into the place its gut would have been on a normal person. His sword plunged deep into the Malice that formed its body. Where the blue blade of his sword touched, the Malice quivered and smoked, burned by the energy.

He yanked the sword out and aimed a swing up towards the thing's mask, hoping to end the fight as quickly as it started. Before he could land this swing, however, the creature's long arm reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic, throwing him back. He crashed to the ground, sliding several feet before coming to rest with his head over the edge of one of the openings leading into the belly of the Divine Beast.

Slightly dazed, Link lifted his head to look at the creature, only to see its free hand raised in the air. A ball of yellow fire suddenly appeared above its palm, and it flung the fireball at right at Link. Cursing, Link rolled out of the way, but he could still feel the heat of the blast when it struck a few feet away from him. He jumped back to his feet.

He ran forward again, knowing that the best place he could be was within the creature's guard. It would have difficulty hitting him with that sword if Link was that close. As he ran, the creature lobbed another fireball at Link, which Link blocked with his shield—which immediately burst into _flame_.

Yelling in surprise, Link stopped his advance, fumbling with the strap on the burning shield. He got it off before it could be completely consumed with flames—and him with it—dropping it to the ground and kicking it away.

He saw the cleaver coming for him almost too late. The creature swung low, and Link leaped into a backflip, clearing the blade, but landing again on the edge of the pit. Link momentarily pinwheeled his arms, teetering on the edge, and then he fell back.

With a sudden sound of grinding metal, the metal sheets that previously covered the opening slid shut beneath Link, and he landed with a grunt and a clang.

He could hear Daruk let out a bellow of triumph, and when Link rolled to his feet, he saw the creature turn on Daruk's spirit, screeching in fury. He lobbed a fireball at Daruk, which passed through him harmlessly. "Not going to work on me, you—"

Link stopped listening to whatever Goron vulgarity that Daruk was calling it. Instead, he sprinted towards it and swung his sword up and through the outstretched arm of the creature at the elbow. His blade cut through it in a burst of acrid smoke, and the creature's forearm and hand both fell to the deck, losing their shape and hitting with a sickening sound.

Angered and pained, the creature attempted to catch Link with its sword, but Link hadn't stopped moving, getting around to its back, where he aimed a deep cut.

It screamed, and Rudania rumbled underneath Link's feet. The creature pulled away, rising into the air above him, and looking down at him with apparent hatred.

Link watched, frustrated, as its left arm began to regrow from its smoking stump. It raised its outstretched hand, creating another fireball, but this one, it did not throw towards Link. Instead, it turned the fireball, pressing it to its blue sword.

"Oh _no_ …" Link heard Yunobo moan from somewhere beside him. He could relate to the sentiment.

The creature's cleaver-like sword was suddenly engulfed in fire, seemingly turning its blade orange. It spread its arms wide, releasing an ear-piercing sound, and suddenly it was surrounded by a mostly-transparent ball of orange light that caused the air around it to ripple.

"That's _my_ move!" Daruk yelled at the same time as Yunobo cried, "Hey, that looks just like—!"

Link deactivated his sword, thrusting it down into his belt, and removed his bow from his back. Fumbling with the quiver at his hip, he pulled out one of the ancient arrows and taking aim at the creature's blue eye. As he drew, the mechanism at the end of the arrow activated, and a small arrowhead appeared, shining with the same light as his sword.

Praying that it would work, Link released the arrow, watching it sail through the air, leaving behind a blue afterimage in its wake. It struck the barrier with a brief flash of white-blue light and then dissipated. Link swore.

The creature just looked down at Link and raised its hand, palm up.

It began as a light wind—a breeze lightly pulling at a few loose strands of Link's hair. But the breeze quickly increased in strength. Just above the creature's outstretched hand, a small ball of white-hot flame appeared. As Link watched and the wind quickly became a gale, pulling towards that ball of light, the fire grew. And _grew_. Wind howled as, suddenly, Link began to see chunks of molten rock—cooled to mottled black and red by the gale—began to fly towards the fireball, absorbed into it.

"Link, run!" Daruk's voice in his head. "Find cover!"

Link whirled, eyes darting about, falling on Yunobo. He was standing in the open, transfixed. His Goron emblem flapped on his chest, being pulled towards the creature, but held in place by the Champion's garment he wore.

"Yunobo, get out of here!" Link cried as he began running for the Goron. Yunobo didn't respond, staring up at the bright fireball with wide eyes. Link could hear Daruk yelling at him, but the pounding of his own heart drowned out the voice. "Yunobo!"

The gale stopped.

 _Oh no_.

Link glanced to the right just in time to see the creature lob the fireball—easily as large as any of the boulders that had almost fallen on him earlier—directly towards him. It moved slower than the previous attacks, yet it flew through the air with a strange grace to it, moving with a confident air that suggested that it would succeed.

Suddenly, Daruk appeared in front of the fireball, his arms outstretched, yelling in defiance. For a moment, Link had a flash of memory—Daruk, standing before him, protecting him from a boulder that had broken off of Death Mountain and fell towards them. But then Daruk was consumed by the fireball, which continued towards Link, curving slightly, as if to follow him.

Yunobo finally seemed to snap out of his daze, and he looked at Link, who waved his hands frantically for him. Yunobo glanced back at the fireball. At Link. He reached out, grabbing Link's arm, and pulled him against his chest, wrapping the Hylian in his arms and ducking his head low.

The fireball struck and exploded with the force of Death Mountain's eruption. Fire and molten rock consumed everything in its white-hot fury. The explosion roared in Link's ears, and he waited for the end. An end which never came.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, aware that Yunobo was still crushing him to his chest. The Goron was trembling, his head low, eyes closed tightly. Link turned his head, able to see the aftermath of the explosion. The ground around them was blackened and scorched, and flaming embers and ash drifted down around them. A shimmering barrier surrounded them on all sides, encasing them in its protective embrace. They were unharmed.

He patted Yunobo's arms, and the Goron slowly released his grip on Link, looking up in wonder. Link pulled away, though did not attempt to leave the barrier. Outside, the creature watched them. Though it made no expression, Link thought that it seemed far more menacing and angry now.

"I had no idea you could do that," Link said, glancing back towards Yunobo.

"It's just this ability that I've always had. I've never met anyone else who's ever been able to do it." Yunobo looked a little sheepish as he looked back down at Link.

"I have."

Outside of the barrier, Daruk's ghostly form had reappeared, facing them. He wasn't looking at Link, though. His eyes were on Yunobo, looking stunned.

The creature advanced on them, wielding its flaming sword above its head. Yunobo whimpered softly as it did so, but Link stood up straighter, noticing that the creature's own barrier had disappeared. It was vulnerable.

"Can this take another hit?" he asked, formulating a plan in his head.

"I-I think so. It takes a lot to break it."

"This is how you've been surviving everything, isn't it?" Link glanced back at Yunobo. "When you were caught in the rockslide and when you held back the lava."

"And when I jumped on here."

"Yunobo, no one should ever suggest to you that you need to be more like Daruk… You're more like Daruk than anyone I've ever met." Link smiled up at Yunobo's look of surprise. "Now, hold the barrier until I tell you to drop it."

Yunobo nodded, eyes turning back up towards the creature looming over them. It brought its flaming sword down, which struck the barrier with the sound not unlike a hammer striking a gong and an explosion of fire in all directions. The barrier shimmered more brightly under the impact but held.

Link pulled another arrow from his quiver, nocking it on his bowstring. He eased around behind Yunobo's back, looking up towards the angry blue eye overhead. The creature swung its sword again, smashing against the barrier with enough force to rock the ground underneath them. Link noticed some cracks forming in the stone under their feet.

"After the next hit, wait for the count of two, and then drop it and _run_. Understood?" Link spoke in soft tones. He wasn't sure if that creature could understand his words, but he didn't want it to hear, just in case. Yunobo nodded, glancing back over his shoulder at Link. The space in the barrier was tight—the sphere was just tall enough to accommodate Yunobo's height and was equally as wide.

The creature screeched again, and suddenly, its eyes flashed with red light. It shot a white beam out from the eye, which crashed against the barrier with another explosion. Link saw white cracks forming in the shimmering surface.

 _One, two_. "Now!"

Yunobo dropped the barrier and immediately curled into a ball, rolling forward and to the right, quickly ending up behind the creature. The creature, however, had Link in its sight. Its eye turned red once more. Link took a breath, feeling everything slow around him as he focused, aiming down the arrow shaft.

He released.

The ancient arrow flew true, striking the creature dead center of its eye. It sunk deep into the eye, and for a moment, all was still. And then, from within the creature's head, a shaft of brilliant blue-white light exploded out its back.

"Yes!" Daruk cried. Behind him, Yunobo pumped his fists into the air.

Its sword deactivated as the creature began to thrash, throwing its head back and releasing an ear-piercing shriek. It began to shake violently, backing away from Link as it reached up, clawing at its face with its hand made of Malice, which had already begun to grow shriveled and brittle. Suddenly, jets of acrid smoke and mist began to burst out from places all over its body. It curled around itself as more and more of the mist began to erupt from its body until, finally, the entire creature exploded in a cloud of the blackish mist. For a moment, it hung there in the air, swirling slowly, but then it broke apart, rising into the air and fading from view. The scourge of Divine Beast Vah Rudania was gone.

Link barely had a moment to reflect on the victory before he was swept up by massive arms. He released a strangled cry of shock as Yunobo lifted him from the ground, causing him to drop his bow to the ground with a clatter.

"You _did_ it!" Yunobo cried, laughing delightedly. Link merely grunted in reply, finding it difficult to breathe. "Oh! Sorry." He eased Link back down to the ground.

Link backed away a step, brushing his clothes off, before smiling up at Yunobo. "We did it."

"Hey, little guy," Daruk said, moving closer. His eyes were still on Yunobo. "Is this my…"

Yunobo looked at Daruk and seemed to truly see him for the first time, eyes widening. "You're my grandfather!"

For a time, Daruk was speechless, looking at Yunobo with an expression of such emotion that would have seemed almost out of place on such a large and imposing being to someone who didn't know him well. Link stepped away, allowing the two Gorons time to speak to each other without his eavesdropping.

Instead, he picked up his bow, slinging it over his back, and made his way over to where he'd dropped the rest of his supplies. They had, gratefully, avoided damage from the battle, though had clearly gotten pulled towards the creature when it began to charge its fireball. Once he had strapped back on the gear, he pulled a waterskin out, emptying it in several gulps.

It was several more minutes before Link heard, "Hey, little guy! What are you doing all the way over there?" Link turned, smiling back at Daruk and Yunobo, and made his way back over. "We can't have a proper family reunion without my brother here." Daruk grinned down at Link.

"You know, I may not remember all the finer points of Goron culture, but I'm pretty sure _all_ Gorons refer to each other as brother."

"Well, sure, but there's a difference between a brother and a _brother_ , y'know?" Daruk's grin only grew wider. His form seemed stronger now that the Blight had been dealt with. "Link, I'm never going to be able to repay you for all this. Freeing the Divine Beast and me, bringing my grandson to meet me—"

"He sort of brought himself," Link interjected, smiling at Yunobo's sudden sheepish grin. "But say nothing of it, Daruk. I only wish I could have done so sooner."

"Doesn't sound like you had much of a choice in that matter either. I'm _proud_ of you. I always knew you were tough for a Hylian—strong enough to give most Gorons a run for their rocks—but now I _know_ you've got what it takes to defeat Calamity Ganon once and for all."

Link exhaled slowly, his body beginning to feel tired again, now that the adrenaline rush was fading. "I've got a long road ahead of me."

"Still, this is your second Divine Beast freed, right? I think that thing _knew_ when you crushed the other one. It got really agitated—started thrashing around more than before."

"Which means the other two are probably going to know I'm coming." Link didn't like that. He preferred to think that he was getting the drop on these creatures. If they prepared for his arrival, then they would be that much deadlier.

"You've got this! Those things won't stand a chance when you roll up to them. And once you've freed them, our century-old Ganon beat-down plan can finally go into effect!"

It was hard, thinking of what still lay before him, but still. The knowledge that he had freed Daruk and Mipha and saved their respective peoples gave Link an immense sense of satisfaction.

"I'm sorry you've got to walk this path alone, brother."

" _And_ I had someone try to assassinate me a few days ago," Link said, smile fading.

"Just like old times, then!" Daruk said, laughing. He placed an ethereal hand on Link's shoulder, which Link was able to feel more strongly than before. "Come on, let's get you Yunobo down below and strapped in. It's too hot down here for you two. I'll get us out this volcano."

Happy to agree with that idea, the three of them made their way down into the depths of Rudania, which was now clean of the Malice that had inhabited it previously. Without that and with the metal vents open, the inside was much brighter than it had been before, letting Link see the complex mechanisms that controlled the Divine Beast.

Daruk led them to a place where a number of seats with a number of restraints like leather belts had been placed. Daruk helped instruct them in how to properly strap themselves in, since Yunobo had never been there and Link had no memories of these, and then he turned around, looking around with wonder at the interior of Rudania.

"It's been so long since it's been clear of that foul thing," he said, reaching up and rubbing his beard. "I think it's happy to be free, too. Say, Link, do you remember when you helped me learn how to control this thing?"

Link smiled. He did.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Two down and two to go! We are, roughly, about halfway through the novel now, by my estimates. Thank you so much for sticking with me so far! There is lots to come, still, and many more challenges for Link, even outside of the remaining two Divine Beasts and Ganon. This chapter doesn't have the action and explosions of the last couple of chapters, but it does much to set up for the future conflicts. As such, it bounces around a lot, but I doubt people will mind where it ends up. The next section, I think, will please a lot of people, though you'll have to wait until the next chapter to truly understand why...**

 **Lord Halcyon: While I don't have an interlude specifically written for the common folk (though I'll admit that was the original intent when I first considered them), keep an eye out during future chapters. I think you'll find that I try to incorporate some of their reactions to Link's deeds in.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: I'm glad you like the characters so much! I know I sound like a broken record for saying it, but more than anything else, I wanted to get the characters in Breath of the Wild right. So far, from the comments I've received, I think I managed to do so. Still lots more characters to be introduced!**

 **iCards: I'm glad you liked the fight. I tried to do what I could to set it apart from the other Divine Beast fight, since many of the bosses are fairly similar in structure and tactics. That was part of the reason that I wanted Yunobo to get in on the action. I already gave him one heroic moment the chapter before, but I really wanted to give him a chance to shine. Plus, Daruk needed to see his grandson. Not satisfied that the game just has them wave at each other.**

 **Now, please, enjoy and let me know what you think of where the story is headed!**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

"Now, what are those guys doing?" Daruk looked out towards the Bridge of Eldin, which separated Goron City from the base of Death Mountain. A large group of Gorons had gathered there with Bludo at their center.

He had piloted them down Death Mountain, easily navigating over the mountainous surface. As the ground began to level out again, Link and Yunobo had gone back above deck, watching as the distant Goron City grew as they got closer. The view from the side of Death Mountain was spectacular—easily the highest view around, letting them see around for miles. Link could even faintly see the castle, little more than a speck from this distance.

Link noticed that the heat surrounding the volcano had become less oppressive in the time it took them to descend. While it was still quite hot, even with the fireproof elixirs, he still detected a noticeable shift in just how hot it was. There were fewer streams of magma running down the side of Death Mountain as well, and many of the existing streams seemed to have shrunk in size.

The volcano was becoming dormant again, now that Rudania no longer stoked its fire. Yunobo even thought that they would be able to start mining again in the northern mine within the next couple of days. There would still be pockets of magma, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Oftentimes, the magma flows from Death Mountain would reveal fresh ore and gemstones. The Goron miners would be busy—exactly how they liked it.

A sharp crack resounded in the air, and a moment later, something solid struck the side of Rudania, sending a tremble through it.

"Hey!" Daruk yelled, scowling. "Those guys are shooting at us! What do they think they're doing? Rudania already took enough of a beating!"

"They must think that Rudania is coming down to attack them! The Boss must have had some cannons from the mine brought over to drive it back!" Yunobo hurried forward to the edge of the upper deck. A moment later, he ducked as a cannonball sailed overhead, missing him.

" _Hey!_ " he cried, waving his arms in the air. "Stop! It's okay!" The cannon fire stopped, and Yunobo's shoulders slumped in relief. He turned back to Daruk and Link, grinning sheepishly. "I guess they didn't realize that we'd won."

"Guess not," Link said, feeling momentarily buoyed by that simple statement.

They'd won. Another Divine Beast had been freed. Another friend avenged. One step closer to ending this once and for all. It was a humbling thought. His journey had already taken him halfway across a nation to meet dozens of people and save two entire civilizations. But each time he was left feeling as though victory had been barely snatched from the jaws of defeat. Luck and the fortunate assistance of friends. What would happen when he didn't have that to fall back on?

Quite suddenly, Link wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to Goron City. There would be celebrations and demands for stories. He would be celebrated as a hero, undoubtedly named an official brother of the Goron people—again—and they would want to know how he would progress in his journey. Did he truly want to face that now?

He wasn't sure if the sudden downturn in his mood showed on his face or not, but he thought that Daruk was gazing at him with a strange expression. Link carefully kept his face neutral, forcing a smile on his lips.

When the Divine Beast halted at the other side of the bridge, Daruk walked with them back down to the entrance to Rudania but held back, rather than stepping completely into view. As Yunobo passed, hurrying off to greet Bludo, who was staring up at them with an open mouth, Daruk motioned for Link to stay.

"You doing all right, little guy?"

Link looked up at him and hesitated. Finally, he nodded, saying nothing. Daruk frowned, fixing him with a stare that Link thought he recognized from before. Link sighed. "Just thinking about what comes next. All that I have left to do."

Daruk hummed in acknowledgement. "Do you know how we Gorons crack the toughest rocks?"

"One swing at a time?"

"Well—yeah," Daruk said, rubbing the back of his head and smiling. "But sometimes we also have to keep reminding ourselves of the gems and ore that we're looking for. Ya can't lose sight of your goal. Otherwise sometimes it just feels like you're swinging a hammer at rock."

What was his goal? He wanted to defeat Ganon, of course. Eliminate the rot that had infested Hyrule and give the people a chance to rebuild. Yet…

 _He could feel a warmth pressed against his arm that had nothing to do with the crackling fire before them. A comfortable warmth. One that he could get used to feeling. But he shouldn't. He glanced to the side and caught a glimpse of her green eyes before she looked away, focusing again on the crackling fire._

Princess Zelda's face seemed to float before his mind's eye. He felt his face grow flush. Was the goal just defeating Ganon?

"Little guy?"

Link pushed the thoughts aside, refocusing again on Daruk. "Yeah, you're right. It doesn't do me any good to dwell on all that I have left to do."

"That's the spirit!" He went to slap Link on the back, but his hand passed right through Link's back and out the front. Link shuddered at the frigid sensation, rubbing his chest. Daruk looked at his hand with a sheepish grin. "Sorry 'bout that."

Link shook his head, dropping his hand and looking out at the gathered Gorons waiting across the bridge. Yunobo had reached them and was speaking animatedly to Bludo, gesturing with his hands. Daruk followed Link's gaze.

"Thanks for bringing the kid along. When you told me how long it had been, all I could think of was…" Daruk shook his head. "Well, it's just good to know that everything turned out all right in the end. My grandson."

"He's got a lot of you in him," Link said, smiling up at Daruk.

"Will you keep an eye on him for me, brother?"

"I will, though I don't think he'll need it so much anymore."

Outside, Yunobo smashed a fist against his palm and then pointed up towards Rudania's head, where the single fin still remained open and damaged. The other Gorons had gathered around him in a tight semi-circle, listening with awed expressions.

* * *

Link feasted with the Gorons that night, and he soon found out that when Gorons celebrated, they did so with a refreshing lack of decorum. The Gorons brought out drums of all shapes and sizes, playing them well into the night, while many other Gorons chose to dance to the rhythms. While the Gorons themselves ate only an assortment of rocks and ore, they had managed to find Link a number of meats, fruits, and vegetables somewhere. Link took care of cooking them, though.

Bludo had a large cask of Goron ale brought out, which Link finally agreed to sample after a great deal of encouragement by Yunobo. It tasted like muddy water with hints of sulfur and salt, and it was strong enough to send him into a coughing fit. When the communal bowl of ale circled back around the table, Link passed on a second sampling.

Link and Yunobo both were given seats of honor right next to Bludo, who proclaimed Yunobo a hero and Link a true brother to the Goron people, which only really seemed to set off another round of drumming, dancing, and drinking. Somewhere along the way, Link found himself in front of one of the drums, playing along clumsily. No one cared if he was off-beat, however, and soon the brothers Volcon and Tray had gotten up to show the younger Gorons how their generation danced while Bludo laughed raucously to the side, clapping his hands.

The air of celebration didn't end with the first night either. The next day, banners were hung up throughout Goron City, and Link was given a tour of the places that he'd not yet had a chance to see. He saw the great underground city, with its impossibly tall ceiling, lava falls, and sprawling minecart transportation system that led deep into the surrounding mountains. He was shown the northern mine, which would be reopening soon now that the lava had stopped flowing into it in such a great amount. He was even shown not one, but two different Sheikah Shrines, including the one that he remembered investigating when he first met Daruk so many years before. He took the time to activate that one to make travel back to Goron City easier in the future. He was even made a new, iron shield by Rohan, the Goron blacksmith. It was heavier than Link was used to, but it would be sturdy.

A short minecart ride took them down to the southern mine, where he met up with some Gorons that he recognized from his trip up to Goron City with Boldon, as well as some he hadn't met during his first stop there. It was this pair of Gorons that he found himself speaking to.

"Do you ever venture outside of Death Mountain?" Link asked the Goron across from him. They sat beside a small fire that Link had made and used to cook up a meal for himself. They were joined by another Goron, this one only a child, who wore a yellow hardhat, as all of the Goron miners did while in the mines.

"Nope. I've been down to the trading outpost a couple times," said the Goron, taking off his hardhat and scratching the top of his head.

"Greyson always says he wants to travel, though!" the younger Goron said excitedly.

"Pelison, don't—"

"And you're always complaining that you're tired of digging in a tunnel all day long."

"That's not—"

" _And_ that you want to help people! Brother, I think we should do it."

Link had met Pelison first. The young Goron had been excitable and launched right into an explanation of how his older brother, Greyson, was really excited to meet Link because he wanted to, one day, help people just like Link had helped the Gorons. After speaking with Link, Pelison had gone off to fetch Greyson and tell him what Link had proposed.

"What about all of our friends?" Greyson asked, taking his hardhat off and scratching his head.

"We can make new ones. Come _on_ , Greyson. They need our help!"

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to leave the mountain… We can always come back after we're finished."

And with that, Link found the Northern Bolson Construction company its Goron help. He even managed to find not one, but _two_ Gorons that adhered to the company's strict naming conventions.

* * *

"Where do you think you'll go next?" Yunobo asked, as they stood together on Stolock Bridge, a metal bridge that hung above the entrance to Goron City and connected to the path that led up to Death Mountain.

"I'm going to travel south for a time," Link finally said after a few moments of silence. He leaned against the metal railing, looking out towards the massive Monument Rock. The Gorons had done a great job capturing Daruk's smiling face. "There are some questions that I need answered by Impa of the Sheikah, so I'll go there first. After that, I might spend a few days in Hateno Village."

"But you're going to be going after the other Divine Beasts too, right?"

Link nodded slowly. "Medoh and Naboris. The Rito and Gerudo Divine Beasts." He hadn't quite decided which one he would travel to first, but he was beginning to lean towards the Rito.

Both were to the west, across Hyrule Field. It would be a long journey. He considered taking the southern road near the Great Plateau and heading straight into the desert, but the more he considered it, he liked the idea of cutting across the field instead. It would take him nearer the castle, which could prove dangerous, but curiosity drove him. What state was Central Hyrule in now? It seemed uninhabited, with the exception of bokoblins and moblins. But why? He found himself more and more determined to find out.

And then there were the memories. He had begun to experience memories with every new place he went. He had seen memories with Daruk and Mipha, and even a handful with Princess Zelda. He wanted more, though, and thought that traveling closer to where it had all begun might help. He could always leave, if it got too dangerous.

It was a plan, at least.

"Do you think you're going to be able to do it? Free the other Divine Beasts? Defeat the Calamity?"

Link smiled faintly at the question and looked over at Yunobo. How did he even answer that question? "Well, I'm certainly going to try."

Yunobo looked at him, and it seemed to Link that he was deciding whether or not to say something. Finally, he spoke again. "If you ever need anything, just ask me, okay?"

"Thanks, brother." Link reached out, placing a hand on Yunobo's shoulder before stepping back and pulling the Sheikah Slate from his waist. He pulled up the map and found the Eldin Tower on it. He looked back up at Yunobo and smiled. "Take care of yourself. I'll visit again soon."

Yunobo nodded, eyes widening. Link had told him what to expect, but none of the Gorons had witnessed his ability to teleport with the Sheikah Slate. While several others had wanted to be there to see him off, Link had requested only Yunobo. It seemed fitting, after all they'd been through.

"Thanks for everything, Link! I'll keep an eye on Rudania and make sure nothing else happens to it." The Goron grinned broadly. He had gone to visit Rudania several times since they returned to Goron City. Daruk had enjoyed the visits greatly as well and had taken to calling Yunobo the new Goron Champion. Link approved whole-heartedly.

Link nodded and pressed the screen of his Sheikah Slate. He disappeared in a cloud of blue particles, reappearing moments later at the top of the Eldin Tower, far down from where he'd been at Goron City. He looked around, taking in the view from the top of the tower. It was considerably cooler down here, and a breeze blew past the tower, cooling him. He briefly checked his gear, making sure everything was still strapped down properly—he didn't have the luxury of using a dodongo to carry the gear back down this time—and then took out the paraglider, leaping off the south side of the tower.

The flight down took a long time, and Link covered quite a large distance in the process, sailing over the hot springs and landing just before the rock arch that marked the boundary that separated Death Mountain with the rest of Hyrule. The air continued to cool. Soon, Link felt chilly by comparison. Though it was still a fairly warm morning, his sweat-soaked clothing suddenly seemed cold. He changed out of his Champion's tunic, putting on the red tunic given to him by Telma, and continued on his way down towards the trading outpost.

* * *

"Oh! There you are. We were wondering when you would be coming back." The young woman named Breen smiled brightly at Link when he walked up to the stable. The outpost was quiet, much as it had been when he had first arrived there, containing only a small handful of inhabitants in a scattering of old buildings.

"How has Spirit been?" Link asked as he approached her in the door to the stable. She held a pitchfork, and a light sheen of sweat was visible on her forehead. It looked as though she had just finished mucking out the stable.

"Oh, he's been fine, though Spirit is a fitting name for him! I tried taking him out for a ride yesterday to let him run, but I don't think he was happy with me at all."

Link smiled fondly, looking into the stable. He could see Spirit's head sticking out from one of the stalls, fixing him with one large brown eye. "He can be a handful."

"He's a sweet boy when you give him apples, though." Breen smiled broadly in towards Spirit and then looked back at Link. "Oh! I almost forgot. Some people came looking for you."

A chill ran down Link's spine. "Some people?"

"Oh yeah, it was a couple days ago. Two people came by, said they knew you. Asked if I knew when you would be coming back."

"Are they still around?" The hair on Link's arms stood, and he resisted the urge to begin looking around.

"No, they didn't stay at the inn. Just said that they would come back in a few days and then walked back down the hill."

"Did they say how they knew me?"

"Not at all."

"What did they look like?"

"Well, it was a man and a woman. Didn't give any names. The man was kind of tall, bulky type, you know? Brown hair. The woman was short, skinny. Blonde, I think."

The description was generic enough that it could have been anyone, yet… it didn't sound like anyone in particular that Link knew. He grimaced. It could be innocent. Maybe someone from Hateno Village? But no. Who there, besides Purah, knew that Link was going to be at Goron City? It could have been someone from Kakariko but didn't sound like anyone he knew from there either.

It wasn't _necessarily_ assassins, of course. But he couldn't take the risk. Alone, Delilah had nearly killed him.

"Breen, I hate to do this, but I need you to keep Spirit here for a while longer, all right? Should only be a few days. I need to take care of some business before I take him again."

"Oh, well, we can do that, but is everything okay?"

Link walked into the stable, reaching out and patting Spirit's nose. The horse seemed agitated, wanting to be let out of the stable. "Just a little longer, boy. I'll be back soon." He turned back to Breen. "Yeah, everything's fine."

He reached into a nearby bag of oats, pulling out a handful and holding his hand out to Spirit, who ate them from his palm. He scratched Spirit behind the ear. "Did they know that Spirit was here?"

"I never told them, but I don't know if anyone else did," she said, stepping up beside him. "Are you sure everything is all right?"

Link looked at her and forced up a small smile. "It's fine. I just need to take care of something. It'll just be a few more days. A week at most."

He left shortly thereafter, after gathering some more of his equipment from Spirit's saddlebags and doing his best to avoid Breen's questions while not sounding too suspicious. There wasn't any avoiding it, though. The best he could hope was that, if they came back, she would just tell them the truth. Surely, if she was truthful with them, they would leave her alone.

Before he faced any more possible assassins, however, he needed to have some questions answered. He ducked behind some of the other buildings, where no one from the streets could see him, and pulled out his Sheikah Slate, selecting Kakariko Village.

The sudden change in air threw him off greatly when he initially arrived. While the base of Death Mountain was still warm and arid, Kakariko was quite cooler and humid. The grass surrounding the shrine was damp, and distant clouds suggested that rains had passed through the area recently. The village smelled of wet grass and dirt, along with hints of cuccos.

He made his way down from the hill quickly, unable to shake the uneasy feeling of being watched. How many assassins were there? How had they known he was going to Death Mountain? Did they know that he had killed Delilah? The white mask stuck out in his head—were they Sheikah? He trusted Impa, yet…

"Oh! M-Ma—Link! We hadn't heard that you would be visiting today." Paya's voice brought Link out of his thoughts. She had a basket of damp clothes under one arm and a washboard under the other and appeared to be walking back up towards the home she shared with Impa.

Link forced out a breath, trying to relax. His nerves felt on fire. "I just arrived. Is Impa around? I need to talk with her."

Paya frowned, looking concerned, but nodded. She led him back up to the house, past Dorian, who stood guard as always. Cado wasn't there at the time. The main room in Impa's residence was dimly lit by the light streaming in from outside—none of the lanterns were lit, and Impa wasn't sitting on her pillow.

"Wait here," Paya said, setting down her basket and washing implements, and then hurried off into a back room to find her grandmother. A minute later, both Impa and Paya emerged from the room. Paya carried a candle, which she used to go around to the lanterns in the room and light them, bathing them in warm light.

"Link," Impa said, walking over to him. "Sit."

Link did so, sitting down on the pillow nearest her dais. Impa walked over to her own pillow and sat, sighing as she did so. When comfortable, she looked back up at Link and fixed him with a patient smile.

"How goes your journey? I am surprised to see you back here so soon. It has been, what? Two weeks?"

"Rudania has been freed."

A hush fell over the room at his words. Beside him, Paya lowered the candle slowly, looking at him in surprise. Impa's eyes widened. Link felt his face grow warm. _I hate this part._ The awe.

"You have freed two of the Divine Beasts." Impa's voice was suddenly thick with emotion. He saw tears at the corners of her eyes. "You have not yet been awake for two months, and already you have done more to fight back against the Calamity than we accomplished in one hundred years."

Link remained silent, unable to formulate a response. What she said was true enough, but something about her words bothered him. He had fought these creatures with little more than the tools at hand. He did not carry a legendary sword, nor did he fight with any special abilities, such as what the Champions had. He was an accomplished swordsman, true. But he felt certain that others could have accomplished as much had they made efforts to do so. It was a disconcerting thought.

Was he truly the only one able to stand up to Calamity Ganon?

"And to think you once asked why it must be you," Impa said, smiling. She reached up, wiping at her eyes. "Good. _Good_ , Link."

Link hesitated, glancing over and spotting Paya, who was still watching him with wide eyes, hands clasped at her breast. She had set the candle down on a nearby table. He looked away and reached into his pack, pulling out the white assassin's mask.

Paya gasped sharply, and Impa sat up straight, eyes widening. The air in the room changed immediately, growing tense. Dangerous. "Where did you get that?" Impa asked, her voice low.

"From the assassin who tried to kill me on the way to Death Mountain." In his mind's eye, he could see Delilah's unseeing eyes, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Dead by his hand.

"Paya, the door. Ensure no one is listening," Impa commanded. Paya quickly obeyed, hurrying over to the front door and peeking out of it. Apparently satisfied that no one was on the deck outside, she snapped it closed again and stood by it to ensure no one entered. Impa looked back at Link. "Tell me."

Link relayed the story, recounting how Delilah had initially appeared as a woman in distress, injured and in need of help. He told her of how he had awoken to find her standing over him in the mask and of the ensuing fight between them that ended in her death.

"So what _is_ this? The mask has a Sheikah symbol on it." Link couldn't quite keep the accusatory tone out of his voice. Not that he thought Impa was responsible for the assassin, but she _was_ the leader of the Sheikah, after all.

"That is not a Sheikah eye." Impa slowly stood from her pillow, making her way down. She held her hand out, and Link handed her the mask. She took it, inspecting it quietly. "They have been more active lately, but I had hoped that they wouldn't have found out about you so quickly. And to know where you were going…"

"Impa, who _are_ they?"

"Yiga."

 _Yiga? Telma mentioned them, didn't she? I've definitely heard of them before,_ Link thought. Something else pulled at his thoughts, though. A memory that would not form, perhaps. Had he dealt with them in the past?

At Link's insistent look, Impa continued. "To fully explain the Yiga, I must first explain what happened following Calamity Ganon's defeat ten thousand years ago." Impa pulled another pillow closer, sitting down on it directly in front of Link, still holding the mask.

"The Sheikah people, as you know, were instrumental in defeating Calamity Ganon then, with the use of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians. At the time, we were lauded as heroes and gained much influence over the governing of the kingdom. However, as is common anytime an unfamiliar culture grows stronger, the people of Hyrule began to fear the Sheikah. Our technology was powerful and foreign, and it seemed to them that if we wanted to conquer Hyrule, rather than serve it, we had all of the necessary tools to do so.

"Whether those fears were unfounded or not, I cannot say. What I can say is that the royal family soon decreed that we were to renounce our technology and to return to our ancestral home of the Necluda region. The Sheikah living near the capital and in the other cities and towns—many of which had never stepped foot in their homeland—were driven from their homes by angry neighbors and former friends."

Link frowned. "Why didn't the Sheikah just leave? Find a new nation that would accept them? With their knowledge and capabilities, I'm sure they could have done so."

"Many did just that. Histories suggest that the Sheikah people in Hyrule were once much larger than we are now. Others renounced their Sheikah lineage, choosing to live among the Hylians in secret, marrying and having children. Not all Sheikah have the distinctive white hair and red eyes, you see, especially when they may have had mixed parentage themselves.

"Others, as you can see, chose to remain loyal to the royal family, settling again in Necluda. We built Kakariko Village and chose to live as simple folk. Our technology was buried, and much of our scientific research was destroyed."

Impa looked down at the mask, gripping it tightly. Her face looked more lined than before. "And yet, some Sheikah chose a different path. Some chose to defy the royal family and kept some of their technology, deciding that, if the royal family would not have them, perhaps another master would. They became the Yiga, and they chose to serve Ganon."

Link let out a long breath, eyes fixed on the mask in Impa's hands. "They serve Ganon? Truly?"

"Yes. Though they remained dormant and hidden for many millennia, they emerged from the shadows shortly before Calamity Ganon's rise. My people were unaware that the Yiga still existed after so long—they disappeared quickly after the split. It was assumed that they had left Hyrule, as some other Sheikah had. And perhaps they had, only to return when signs of Ganon's return began to become apparent.

"But when they reemerged, it became quickly apparent to us that they sought to bring about his return more quickly. They began to engage in thievery and sabotage, stealing or destroying research into the Guardians and Divine Beasts. We made attempts to find and stop them, but they seemed to always know how to evade us. To this day, I do not know where the Yiga clan lives.

"Eventually, they began to attempt assassinations against people they believed to be most involved in combatting Ganon's return. Several Sheikah researchers were killed, and attempts were made on the lives of Purah, Robbie, and myself. The Champions were attacked, and of course, you and Princess Zelda were both at the highest risk. You protected her life from more than one failed Yiga assassination attempt in your time traveling together."

Link closed his hand into a tight fist. "I think they may have been responsible for the damage done to the dam in Zora's Domain. Sidon thought that it must have been sabotage. And they never discovered who outfitted the lizalfos with so many shock arrows."

Impa nodded slowly. "Yes, I agree. In all likelihood, that was an attempt to wipe out the Zora. But that raises even more questions. How did they know that the Zora would be vulnerable to such an attack? Were they aware of the Divine Beast's awakened state? Could they have somehow coordinated with it?"

"Rudania was the same, though I did not see any signs of sabotage there. It seemed to be trying to wipe out the Gorons with Death Mountain's eruptions."

"Which means that it is likely that the other Divine Beasts have likewise awakened and will be causing disruption and mayhem for their respective peoples. And it is very possible that you may encounter further Yiga sabotage as well."

Link grimaced. "And assassination attempts. There are two more of them waiting for me on the path leading down from Death Mountain."

Impa pursed her lips, gripping the mask even more tightly—so much so that her knuckles grew white. The mask snapped in half with a sharp crack that made Paya yelp behind Link. Shards of the mask fell to the floor in a cloud of porcelain dust.

"Fools. We've been _fools_ ," Impa said, voice bitter. "That damned Rito traveling around, proclaiming that the Hero has returned from the grave to defeat the Calamity, while you've been flaunting the old Champion's tunic. We should have known that this might happen."

 _Kass?_

"You told me to wear it. That it would give people hope," Link said, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Yes, and I was a fool to suggest it. Hope is a wonderful thing, but now I have only painted a larger target upon your back. I fear that the Yiga will not give up until they succeed in their mission, Link."

"I've freed two of the Divine Beasts. Someone was bound to notice eventually."

"Yes, but time is a luxury that we cannot _afford_ ," Impa spat. She looked furious, cheeks blossoming with an angry flush as she looked down at the two halves of the Yiga mask. "It is possible that you may have been able to cross the country and free another of the Beasts before they found you. Now they know who you are and what you are doing—and they will know that you will be heading west to finish what you have started."

Link grunted. He hadn't considered that. The Yiga would almost certainly be waiting for him at both the Gerudo and Rito regions. They would ambush him. Perhaps try to kill him in his sleep, as Delilah had attempted, or wait for him to pass and attack when his back was turned.

"And we must also assume that there are Yiga spies among the Sheikah," Impa said, closing her eyes.

"Grandmother?" Paya said, looking worried. "Do you really think that someone in Kakariko Village would be spying for the Yiga?"

"It is a possibility that we must face." Impa slowly opened her eyes again, expression dark. "It is not a stretch to think that someone might have deduced your next destination following your victory at Zora's Domain. Having two separate groups of assassins showing up at the same place suggests coordination, however. And, for all his bluster, I do not believe that Rito made any mention in any of his songs or stories of where you would be headed next."

"But just about everyone in Kakariko Village knew," Link said, his heart sinking. "I came here to gather information on Death Mountain and the Gorons before I left."

"Exactly. Oh, I should have seen this. I used to be _sharper_ than this. Curse these years, I've grown soft." Impa fixed the broken mask with a fierce glare.

Silence fell for a time. Finally, Paya said in a softer voice. "And two of them are waiting for Link to return…?" She sounded terrified.

It was a fair concern. Link would have to get past them sometime, which meant a very high likelihood that he would have to kill them. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Impa nodded gravely. "From here on, Link, you will have to be more vigilant than ever before. Trust no one. Don't wear your Champion's tunic while traveling, either. It would be good to try to disguise yourself as well. Grow your beard. Change your hair. They may have a description of you."

"I'll still be conspicuous," Link said, grimacing. "No one travels alone."

"True enough. But that may be able to help you just the same. Other travelers you meet on the road should give you pause. The Yiga will rely on surprise and trickery, rather than attack you in numbers. Use that. I have little doubt that you are a greater warrior than anyone the Yiga can throw at you."

He had barely survived his first encounter with a member of the Yiga clan. He wasn't sure what he could do if fighting two or more of them at once. He nodded, however. There was nothing else to it.

"Isn't there anything that we can do?" Paya asked.

Impa gave her granddaughter a sad smile. "If I knew of a way to help, I would happily give it. But we do not have the means to patrol the roads and root out the Yiga."

"What about Hyrule Field? No one travels through there, right?" Link looked towards Impa, eyebrows raised.

Impa's expression grew even graver. "In traveling through the field, you will be trading one peril for another of equal danger. Hyrule Field is a no man's land. Monsters inhabit the ruins, and Guardians are said to still roam near the castle."

"At least I can see those threats," Link said. "I'll be going to the Rito next, but we'll tell people that I'm going to the Gerudo. Maybe it will be enough to throw them off my trail." It seemed cowardly, but Link was still only one man. If the Yiga deployed a large force to try to stop him, then he would likely perish. He needed to move quickly and from a direction that they wouldn't expect.

Impa considered for a time and then nodded. "It's a good plan, Link. Risky, but I fear that the Yiga will persist in their hunt for you. I do not believe that they would have only sent three of them to find you."

Paya walked over, seeming to have forgotten Impa's order to remain by the door. She sat down on a pillow next to them, face pale. _She's scared that I'm going to be killed_ , Link thought. It was touching, really. Since his awakening, it didn't feel like there were a lot of people who were concerned for his safety.

"I'll be all right," Link said, trying to inject more confidence in his tone for Paya's sake. "I can handle bokoblins just fine, and I won't stray too close to the castle."

It would have to do. He glanced towards Paya, still able to see the worry creasing her forehead. Before he could say anything else to ease her worries, there was a soft knock at the door.

They all froze, looking around at each other in a tense silence. Link reached for his sword.

"Lady Impa?" Dorian's voice through the thin wall. "I apologize for disturbing you, but there is a man here to see you. He says that he's an associate of your sister?"

Impa's eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Paya, nodding. Paya quickly rose, hurrying over to the door and sliding it open. Outside stood Dorian and another man that Link recognized.

"Symin?"

Symin looked at Link in surprise from over Dorian's broad shoulder, eyes widening behind his square-framed glasses. "Link, how fortuitous to find you! Purah sent me here to see if Lady Impa knew where you were."

Dorian allowed Symin to enter after a nod from Impa, and Link noticed something hanging from his hip that he hadn't noticed before. It was a Sheikah Slate, though different than Link's. It lacked the refinement and design aesthetics of his own, being larger and boxier. It was attached by a thick wire to another attachment hanging off of Symin's waist.

"And how is my older sister?" Impa asked, lips quirked into a smile. "Has she figured out how to revert back to her proper age yet?"

Symin looked suddenly alarmed, eyes darting between Link and Impa. "Oh, I had not realized that others knew of her… condition."

Impa merely cackled.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Here's another chapter with a lot of moving parts! Lots happening, and it bounces between a few different scenes. However, I think most people will be happy with where it ends up...**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Thanks for the kind words. I do put a lot of time and effort into writing this. What began as a little bit of an idea has morphed into quite the undertaking for me. Though I've written stories in the past ( _distant_ past), this is the largest and most ambitious one that I've ever written. I've learned a lot, including how hard it is to keep track of every little scene that's been written... I had to make major revisions on this chapter because I realized when editing it that I basically repeated an entire conversation in this chapter that I did much earlier!**

 **iCards: I loved the concept of Yiga assassins more than I liked the actual execution in the game. I did like the disguised travelers. The idea that anyone you meet could be out to kill you added a new element to speaking to NPCs (at least, until I figured out how to spot them). Regarding the fact that everyone needs Link, that is something I've thought a lot about. You don't technically even need the Master Sword to defeat Ganon-it would appear that literally anyone could have stepped in and saved Hyrule. Granted, no one else would have Link's particular set of skills and tools, but the fact still remains. I like that aspect of it, though-the idea that Link is the Hero more because he was the one with the courage to step up rather than having the McGuffin that would save them all (though, granted, he gets that too).**

 **Thanks for reading, everyone! My viewer count keeps going up with each chapter, and I love seeing those numbers climb. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

"You _told_ her? Snap, Link, you weren't supposed to tell anyone! _Especially_ not my sister."

Link stood silent as he endured the dressing down by the old woman in the six-year-old body. He had traveled with Symin back to Hateno Village, utilizing the teleportation rune's new capabilities. Purah had, apparently, gotten the rune to work on her own Sheikah Slate.

Beside him, Impa only laughed again, though Link could see tears in her eyes. Purah looked as if she were holding back her own emotions as well. Impa had decided that she would come with them, and before Link could mention the limitations of a single traveler limit on the runes, Symin nodded and instructed her to stand beside him. Paya had been left behind for the time being to ensure that no one would know that Impa had left the village.

They traveled together to the hilltop overlooking Hateno Village, and Symin hurried inside to inform Purah of what had happened. Moments later, Purah had burst out from the laboratory, red in the face.

"You've really gotten yourself in a mess this time, sister," Impa said, moving forward. Link noticed that, even with her back bowed, Impa stood a few inches taller than Purah, even not counting her pointed hat.

"And you got _old_ , sis." Purah grinned at Impa, looking her up and down. "How are you even still alive?"

Purah sniffled. So did Impa.

And, quite suddenly, the two women embraced tightly, tears streaming down their faces. Link watched the reunion for only a moment before growing uncomfortable and stepping away, soon joined by Symin, who wiped at his eyes beneath his glasses.

"I kept telling her that she should go see her sister," he said after a few moments, careful to keep his voice quiet. "Once she got the rune working on her Sheikah Slate, and we discovered that the activated shrines and towers were all available to travel to. She refused, though."

Link nodded slowly, trying not to listen to the sounds of the reunited sisters behind him. It hurt him for some reason that he could not place. Another hole in his mind where a memory should have been, perhaps.

"How did you transport Impa here?" he finally said, looking over at Symin. "Purah told me that it would only work for one person."

"Well, that was part of the reason that Purah asked me to go to Kakariko Village. She figured that you would visit there after you defeated the Goron Divine Beast and wished to leave a message for you to make sure to visit her before going anywhere else.

"She wants to upgrade your Sheikah Slate. She has managed to improve upon the teleportation rune in such a way that multiple beings are able to travel together now."

"Would it work with my horse as well?" Link asked, suddenly hopeful.

"I am not sure… That would be a question best asked of Purah. I do believe that was her intent, however. She has been working on that modification since you first arrived here."

Link glanced back at the two sisters, who were still standing close to each other, speaking in soft tones. He wondered how long it had been since they last saw each other. Surely, they had seen each other in the last century—Kakariko and Hateno were not so far from each other. A three-day trip on horseback. Likely only four or five on a cart. From their reaction, though, it seemed to Link that it had been a truly long time, indeed.

He asked Symin, who shook his head sadly. "I do not know. To the best of my knowledge, they have not actually seen each other since I began working with Purah—what has it been now? Sixteen years? Perhaps seventeen. She tends to avoid speaking of such matters."

 _All to ensure one of them would be safe and able to help me._ He hated thinking about the sacrifices that everyone had been forced to make. Of course, he also knew that Impa would likely slap him again if he started dwelling on such things.

In time, Purah and Impa parted, both wiping their eyes. When Purah finally spoke, her voice sounded hoarse. "Well, come on. I've got some work to do, and I don't have all day!"

* * *

"You're _sure_ that it's going to work with my horse, too?" Link asked, looking down at the Sheikah Slate in his hand. Nothing appeared different than before, despite Purah's assurances.

"Linky?"

"Yeah?"

"You wouldn't be questioning my genius, would you?"

Link looked down at Purah, who glared up at him with a look every bit as fierce as a pre-pubescent girl could muster. He hesitated only a moment before finally saying, "No."

"Good!" After a pause, she continued. "I promise that it will work. I even tested it on Mule! We arrived in one piece just fine—though he really didn't like appearing on top on of a Sheikah Tower. I don't recommend doing that with your horse."

"How close do I need to be standing next to him?"

"You'll see. When you select the rune now, it will project a ring around you on the ground. You'll need to select it a second time for confirmation. Anyone in that ring will get teleported. Anyone outside won't."

"And anyone halfway in it?" Link asked.

"Will be having a very bad day."

"Right."

"And I bet you're thinking about how you can use that in combat again, aren't you?"

Link grinned down at Purah, who rolled her eyes. He strapped the Sheikah Slate back onto his belt. "Really, Purah, this is great. It's going to make traveling a lot easier. Hopefully Spirit doesn't throw me the first time I use it with him."

"Snap, I hope he _does_!"

Impa snorted from her chair, where she was sipping at a mug of steaming tea, freshly brewed by Symin. She was sitting at Purah's table, which was covered, as always, by stacks of papers and several books. Purah whirled on Impa, sticking her tongue out at her. Impa sneered. "Even when you _weren't_ in the body of a child, I was always the more mature one."

"As if you don't remember the pranks we used to pull together," Purah said, looking impish. She climbed atop her own chair, which was taller than the others to give her easier access to the table.

Impa lifted her cup to her mouth, taking a dignified sip before replying. "I only seem to recall covering for you so you wouldn't get in trouble."

"Yeah, and I remember covering for you when you spent the night with that squire."

Impa choked on her tea, and Purah cackled. Link suddenly found a series of diagrams on the table very interesting.

"That…" Impa pursed her lips, glaring at Purah. "Let's not speak of that to my granddaughter, shall we?"

"Yes, wouldn't want to corrupt sweet Paya," Purah said, nodding. There was a mischievous glint in her eye. "You'd better bring her here soon. I want to see my grandniece again. Now that I'm younger, I can keep up with her prattling better."

Their bickering continued for a time, but Link found that he enjoyed listening to it. Somehow, this felt like an accomplishment to him. Things had progressed far enough now in his journey that the sisters felt comfortable enough to abandon their self-imposed exile. Perhaps it was time to bring all three of the old Sheikah back together. He made his way around to the opposing side of the table, sitting in a chair himself.

"Did you get Robbie's letter?" he finally asked, interrupting what sounded like it could have been a fight waiting to happen.

"Letter? No." Purah asked, looking over at Link.

"I visited him in the Akkala Highlands before heading to Death Mountain. He got your letter about me. He sent one back."

"No, it never arrived." Purah shook her head. Then her eyes widened, and she looked at Link, horrified. "You didn't…"

"I didn't what?"

"You _did_!" Purah slapped her hands to her cheeks, pulling them down in dramatic fashion. "You told him all about my de-aging rune, didn't you?"

"Oh, well…" Link gave Purah a sheepish grin. "Yes."

Purah picked up a pencil from the table and threw it at him. It spun past his head. "It's a good thing that you don't remember anything from one hundred years ago. You _clearly_ don't know how to keep a secret."

"That is a good point," Impa said. "What of your memories, Link? You seem different now. I assume that more have begun to return."

"Only a few actual memories. But I keep…" He didn't know how to put it into words. What did one call the uncertain knowledge of having been someplace before without the actual memory of having done so? It was like déjà vu, yet different all the same. "Visiting Zora's Domain and Goron City helped."

"And the photographs?"

Link touched the Sheikah Slate at his waist, his mind traveling back to the memory from the Spring of Power. He kept his expression as still as he could manage. "They're helping too, I think."

"Good. I'm pleased to see that your memories are beginning to come back to you. The princess will be as well."

Silence fell between them for a moment before Purah grinned, slapping her palm down on the table. "This is going to work, isn't it?" She looked between Impa and Link. "I mean, Linky has already taken out two of the Divine Beasts!"

"Yes," Impa said, setting her tea down on the table and leaning forward to look at Link. She steepled her fingers. "Which brings up an important question. Link, what of the Master Sword's location? Any memory that might shine a light on where the princess may have hidden it?"

"No." Link exhaled, looking down at his palms. "I don't have anything that might suggest where it is." He would need it soon. Too soon, perhaps.

Impa pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. "I had hoped that it would have revealed itself to you. But I am sure that she is right. The princess was adamant that it will be revealed at the right time."

Link remained silent for a time, struggling to truly comprehend those words. Just like when she'd spoken of it before, it felt naïve. "I hope you're right, Impa," he finally said. "Because I don't want to have to test whether or not Robbie's sword is going to be able to cut it against Ganon."

Purah snorted, bursting into a fit of giggles. "Did you _mean_ to say that?"

Link looked at her, nonplussed. "I… What?"

" _Cut it_."

"Oh, by the heavens above…" Impa said, sighing.

Link opened his mouth but then shut it. His lips turned up, forming a small smile. "You have a pretty sharp ear to be able to catch that."

Purah's eyes widened, a grin forming on her lips. "Linky, I think I'm beginning to like you. You never struck me as a _punny_ guy before."

"Oh, he was," Impa said, groaning. "And they were always terrible. He just only told them to the princess, because she was the only one who would laugh at them."

 _And Mipha. I told them to Mipha, too. And Daruk. Daruk could never understand them, and Mipha always seemed shocked when I would blurt one out,_ Link thought, a lump forming in his throat. Brief memories flashed through his mind. Daruk, scratching his head. Mipha's eyes widening, lips forming a surprised _O_. Zelda. Princess Zelda snorting, trying to hide a smile behind her Sheikah Slate.

"—because of his memories returning? Because, if not, then that might suggest that personalities really are more to do with nature, rather than environment. Perhaps, personality and memories are not nearly as closely tied as one might expect." Link noticed that Purah was scribbling some notes onto a piece of paper on the desk, speaking aloud as she did so.

Link cleared his throat, trying to clear the flashes of memory from his mind. "Maybe the three of you should reunite."

"I—what?" Purah looked up, squinting at Link. Impa was looking at him as well, eyebrows raised.

"That's what Robbie's letter said. He wants to meet with the both of you, and I think you should, too." Link asked. Impa nodded. "I know you've stayed apart all this time to help me, but…" He looked away, fixing his eyes on a point on the wall. "As I regain more memories, I wish… I wish I had more time to spend with the friends that I lost."

"Oh, now he's spouting off wisdom. _That's_ definitely new." Purah went back to scribbling notes on her paper.

Impa ignored Purah, still looking at Link. "I think that you are likely correct. We need to begin planning. It seems to me that in another couple months' time, we may be facing the prospect of rebuilding a kingdom."

"Two _months_?" Purah said, looking up. " _Snap_. That doesn't give you much time, Impa!"

Impa leveled another of her hawkish stares at her sister. Purah sneered at Impa, but then shrugged. "I guess we should, huh? Since Linky here already spilled the beans on _my_ secret." She shot him a glare. "Not really any point in hiding anymore, either."

Impa tapped the side of her teacup with her index finger. "We cannot have the meeting in Kakariko Village, however. If we _do_ house a Yiga spy, then it would not do to have them notice our gathering."

Purah shrugged. "We can do it here. I'm way up on a hill—we'd be able to see someone coming for miles. Loose-lips over here activated a shrine near the old lighthouse, according to my map. I can send Symin to fetch him whenever we want to meet up. Next week?"

Impa nodded, finishing the rest of her tea. "Next week." She eased off her seat. "I need to get back to Kakariko Village before anyone notices my absence. I suppose that I will be forced to walk down from the hill, won't I?" She scowled. "That's inconvenient. It will be impossible for me to hide that I left the village."

"It is for _now_ ," Purah said, an excited light in her eyes. "I'm working on another invention that will let us create new teleportation points. I'm calling it the travel medallion. It doesn't work yet, but it's getting closer. I think."

"Which doesn't help me _now_ ," Impa said, sighing.

* * *

Link reappeared an hour later upon the Sheikah Shrine inside Hateno Village, feeling disoriented as the village appeared before him. _I don't think I've ever traveled so much by Sheikah Slate in one day, have I?_ Maybe it was beginning to take its toll on him. Or maybe he was just exhausted. He had been in Goron City just earlier that morning.

He stepped down from the steep incline, his equipment feeling heavy on his back and shoulders. He could make out his house from here, sitting just across the ravine. He began to make his way towards the bridge.

"Link?"

He stiffened at the voice. He hadn't heard it in quite some time now. Turning, he spotted Telma standing near a couple of other women that seemed to have gathered near one of the wells in town, right next to the general store. She looked at him with wide eyes, clearly having not expected to see him slinking out from behind the silo.

The tall, red-haired woman suddenly grinned, hurrying around the surprised women, wrapping Link in a tight embrace. "Link, boy, it's so good to see you!" She pulled back, holding him at arm's reach. "Look at you. You look like you've been to hell and back since I last saw you."

"Not hell. Just Death Mountain," Link said, lips twisting into a wry smile.

Telma laughed, the sound of her voice echoing off the stone buildings around them. "You're going to have to tell me about that one. I've been hearing all sorts of tales about you, and if _half_ of them are true, then… I'm impressed."

Link gave an embarrassed smile, but Telma patted his shoulder. "Where are you going? Are you staying in the inn? I hadn't seen you."

"No, I actually, uh… I have a house here." He pointed towards the house across the ravine.

"You _have_ gotten around since we last spoke. Why don't you tell me about it? I'd love to hear it in your own words, rather than the exaggerations that are being passed around town."

"They're talking about me?" Link grimaced. News traveled very fast, indeed.

"Well, with that Rito bard at the inn, you're bound to be the talk of the town."

"Kass?"

Telma chuckled. "Well, there's one bet that I lost. I bet old Sayge that he'd never even met you."

"Oh, we've met. And most of what he's saying is actually probably true…"

Telma quirked an eyebrow. "Well, come on. Why don't you drop your things off, and you can tell me all about it. Show me your house while you're at it. I need to make sure you're taking proper care of yourself."

Link reluctantly led Telma back over to his house, opening the door and letting her go in before him. He walked over, pulling the equipment off of him with a sigh, resting everything against the wall. He walked up the stairs to the loft, opening the two shutters to let in some of the daylight from outside.

What the light revealed was a largely empty room. The lower floor was large and spacious but had no furniture in it. Instead, it contained a few odds and ends. The Sheikah bow that he'd received from Kakariko Village. An extra bedroll. A few spare cooking implements. A fireplace had been built into one of the walls, and it contained a few old logs from the last time Link had been there. Upstairs was slightly better—he had a bed, at least, as well as a small chest. He'd put Mipha's armor in this for the time being. There was little else to the house, though it did have a spare room directly underneath the loft. That room was empty.

Telma looked around, lips pursed tightly. "You don't live here," she said when she finally looked at him.

"Yes, I do," Link insisted, walking back down from his loft.

"No, you _squat_ here. There's a difference."

He shrugged. "I haven't really spent a lot of time here, I just…" He looked around the small home. Why couldn't he remember anything from this house? Had he not grown up here? Or at least spent some time living in these very walls? "I needed a place that I could come back to. Keep extra gear. A bed of my own."

"Well, I can certainly relate to that," Telma said, her expression softening. "Still, though. You need to do more to make this place your own. Have those carpenters make you a table, for Din's sake." She looked over at his Sheikah bow, picking it up with a thoughtful expression. She held it out, placing it against the wall over his mantle, as if to see how it looks. "It's a very nice house. An old one, though. Why not choose one of the newer places? Those come furnished."

"Well, it was definitely cheaper, for one," Link said, smiling at the memory. He hadn't known what to make of Bolson. "And the house, it… uh… huh." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his throat suddenly constrict. "It belonged to my family once. Before everything happened."

"Oh, Link." Telma set the bow down and walked over, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He stood there, allowing her to hug him, trying to control his breathing. Is this what a mother's embrace might feel like? He'd surely experienced it before, hadn't he?

The gaping holes in his memory suddenly seemed all the more real to him. He pressed his eyes tightly closed. His emotions warred within him, and he fought to keep them down. He was the hero, after all. He had to be strong. Courageous. Infallible.

Telma embraced him for a time before, finally, pulling away. She gave him a sad smile. "It's a lovely home. I can see why you would want it." Link forced himself to nod, but still did not trust himself to speak.

Telma patted his shoulder and then turned, inspecting the bare walls. She turned and walked up the stairs, looking at the loft. Link walked over to his discarded equipment, bending down and beginning to rummage through his small pack. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular—he really just wanted to give his hands something to do.

"Now, _this_ is nice. What a great view." Telma's words floated down from the loft. "You can see for miles from here. Hmm…" Her head peaked over the banister. "Why don't you come up here for a moment?"

Link stood from his pack, walking up the stairs. Telma stood by the window that faced west. She motioned for him to approach, which he did. "See the smoke column?"

He frowned and looked out the window. It took him several seconds, but he eventually saw the distant haze that she was indicating. It looked to be far away—ten to twenty miles, at least. Maybe more. Link frowned. For him to be able to see smoke from that distance, it had to be a large fire. Or many fires.

"There's a big group of bokoblins and moblins gathering there. Have you seen them?"

It clicked in Link's mind. The Sheikah Tower. He'd seen the group of monsters surrounding it his first time coming to Hateno Village. He hadn't used the road to leave the village since, so he had not had an occasion to look that closely since. "They've grown in number…"

"They have." Telma pursed her lips. "It's got some of the villagers concerned. They can fight off a small incursion—no one can survive around here without being at least somewhat prepared for the occasional raid. But that's a big group. Bigger than any that I've ever seen in one place."

A chill ran down Link's spine. "Why do you think they're gathering there?" he asked, squinting. After a moment, he pulled out his Sheikah Slate, using the telescope rune to get a better look. It didn't help much—the distance was too great and the land wasn't shaped in such a way that he had a good view. It did give him a better idea of the scope of the camp, though, as he took in the sight of the smoke. Dozens of campfires. At least.

"I don't know. They usually stick with small groups. Maybe they're trying to form some kind of settlement."

Link shook his head. No. If they wanted to do that, they would use the vacated Hyrule Field. He thought back to his first meeting with Telma. She had been surprised to see the bokoblins attacking so far past the Dueling Peaks. They weren't supposed to be here in large numbers.

"It's an army," he finally said, heart sinking.

"Yeah, probably."

He closed his eyes. An army of bokoblins and moblins. Hundreds of them, most likely. A small army, but against a bunch of farmers? It would be disastrous, even if the superior number of Hylians living in and around Hateno Village were able to fight them off. The villagers might be better equipped—bokoblins had rarely had more than wooden clubs from what he had seen—but they had not often been forced to fight over the last hundred years. The individuals that volunteered to watch at the gate were a clear example of that. If the monsters were to attack as a unified force…

"They'll start raiding," Link said, exhaling slowly. "Even if they're not here to attack the village, they probably won't have the means to work the land and store food. With that many of them in one place, hunting will become scarce there quickly—I can't imagine that they're good at preserving resources."

His mind raced as he considered what would happen. They were maybe a day away by road. Less, if they cut across country. They could expand easily enough. Cut off the road west. There were enough narrow canyons to make it easy. If they did that, Hateno would be isolated. The village didn't rely on trade, though, to survive. They grew their own food, and there were plenty of fields and forests around for hunting. They even had direct access to the sea, so fishing was also a possibility.

The problem would be when autumn and winter came. That's when the bokoblins would start growing hungry. They would either start attacking each other, or they would start attacking the village. Raiding the food stores. Killing. It made Link sick.

"The village need to prepare."

"They are." Link looked at Telma. "They've been watching them closely. The blacksmith has been hammering out some weapons. It's slow going, though—he's their only blacksmith. The other one died a few months ago. He's got some apprentices. I think that their woodsmen have started clearing some of the surrounding forests, too. There has been talk about building a wall."

Good. That would help. A wall with raised platforms for archers would level the field. Still, though. The sheer size of the smoke column worried Link. The wall could protect those who lived in the village, but what of the outlying communities? The farmers that lived to the northwest? They would be especially vulnerable, as that was even closer to the tower. And if the farms were lost, then… well, food scarcity could quickly become an issue.

Link felt worry bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. Could he stop this somehow? Could he deal with an army of bokoblins? He was skilled in a fight, yes, but that was beyond any efforts of just one man.

"Maybe I can talk to the Zora and the Gorons. And the Sheikah. They can lend help." Of course, they were each recovering from their own respective disasters. But surely, they could provide some kind of assistance.

"Good idea." Telma squeezed his shoulder, pulling back from the window. "Come on. I didn't mean to get you worked up about this, too. You've got enough on your plate as it is. Why don't you tell me what you've been up to?"

* * *

Link allowed himself to be dragged out of the house to the inn as the day turned to evening. As he and Telma made their way through the town, they drew stares from the normal villagers. It made sense. Telma was an outsider, clearly Gerudo-blooded now that Link knew better what to look for, and he was… well, him. It didn't bother Link as much as he thought it would, though. Perhaps he was just getting used to the stares.

It was a rowdy night at the inn. Half of the town seemed to have shown up, crowding around the tables and harassing Prima and the other staff. Link saw why as soon as he entered—along one side of the inn, the tables had been pushed back to form an open area. Kass stood in the center of this clear spot, the instrument that he referred to as a concertina held in his feathered hands.

"Link!" A sudden female voice from the crowd. Several people, including Kass, looked up as Nat stood up from one of the tables, hurrying towards him. Meghyn, who sat next to her, stood up as well, though she approached more reservedly.

"Popular with the ladies, it seems," Telma intoned beside him, nudging him with her elbow. Link felt his cheeks grow warm as Nat reached him, wrapping her arms around him in a quick embrace. Meghyn approached after Nat released him, and Link gave her a quick hug as well.

The next several minutes were an awkward bunch as some people broke into a cheer, apparently inspired by Kass' stories of his victory at Zora's Domain. Other murmured amongst themselves, shooting him wide-eyed glances. If it weren't for the two sisters and Telma, he likely would have found a way to excuse himself. The sisters were excited to see him, however, and were happy to leave their table behind to go to an empty table off to one side of the room closer to where Kass still played. Telma excused herself for a time to go speak with Sayge, the man who ran the dye shop.

Eventually, the commotion died down and people stopped coming over to greet Link when Kass picked up playing another song, drawing the attention back to him. He didn't play a song about Link, gratefully. Link wasn't sure how he felt about Kass telling people who he was. On one hand, it hearkened back to what Impa had told him about wearing the Champion's tunic—it might have brought hope to the people. On the other hand, it may also have drawn the attention of the Yiga, not to mention Link's disdain for the public eye.

"I think you chose the wrong profession if you don't want people to know who you are," Nat said in between bites of her meal, which Link noticed contained a large helping of truffles. He hadn't spoken to them of the Yiga, instead commenting on the fact that it was getting difficult to go anywhere without people knowing who he was.

"I understand, though." Meghyn sat next to Link, nursing an ale between her hands. She seemed to be shier now that Link's true mission had been revealed. "It must be uncomfortable to always be in the spotlight."

"I'm starting to get used to it," Link said, watching Kass as his sonorous voice rang out over the melody.

"Well, you'd have to. People are going to find out when someone is going around, saving the world." Nat angled her fork towards Link. "And that's pretty much what you're doing."

"Is it all true?" Meghyn asked. "That you saved the Zora? And that you're trying to kill the Calamity?" Link nodded. "What about the princess?"

Link looked around at her. "What about her?" What had Kass been saying about Princess Zelda and him? "Princess Zelda?"

"Well, the stories that he's been telling say that you used to travel with the princess as her personal knight, and that you are trying to rescue her so that you can restore the kingdom."

 _Restore the kingdom_? Link thought, brows furrowing. _I hadn't even thought of that._ It seemed clear, though. If he defeated Ganon and rescued Princess Zelda, she would, surely, wish to be crowned queen of the land. It was her birthright.

He realized that Meghyn was still waiting for an answer. "Oh, well, yes. I'm really just trying to take things one step at a time."

Before she could say anything else, another mug of ale was brought over by Prima and set in front of Link. He hadn't asked for it, but then again, he hadn't asked for the one he was currently drinking either. Someone else in the bar had bought it for him.

The conversation left the subject of Link's adventures, which he was grateful for. He found himself enjoying the company even more when Telma rejoined them several minutes later, carrying a tankard of her own. The sisters knew Telma, it seemed, and immediately began to ask her about her own travels and what exotic items that she brought with her.

Link's eyes wandered back over to where Kass was, accepting a few rupees from one of the villagers. He pocketed them in his money pouch and set his concertina down in its case, latching it closed. It was, apparently, time for him to take a break.

Excusing himself from the table, Link stood and approached Kass, who smiled broadly in the way of the Rito. "Link! I had not expected to see you tonight. How goes your journey?"

"Well enough," Link said, moving to the wall and motioning for Kass to come closer. He glanced around, but no one was close enough to hear them, though quite a few were watching with keen eyes. "I need to know, though—have you been telling anyone that I was traveling to the Gorons?"

"No, not at all. I felt that it would be prudent to leave out the details of your future endeavors, lest any unsavory folk get the wrong idea."

"Good. Because I had some run-ins with those unsavory folks on the road to Death Mountain. They tried to kill me."

"Oh dear." The Rito looked concerned, beak opening and closing rapidly for a moment. "I hope that my songs haven't—"

Link shook his head. "No, it's… They apparently hold a bit of a grudge against me." Kass listened intently as Link told him about the attack on his life, as well as the two suspected Yiga awaiting him to come down the mountain. "I think I'm going to transport myself and my horse to Kakariko Village and leave from there. Cut across Hyrule Field."

Kass nodded, but then his eyes widened. "So you mean that you have freed Vah Rudania, then?" At Link's nod, he exclaimed, "Excellent! You must tell me all about it."

"Are you going to make a song about it?"

"Of course." Kass winked at Link. "Or, perhaps, a verse. One for each of the Divine Beasts."

 _I chose the wrong profession, indeed,_ Link thought with a wry smile. There was nothing to do about it, though. Asking Kass not to sing would be like asking a Zora not to swim. It was who he was. _And what about me? Did I ever truly have a choice in my profession?_

Link led Kass back to the table, sitting back down next to Meghyn, and launched in the story of what happened on Death Mountain. As he told the story, Link noticed that several of the other villagers at the inn were leaning close to hear him. Feeling increasingly self-conscious, Link rushed to the end.

* * *

Later, Link sat on the grass outside of his house, sliding a whetstone along the length of his silver sword. Kass sat beside him, tuning his concertina and humming softly to himself. Telma had remained at the inn, and the sisters had bid Link a good night as they left. Kass had asked to accompany Link for a time, however, but hadn't told him why yet. Distantly, he could make out the slight orange glow from the fires near the tower.

"Kass?"

Kass looked down at Link. "Hmm? Yes, Link?"

"Did you fly near the tower when you were arriving at Hateno Village? Did you see the gathered monsters there?"

"Ah." Kass looked up, focusing on the distant glow. "I did not fly too close for fear of archers, but yes, I did. I provided what I knew to the villagers. It did not look as bad as it might initially appear—from what I could see, the camp is very disorganized."

That was something, at least. Perhaps the gathered mass would turn to infighting long before they grew desperate enough to attack Hateno Village. Link could hope.

Silence fell between them again for a time before Kass spoke again. "I hope that you do not mind my asking, but which Divine Beast do you intend on traveling to next?"

Link looked up from his sword maintenance, meeting Kass' eyes. For the briefest of moments, he thought about the assassins that were after him. Then he pushed such thoughts from his mind—Kass was clearly not associated with the Yiga clan. "I'm going to cross Hyrule Field to visit your people next."

"You intend on avoiding the assassins on the road, I take it?" Kass gently set his concertina back in its case.

Link sighed heavily, nodding. "Impa from Kakariko Village fears that there may be Yiga spies among the Sheikah, so we intend on letting it slip that I will be going to the desert next. They should expect me to take the road west."

"A wise plan. And, even if they determine you fooled them, you will be more difficult to track in the field. Wild horses roam several places in the field. Of course, so do other creatures. I must warn you that many of the old towns have become havens for all sorts of monstrosities."

"I don't mind sleeping under the stars," Link said, smiling wryly.

"Of course not. But you must be careful, still. Not all of the creatures that make Hyrule Field their home hunt during the hours of day."

That sounded ominous. Grimacing, Link opened his mouth to ask Kass more about what he meant, but the Rito spoke again before he could.

"Link, I wish to ask you if you would permit me to travel alongside you to my village. I had planned to fly to the desert, myself, but I must confess that the troubles with the Zora and Goron Divine Beasts have set my feathers on end. I would like to see my wife and children again to ensure that they are still safe."

Link frowned up at Kass. "Are you sure? I'm being hunted by assassins, and I am sure that you could cross the field much more quickly than I will be able to."

"Indeed, I could, but this way I might be able to provide you a service. I have flown over the field and recently; I know where many of the troublesome areas are and will be able to act as a guide for you."

Link couldn't deny how helpful that would be for him. Kass could provide him early warning of monsters and Guardians while also letting him know if they were being followed. Even better, Kass might be able to spot an ambush lying in wait. Link would be a fool to refuse.

"Listen, I'm not going to _ask_ you to do this. But if you are offering, then I can hardly refuse." He hesitated. "But, if it gets bad, I want you to get out of there. Fly home to your family."

Kass reached out, gripping Link's shoulder firmly. "Of course, my friend. My calling is not one of battle—I fear that I would only provide a hindrance to you in such a situation."

Link smiled up at the Rito, already grateful for his companionship. Traveling through Hyrule Field was going to be difficult and dangerous enough as it was. Perhaps, with Kass' help, it would not have to be as bad as he had expected, however.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Early posting! I'm going to be traveling tomorrow and not sure if I'm going to have time to post this tomorrow or not... so I'll just do it now. I _should_ be good on Saturday to post along with my normal schedule. There is a slight chance that I may run into some complications that day. If so, I'll either try to get the next one up early, or I'll post it as quickly as I can after.**

 **Onto the chapter! Can I just say that I really like this chapter? I think you, my awesome readers, will as well. Won't say anything else, though. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.**

 **Inheritance1990: Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed Daruk's depiction so much, as well as the Sheikah reunion. That was a scene that I planned for a while, and it just kind of fell into place there as a good place to put it. I was left feeling unsatisfied that we never got to see that reunion, even in the form of some kind of end-credit sequence. I hope I did it justice.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Well, you'll _probably_ get your wishes at some point. Though who knows? Maybe the monsters will just go peacefully away...**

 **Now, enjoy the chapter, and please let me know how you like it!**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"Kass, have you ever heard the name Arn?"

Kass looked at Link. The sun shone overhead, providing a bright, warm day. It was windier than either of them would like, but at least visibility was good. They both sat on a field of lush grass, surrounded by nothing by rolling hills. The nearest bokoblin encampment was at least a mile away, and Kass had seen nothing larger than a fox moving in their general area.

"Arn? Hmm… I cannot say that I have, Link. Is it someone that I should know?"

Link pulled up a blade of grass, running his calloused thumb along its length. He didn't reply for several seconds. Finally, he said, "I think it's my father's name." He closed his eyes tightly, trying to force his mind to focus. To remember.

They had been walking—skulking, really—past a group of moblins that were fighting over the desiccated corpse of a deer, when the name had occurred to Link. He hadn't been thinking about his family or really anything except avoiding another fight, yet the name had surfaced in his mind, like a piece of driftwood bobbing up from the depths of the sea. Just the name, at first. Link hadn't even reacted—he just kept walking while holding tightly to Spirit's reins.

After they had gotten past the moblins, which had well and truly begun to fight each other, he turned the name over in his head. It was a familiar name, yet he could recall no face. No personality. No memories. But as he considered it more and more, he was able to identify certain… feelings that arose within him as he considered it. A name that he respected and looked up to. A name that he aspired to be worthy of. A father's name.

 _Remember, Link,_ he told himself, gripping the little blade of grass in his hand. He heard Kass' voice but ignored it. So close. So _close_.

 _A smiling man with a bushy mustache, long blonde hair, and thick arms. His expression was warm. Proud. Link had just bested a knight. True, the knight had probably been toying with the child, who was only four at the time, but that wasn't how Link saw it. And by his father's expression, it wasn't how he saw it, either. All either of them had seen was the way the boy Link had deflected the knight's sword—a thin stick—and then struck him on the wrist to force him to drop it. Link had disarmed his opponent on the field of battle, and every soldier knew that such an act was a victory._

Link gasped as if coming up for air. He grasped at the memory, replaying it in his head, trying to memorize ever detail. The man's smile, his laugh, the way he had reached out with his enormous hand and tousled Link's hair. Arn. His father.

"Link?"

He shook his head, struggling to find the words to describe what he felt. His father. He had seen his _father_. Like an open floodgate, other memories began to pour in.

Riding in the saddle with his father across the bridge to Zora's Domain; seeing him standing guard at a door in a navy-blue uniform with golden accents; sparring against him with practice swords within the castle grounds; wrestling on the ground with him in Hyrule Field. It was all too much.

Link reached up with a shaking hand, touching his cheek and feeling the wetness there. He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, clearing his throat. "Sorry," he said, voice thick with emotion. "I hadn't expected…"

Kass looked at him with concern but chose not to speak. Link took a few moments to compose himself before, finally, clearing his throat again and standing. "We should keep moving. Those bokoblins from earlier had horses, and they might still be looking for us."

As Kass rose, he walked over to where Spirit stood, reaching up and scratching the horse's nose. Spirit nickered affectionately, and Link reached down, pulling a sugar cube from his pack—a treat that he had discovered Spirit had a great fondness for after spending so long at the Death Mountain trading outpost.

Link had retrieved Spirit several days prior, utilizing his upgraded Sheikah Slate to transport to the Death Mountain tower and then used it to depart the base of the mountain once he was out of sight of the outpost. He never saw the awaiting Yiga, and they would never see him. The next few days had been spent preparing for the trip across country.

During his preparations, Link had sent Kass to the Zora, allowing him to use the Sheikah Slate for quicker transportation, to discuss the increasing monster situation in the Necluda region. The results had not been as conclusive as Link had hoped. Though Sidon had agreed readily, King Dorephan had not been so willing to send his soldiers so far outside of their home without further consideration. Sidon promised to speak with his father further, even going so far as to suggest that he might just take a squad and do it himself, if Dorephan refused. It was something, at least.

The Gorons had been more helpful when Link traveled back to Goron City, but only just. Bludo, like Dorephan, was hesitant about the amount of support he was willing to give up. He agreed to send some Gorons to help with the building of defenses, but only after he dealt with a large population of wild dodongos that had been uncovered in the Northern Mine. It appeared that Death Mountain's seismic activity had caused rapid change to the mine, caving in old tunnels and opening others, including some where the large, fire-breathing lizards inhabited.

Even Impa had been uncertain of the number of Sheikah that she could send to Hateno's aid, though she did promise support. It was a busy time for the agricultural community, and Kakariko did not have nearly as many warriors as it once had.

It would have to do.

When he departed Kakariko Village, he did so under the guise of intending on turning south once out on the road, riding towards the Gerudo Desert. Kass had not been with him lest anyone suspect him of the duplicity, choosing instead to join him at the Wetland Stable, where they had first met. If Kakariko Village _did_ house a Yiga spy, Link hoped that they were fooled.

Crossing Hyrule Field in the open would be a difficult task. Even crossing the river Hylia would be a challenge, for though there were still a handful of standing bridges, all led into areas watched by bands of monsters or were just too close to the castle and, therefore, at risk of being targeted by its legion of automatons. Once they made over the bridges, there would be other creatures, both large and small, that made the central region of Hyrule, with its lakes, plains, forests, and old towns, their home. Some would choose to run and hide, but others would surely attack them on sight.

Ultimately, they had opted on crossing the bridge nearest the stable. It was closer to the castle than Kass thought safe but would hopefully enable them to avoid crossing paths with a particularly large and dangerous band of monsters that made their home to the south, in the middle of a swamp.

They had been mostly right.

Departing the stable before dawn, Link made his way alone to the bridge in question while Kass flew ahead to scout out the area. He'd eventually rejoined Link at the bridge, telling him of a group of bokoblins that had made camp just south of the road in a wooded patch. They attempted to cross without incident, but a sentry spotted them, sounding the alarm.

What followed was a brief fight, followed by a tense escape. Two bokoblins had come for them on horseback, which Link had shot down with a pair of arrows. The other bokoblins had hesitated at that, and Link thought that they would be able to continue without further incident. Then about a dozen more bokoblins had burst from the trees, wielding all sorts of primitive weapons. Link and Kass chose not to find out if they could take such a large group and ran. The bokoblins hadn't given chase for long, as far as they could tell.

Link quickly found out why most people did not travel through Hyrule Field. Monsters were far more common on this side of the river than the other, and they seemed that much more aggressive as well. They were at odds with the beauty of the land. The grass and the rolling hills seemed, at times, untouched and pristine, but then they would come across the remains of an old building, a fence, or a cart, and would be reminded of the life that once inhabited this land.

A road, overgrown from misuse, led on a winding path through the field, but they quickly left it, cutting across the hills and through groves of trees in an attempt to avoid detection. Kass often took flight, flying around in wide circles, keeping an eye out for any trouble that they needed to avoid, such as the fighting moblins.

Their path was a slow one. The need for stealth greatly outweighed the need for speed in this case, and Link often spent a great deal of time dismounted, leading Spirit by the reins. He had begun to think it would have been easier to leave Spirit in Hateno Village and return later to retrieve him, assuming that Link would find another Sheikah Shrine near Rito Village, as he had the other major population centers, but it was too late for that now.

Only after passing by another roving band of bokoblins did Kass finally land on the ground beside Link again with a large flap of his wings, which sent a burst of air out in all directions. He looked at Link and nodded. "We're past them. They didn't see either of us."

Link exhaled slowly and stood up a little straighter. That hadn't been a particularly dangerous-looking group. He felt confident that he could have won in a fight, but it would have been too out in the open—too visible to other groups in the area. And it would have made it easier to track their progress. They couldn't risk the attention, if they could avoid it. Not as long as they were in the monsters' domain.

"They patrol this area a lot," Link said, reaching into his pack and offering an apple to Spirit.

"The bands are very territorial here," Kass said, reaching up to stroke the feathers under his beak. "But I believe they are also keeping an eye out for rogue Guardians. I have seen some in my travels over the field. Some do seem to wander this far south."

It sent a chill down Link's spine. They had discussed the Guardians, of course, agreeing that the best option would be to try to walk the line between monster territory and Guardian territory. There were fewer large groups here. But the risk of coming across one of the six-legged automatons was higher, as well.

Link reached down to down the quiver that held his ancient arrows. He had three remaining. Would one stop a Guardian, as it had the Blight in Rudania? Maybe. Robbie hadn't been sure if a single arrow would do the trick. Link hoped it would, if the need arose.

"There aren't any around here, right?" Link said, finally looking back up at Kass, who shook his head.

"Not at all that I have seen."

"Good."

Link forced himself to relax. If any of the Guardians had been walking near here, Kass would have seen it.

They began walking again, angling slightly more south to walk parallel to the road, cutting through a wooded area to remain unseen.

"Link?" Kass said after a few minutes of silence. Link looked up at him. "Would you like to speak about what you saw earlier? Your father?"

He looked down, frowning. "I'm not sure what there is to say. I still don't really know anything about him, I just… I saw him. He was a guard." Link paused and then shook his head. That wasn't right. "No, he was a knight in the Royal Guard."

"Ahh…" Kass said, nodding. "An illustrious position, then. My teacher spoke of them in some of his lessons of courtly life. The Royal Guard was reserved for those that the king trusted most highly. They were not only expected to protect the royal family with their lives but were also exposed to all of the court intrigue, deception, and politicking that common folk and even other nobles never had the opportunity to see. They were secret-bearers and confidants."

The memories of Daruk surfaced in his mind again. Princess Zelda had certainly not felt that way towards him. Not at the beginning. It was petty, perhaps, to think of such things now, but the hurt that he'd felt in those memories was real. He'd been scared. She had been too, he supposed.

"What of your mother?" Kass said, drawing Link back out of his thoughts.

"I don't know." Link shrugged. "I can't remember anything about her. I hadn't even remembered anything about my father until today."

Kass considered him for a time before speaking again. "I am certain that the memories will come. It seems to me that you are able to answer many more questions now of your past life than you were able to do so in Zora's Domain."

"I remember a handful of events and some minor details. I still don't remember anything about how I grew up, what my relationship to my parents were like, who my friends—besides Mipha and Daruk—were. Sometimes, I…" Link sighed, looking away. He was talking too much. "I feel like a stranger in my own body."

Kass remained silent, listening. Waiting.

Link continued. "It's not just the big details, but it's the little ones too. So far, I know that I'm good with a sword. What other skills do I have? What about my hobbies? There must have been more to me than the Master Sword."

"Have the elder Sheikah been unwilling to share these details with you?"

"Well, _no_." Link looked down, frowning. "But I haven't asked them. It feels like something that I should know myself. I don't want to know _facts_ about who I used to be—"

"You wish to _be_ that person."

Link looked back up at Kass and, after a moment, nodded. "Yeah."

Kass smiled at him, chuckling softly. "I feel confident enough in my knowledge of history to say that you still _are_ the same man now that you were then. I do not know those particular details, of course, but your personality and drive match the man that my teacher spoke of."

"Were we friends? Your teacher and I? I'm sorry, I can't… I can't remember his name. I think you told me."

Kass chuckled again. "Rao. My teacher's name was Rao. And no, actually. I do not believe you were friends. In fact, I rather think that my teacher did not particularly _like_ you."

"What?" Link stopped walking, frowning. "Why?"

"I suppose I am being somewhat facetious. I do not believe that my teacher would have considered you a friend when he _knew_ you. However, in the years that followed your fall, he appears to have developed a great respect for you. His songs certainly reflect as much."

"Did he say why he didn't like me? Did I do something to harm or offend him?" Kass' teacher was a court bard, right? Was Link somehow rude to the bard? Was he some kind of bully?

"Oh, no, not at all. My teacher was simply jealous."

"Jealous? Of what? The Master Sword?" From what Link knew of his feelings holding the sword, he thought that he probably would have gladly given the responsibility for it up to anyone else who wished for it.

"Of the princess," Kass said, his smile growing. "Or, I should say, of the time that you got to spend with her."

"He didn't like me because I was around the princess?"

"Oh, yes. You see, he was very fond of Princess Zelda. He loved her, but she…" Kass hesitated, suddenly looking slightly abashed. "She was almost never without her knight."

It sent a chill down Link's spine. _Almost never without her knight._ He thought of the Spring of Power. He thought of the familiarity with which they had spoken to each other then and in other moments that he'd had a chance to glimpse. But he also thought of the memories he'd had with Daruk. She had not cared for him, had she? When had it changed? What changed it?

The conversation tapered off. Each of them seemed unsure on how to break the silence that followed, both of them holding onto words that were difficult to speak aloud.

* * *

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* * *

 _"Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight… the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection, and we hope that—that the two of you will grow stronger together, as one."_

Link pursed his lips. She had spoken the words like a dead woman—cold and emotionless. Her eyes held nothing for him as she reached her gloved hand out to him, as if to anoint him with holy powers that she did not yet possess. They had all gathered on the Sacred Ground to the south of Castle Town—the place that legends held Calamity Ganon was defeated 10,000 years prior: Princess Zelda and her Champions. Link had knelt before her, as was befitting his status as a Hyrulean knight, and listened silently as she spoke the rites. It had been a painful experience for him, for her, and by the muttering he heard from the Champions, for them as well.

At least it was over. The Champions had all departed to return to their homes, Princess Zelda had gone back to doing whatever it was in her free time, and he had returned to… what? Being the Hero with the sacred blade, he supposed. What, exactly, was there even for him to do?

He was a knight—knighted only a short time after pulling the blade—yet he was given nothing to do _as_ a knight. He had been given no land of his own beyond the land that his family was already responsible for, nor had he been put in charge over any other soldiers or keeps. He hadn't even been given a page, as was to be expected when knighted.

So, he'd come to the castle grounds, intent on enjoying the beautiful day while he could. Rain was expected later—he could already see the clouds developing to the west, over the Tabantha Frontier. It would be upon them within a couple of hours.

When he stepped outside, however, he found that a small crowd had already gathered outside, forming a semi-circle around something that Link couldn't see from his vantage. He approached the back of the crowd. As he did so, several of the people lined up glanced back at him and quickly parted, eyes wide. He could hear their mutters as he passed through the crowd, the people parting around him and reforming after he'd passed.

 _Hero_ , they called him. _Chosen_.

He never knew how much one could grow to hate simple words.

Once he reached the front of the crowd, he discovered what the crowd was there to see. The Sheikah had brought out one of their strange devices—the Guardians. This one sat inert on a cart, it's long legs wrapped around its base, making it look like it had been settled onto a nest of some grey-white material. Its cylindrical head moved though, the strange Sheikah designs upon it glowing with a soft orange light. The blue eye in the center of its head pulsed blue.

Legends held that these things were instrumental against Calamity Ganon 10,000 years ago. Thus far, Link wasn't really sure how useful they could be. So far, he had never actually seen one of them in motion, outside of simple head movements. They held no weapons that he could see. Their long legs ended in dangerous looking three-clawed feet, but were those the only weapons that they possessed?

"Your majesty," said the Sheikah in front of the cart. With a start, Link realized that he had emerged from the crowd only a few feet away from where King Rhoam and Princess Zelda both stood, each resplendent in their royal robes. The king glanced towards Link, giving him a small nod of acknowledgement, but Princess Zelda paid him no heed, instead staring with wide eyes at the Guardian.

"As you know, Guardians were used to defend the incarnation of the Goddess and the Hero against the Calamity 10,000 years ago, but we were unable to determine what functions they used to accomplish this task. Until _now_."

The Sheikah spoke with the air of a street performer. Though he stood with his feet firmly planted on grass, he could have been standing atop a box or a bench, gesturing to the passing crowd. Link noticed that he had a curved sword belted to his waist and frowned. The Sheikah _was_ familiar to him—he had seen him before speaking with Princess Zelda, often accompanied by the other, shorter Sheikah woman named Purah.

"You see, after weeks of dedicated study and experimentation, we have made a _breakthrough_ in Guardian technology. We have discovered the weapons used by the Guardians to subdue the Calamity 10,000 years ago, and which will be used to defeat it when it dares to rise again."

Link glanced over towards King Rhoam and Princess Zelda. The king looked calm, but a little impatient. His lips formed a straight line, and Link thought that the Sheikah man was rather well-composed, considering the king's intense stare. Princess Zelda, on the other hand, looked rapturous. She looked at the Guardian with a broad smile upon her face and a posture that suggested that she was doing everything in her power to remain rooted to the spot, rather than running to get a closer look.

"Your majesty, with your permission." The king nodded, and the Sheikah spun on his heels, snapping his fingers at a few other Sheikah members that had climbed into the cart with the Guardian. They began fiddling with some kind of controls that Link couldn't see. Suddenly, the Guardian shuddered, its twisted legs twitching in the cart. The Sheikah attendants stepped back, careful not to trip.

"Now," the Sheikah man said. Robbie! That was his name, Link suddenly remembered. He had been with Purah during the Champion ceremony. Robbie bent down and picked up a disc-like object from the ground at his feet. It took Link a moment to realize what it was—a wooden pot lid of the likes used in the kitchens. Robbie held the disc in his hand, smiling proudly at King Rhoam and the princess, and then whirled, throwing the disc into the air behind the Guardian. The pot lid spun through the air, arcing slightly.

The Guardian's head twisted around, its blue eye tracking the pot lid's progress through the air. Suddenly, from the eye, there was a brilliant flash of blue-white light and a sound like a thunderclap. A beam of some kind of _energy_ shot out from the eye and struck the pot lid with a fiery explosion. A moment later, as the smoke cleared, Link saw the smoldering remains of the pot lid, now broken into multiple pieces, falling to the grounds below.

For a moment, there was a hush over the crowd. King Rhoam's eyes were wide. Princess Zelda had covered her mouth with her hands. And then the crowd began to speak excitedly and clap. The princess joined their clapping, grinning. Link saw Robbie tip her a quick wink before clasping his hands in front of him and bowing low.

As the crowd's initial reaction faded, Robbie raised his hands for silence before looking again at the king. "Another demonstration, your majesty?"

King Rhoam reached up and stroked his long beard thoughtfully. "Yes, go ahead."

Robbie picked up another pot lid, holding it in his hand. The Guardian's head lazily turned until the eye fell on the pot lid that he held in the air. Link saw its eye flash as it found its target.

The Sheikah threw the pot lid into the air again, but the lid had barely left his hand before the Guardian fired. The pot lid exploded with a loud crack, sending burning pieces of it flying over the heads of the crowd. Some people screamed, and others ducked, covering their heads with their hands. Robbie, for his part, immediately raised his hands, calling for calm.

"I just took too long to throw it. Everything is fine. Everything—"

"Robbie!" Princess Zelda's voice. Robbie glanced at her and then whirled just in time to watch with horror as the Guardian, with its eye now focused on the small pile of pot lids by Robbie's feet, fired again.

Link was far enough from the explosion that the shock wave only caused him to stumble, but he saw Robbie flung through the air, trailed by lines of smoke. The crowd surged backwards now, screaming and running as fast as they could. They had already begun to trample over each other in an effort to escape back into the castle.

The Sheikah attendants atop the cart were working to stop the Guardian now, yet nothing they were doing seemed to be making any difference. The pot lids that the Guardian had targeted had been scattered across the grounds, and the Guardian's eye seemed to be seeking each of them out. It fired again at one that had ended up leaning against a tree. The blast cracked the tree trunk in half, sending it toppling to the side.

"Zelda!"

Link turned and saw that King Rhoam had stumbled in an effort to keep hold of Princess Zelda's arm. She had broken free of him and had run to help Robbie, who lay facedown in the grass some ten feet away. Somehow, a pot lid had ended up half underneath his prone form.

 _No_. Link's eyes widened, and he glanced back at the Guardian, which seemed to notice the same thing he had.

He broke into a run, scooping up one of the other fallen pot lids as he went. He crossed the distance between him and the princess in what felt like an eternity. To his horror, he saw the Guardian's eye flash as it prepared to fire on the princess of Hyrule and the incarnation of the Goddess.

Link yelled, gripping the pot lid by its handle, and thrust himself between the firing Guardian and the princess. The Guardian fired. Time slowed. Link swung.

The blast struck Link's pot lid in its center, but it did not explode, as the others had. Instead, as Link swung his right arm out, as if to deflect a sword attack with a shield, he felt the lid connect with something that felt far more solid than he had expected. The beam of energy turned in on itself, redirected back in the direction of the Guardian's pulsing blue eye. It struck with the same powerful explosion that sent the two Sheikah attendants diving off of the cart for cover.

When the smoke cleared, the Guardian still stood, but it trembled violently in its enclosure. The orange lights on its body flickered rapidly. And suddenly, with a blinding white light and the sound of a powerful explosion, the automaton exploded, sending pieces of its body flying in all directions.

Link ducked his head behind his impromptu shield as chunks of the Guardian struck the ground and even the walls of the castle. None hit him or his shield, however, and soon silence fell over the courtyard. Breathing heavily, he looked around towards the princess and was surprised to see that she had flung herself down over the Sheikah scientist's prone form, seemingly shielding him with her body.

Slowly, she looked up, appearing to be every bit as breathless as he felt. Their eyes met, green on blue. Her eyes widened.

"Zelda!" The king was suddenly at her side, helping her to her feet. "Are you all right? Were you harmed?"

"I'm all right. Nothing… Oh, no." She pulled away from King Rhoam's grip again, stepping up beside Link to stare in horror at the smoking remains of the Guardian—which mostly just consisted of the circular base upon which its head normally rested, and its legs, which were strung out in all directions. The cart had collapsed, its wheels snapping under the force of the explosion. She turned back to Link, expression showing anger. "You _destroyed_ it!"

"Zelda." Her father's voice was stern as he walked up beside her. Her eyes flicked to the king's, and then quickly fell to the floor.

"Of course, I was merely… I was not myself. I apologize." She did not look at Link, however, but at Robbie, who chose that moment to groan and slowly lift his head from the ground.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Robbie and the remainder of the crowd were seen to by medical staff within the castle. Miraculously, the Sheikah man was the only one who suffered any injuries beyond minor scrapes and bruises, and his injuries were not serious. He was taken to been seen by the castle surgeons, however, to ensure no bones were broken. Before he walked away, supported by a nurse under one arm, he pled forgiveness from King Rhoam, who grunted and waved him away.

Link stood rooted to the same spot that he had been when he deflected the Guardian's attack. The grass in front of him had been scorched black in a line leading back to the broken cart.

Heavy footfalls behind him finally forced Link to turn, looking up as King Rhoam approached behind him. He quickly knelt, bowing his head.

"Rise, Sir Link." Link did so, standing back to his feet. He noticed that Princess Zelda stood just behind and to the right of the king, eyes on the Guardian wreckage. "I must thank you for saving my daughter's life. If you had not reacted in the way that you had, then she…" He glanced down towards the princess, who seemed much smaller now, standing in her father's shadow. "I do wonder how it was that you knew that you could block that… _attack_ with that lid, however."

Link glanced down. He still held the pot lid in his hand. Charred wood covered its underside, where the Guardian's blast had struck it. He glanced back up at the king, opening his mouth to speak. Words did not immediately come, however—his mouth felt suddenly parched. Link licked his lips before trying again. "I didn't, your majesty. I just… acted."

The look on King Rhoam's face indicated that this was the right thing for Link to say. His lips curled into a smile. "Yes, I can see that. It is abundantly clear to me that the Master Sword has not chosen poorly."

The sword on Link's back suddenly seemed that much heavier.

"As you likely well know, I have been searching for some time for a knight suitable to be Princess Zelda's _personal_ knight—"

Princess Zelda's head snapped up as he spoke, eyes widening with a look of horror. She stepped up beside the king. "Father, _no_."

" _Zelda_." King Rhoam's voice cracked like a whip, and she ducked her head, cowed by the sharpness of his tone. Link glanced towards her briefly and then back at the king, trying to keep his expression carefully neutral.

King Rhoam looked back at Link, expression stern. "As I was saying, I have been searching for some time for a personal knight to guard my daughter on her travels to oversee the work done on the Divine Beasts, as well as her journey to attain the blessing of the Goddess Hylia."

Link felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"After seeing how you protected her life today, with no thought of your own safety, I feel that I have been looking in the wrong places." The king regarded Link quietly for a long moment before glancing around at the crowd that was still gathered nearby. He grunted and then looked back at Link. "Sir Link, I would discuss this with you further, but not here. Please, join me at my table for the evening meal. We shall hold our discussion at that time."

"Yes, your majesty." _Calm. Stay calm. Do not let your emotions show. Not in front of the king._ His eyes briefly flicked towards Princess Zelda, who met his eyes with a cold, emotionless expression. The sinking feeling in the pit of Link's stomach only grew more insistent.

"Good." King Rhoam reached out, placing a heavy hand on Link's shoulder, squeezing. "I will see you then, my boy." He turned, beginning back towards the castle.

For a moment, Princess Zelda remained firmly in place, still looking at Link. He glanced at her and found that her eyes were not on his face, however, but she was looking at a spot just over his left shoulder. At the hilt of the Master Sword.

"Zelda. Come." King Rhoam had stopped a few feet and looked back towards his daughter, expression stern.

Link saw her shoulders slump slightly, and she turned, following in the king's wake. He watched them depart, trying hard to keep his feet steady beneath him. _Princess Zelda's personal knight?_ It sounded like the worst possible position that the king could have put him in. And, from her own reaction, she felt the same way.

Head bowing in resignation, Link dropped the pot lid to the grass and began walking towards the entrance to the castle, intending on finding something nicer to wear for dinner with the royal family. Along the way, he could hear the whispers of the few people that still remained in the courtyard.

 _Hero,_ they called him. _Chosen_.

* * *

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* * *

Link had the memory as he slept. Far clearer than any dream he ever had before. He could still the weight of the pot lid in his hand, the heat of the Guardian's blast on his skin, the warmth of the sun overhead. He could still hear every word as it replayed in his mind, over and over.

 _"Father, **no**."_

He sat up on his bedroll, facing towards the distant castle, which was lit by the ominous red light of Calamity Ganon's Malice. Stars still filled the sky overhead, and the pale moon had not yet reached its zenith. Neither of them had opted to erect any sort of shelter, choosing to sleep under the stars. It would be quicker to tear down camp this way. They had no fire. The night was cool, but not cold, and a fire would have been a beacon to any nocturnal creatures that roamed the field.

There was a flutter of feathers and a rush of air as Kass landed just outside of the circle of their small camp. He stood up straighter and turned, eyes opening wide when he saw Link sitting up.

"Link?"

Kass was on watch currently. Neither of them felt comfortable sleeping when so thoroughly surrounded by monsters on all sides, so they had agreed to sleep in shifts and get back on the road well before sunrise to take advantage of the cover of darkness while they could.

"Hey, Kass."

"Is everything all right?"

Link's eyes didn't meet his. Instead, he kept looking towards the castle, watching as the red haze lazily swirled around its broken towers.

 _We became friends, right? We did. I saw that._ His memories were becoming jumbled, though. Confused. How much time passed between them? He had no way of knowing. No reference point. How long were he and Princess Zelda forced to be near each other before some kind of friendship developed between them? Could it really be called a friendship, if it was forced?

Yet, in that moment, all he felt was the dread. He didn't think that he had hated the princess. But her presence made him feel… miserable in his memory. He didn't hate her, but she hated _him_. How could he feel any happiness in the presence of that? He hadn't wanted anything to do with the princess or her quest, yet…

"Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off without the memories," Link finally said, quietly.

Kass settled down beside him on the grass, gazing towards the castle. "I take it that you experienced another memory. What happened in it, if I may ask?"

"I saved the princess's life. And she hated me for it." Grimacing at his own tone, Link shook his head. "Sorry. I think I just need some time to sort through my memories before I talk about them."

"Of course." Kass reached out, laying a feathered hand on Link's shoulder. "Though if I may offer one piece of advice. I am a storyteller, and I know that there is always more to a story than what is told. Context is a vital part of any story and can often make the difference between a good tale and a poor one.

"Link, if you still lack context, as I assume that you do by nature of your memory loss, I encourage you to refuse to accept your memories just as they are. You may still be missing key moments in your life that would better explain the things that you have seen."

Link nodded, appreciating the words and knowing the truth behind them, though he wasn't sure that they made him feel better. He still couldn't shake the words that Princess Zelda had spoken or the look of horror that showed on her face. What, exactly, had he done to make her hate him so?

"Come." Kass stood, stretching. "I assume that you are not going to be getting any more rest, and I have just completed my reconnaissance of the surrounding area. We have an open window right now and should be able to move more quickly for a time."

Link pushed himself to his feet, nodding again, but remaining silent. He helped Kass pack up their small camp, and together, they set off again into the night.


	31. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Another early posting! Going to be traveling today and not entirely sure if I'll have a chance to post this later on today. I'm glad the last chapter went over so well! Introducing Link's family-even if its just his father-is an exciting moment for me. And, of course, that memory with the Guardian and Zelda was fun to write, even if it was a painful one for Link to remember. This chapter continues his and Kass' journey through Hyrule Field, and I think you will all like it just as much.**

 **Lord Halcyon: Well, I can tell you that context is something that Link desperately wants to have as well! He will have it, of course... In due time.**

 **iCards: As soon as I read about that scene in Daruk's diary, I knew that I needed to have Robbie be in it. It just sounds like something he would be involved with-a disaster that almost kills the Royal Family... And as far as Zelda goes, yeah, she was definitely in full scholar mode there. She fully trusted that they _could_ have regained control over the Guardian. Also bear in mind that these are priceless artifacts, each well over 10,000 years old! And Link just _blew one up_.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Mabe Village. That was the name of the little hamlet, according to Link's Sheikah Slate. The village had long since been destroyed, of course. As far as Link could tell, none of the buildings had escaped unscathed, and few remained that were little more than their foundations and half-walls. But from what Link could tell, it had likely once been a quaint town. They had passed several overgrown and abandoned farms when approaching it, as well as a sizeable ranch.

Now what was left of the town had been infested by monsters. Moblins, to be exact. Kass had counted no less than fifteen of them when he had first flown over. No bokoblins with these towering beasts.

"What do you think?" Link said, pulling back from his vantage point on a grass-topped hill overlooking the town. He looked over at Kass, who knelt on the ground beside him.

"It seems to me that the best course of action would be to avoid confrontation, if we can, but our options are limited. Further south are the mounted bokoblins that I saw earlier. I feel confident that you could defeat them, if forced to engage."

Yes, Link likely could, but it was risky. They were nearing the center of Hyrule Field now and had drifted much further south than they had originally intended. There were quite a few of old ruins in this area, and it was a favorite place for monsters to make their homes. It was also the most open of areas in Hyrule Field—rolling hills only occasionally broken by a small handful of bushes or trees. The day prior, they had spent most of the day hidden by trees.

"And north is where you saw the Guardian."

"Yes."

Link pursed his lips, trying to slow his suddenly rapidly beating heart. The thought of the lone Guardian that Kass had seen that morning sent panicked chills down his spine. It hadn't been close enough to be a threat to them, but just the thought of it being out there, still searching for a target after all this time…

He thought of the way that he had deflected the Guardian's blast in his memory. Could he _use_ that? It seemed to him to have been nothing more than pure luck. Perhaps that was why Princess Zelda showed him no gratitude on that day—she knew that no skill had saved them. Just simple luck.

It rang hollow in Link's mind, and he pushed the thoughts to the side. Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on the princess and her distaste of him. _We were friends. We eventually got past that,_ he told himself, yet again. It did little to calm his nerves.

"I think we go north," Link finally said. He pointed towards the northern edge of the village. "Look, there are still a few walls standing. If we are careful, we can skirt around the village so we don't have to go too far. That Guardian was still a few miles away, right?"

At least, it had been an hour prior, when Kass was scouting. Hopefully it still was. Kass agreed to Link's plan, though Link could tell that he was still worried. This was the most dangerous part about cutting through Hyrule Field. They were in the true heart of enemy territory now.

Link carefully climbed back down from the hill and grasped Spirit's reins, pulling the horse in the direction that they had decided on. Most of Link's equipment had been strapped down tightly onto Spirit's saddle to prevent it from rattling around while he walked. He only had his bow and a quiver of arrows currently on him.

He would have preferred to have Kass flying overhead, but their proximity to so many enemy forces prevented that as well. Kass needed too much distance to gain altitude, and he would be very visible while doing so. No, he would need to stay on the ground until they were at least a good deal past the moblins, and preferably the mounted bokoblins as well. They had archers.

They traveled north, using a forested patch that stretched north for a few miles to move more quickly. This one, thankfully, did not have any of the rock-spitting octoroks. The last wooded area they passed through had one, and the damn thing left a nasty welt between Link's shoulder blades. He did notice a few exceptionally large spiderwebs, though. He wouldn't want to meet the spider that made a web _that_ size.

After giving themselves enough time to be clear of the village's outer walls, they cut west again and left the forest, carefully rounding the ruins. Moblins, thankfully, were not the most observant of creatures, and no alarm was made as they made their way around Mabe Village.

Once they were past the village, however, they were in the open. There were no trees here, just wide-open fields. The ground leveled out a great deal as well, meaning that they wouldn't have the advantage of hills to hide them from enemies.

 _Not good_.

"Kass, can you fly now? I don't like this."

Kass looked around, using his strong Rito vision to gaze about for any enemies that might in the area and then nodded. It was still risky, but Link would feel much better knowing that Kass was high overhead. He spread his wings and flapped, moving forward and gaining speed rapidly. A few moments later, he was airborne and climbing.

 _Revali didn't take off like that,_ Link thought, frowning. It felt wrong to him somehow, but he couldn't picture exactly how the Rito Champion had flown. But it was distinctly different.

Sighing, Link mounted Spirit. Without any cover, there was no point in walking now. Best to try to cover as much ground as possible. He nudged Spirit into a canter, trying his best to sit low in the saddle as they made their way west.

Hyrule Castle loomed far closer now than it had ever been since he woke. It was, of course, still many miles away from him, but he could see better now that it sat atop a tall rock—maybe even a small mountain—allowing it to rise high above the surrounding landscape and drawing the eye to it from miles away. He was within a day's journey of it. Within a day's journey of Ganon. And Princess Zelda.

 _Goddess help me. I want this to be over._ Could he ride north? He had defeated two of the Blights—would that be enough? Would his Sheikah weaponry be as effect against the Calamity as they had been against its creations?

As if to mock him, the hazy Malice that surrounded the castle suddenly began to swirl more violently than before. Link held his breath, watching as the Malice seemed to make a storm that swirled around the base of Hyrule Castle and then rose to its towers. With wide eyes, Link watched as the Malice began to take shape.

Calamity Ganon.

The giant creature, seemingly the size of the castle of itself, rose over the tallest tower, maw open wide in a roar that caused the ground to shudder. Spirit danced nervously, but Link did little to soothe the horse. His eyes were transfixed on the entity that now flew over the castle, circling it like a bird of prey.

"Please…"

His heart raced, and he gripped the reins with a white-knuckled grip.

"Not yet… Not now."

A blinding light appeared in the center of the castle, just like before, but no feminine voice spoke to him on this day. The light did have an effect on Ganon, however. The giant figure seemed to wilt as soon as it appeared. The swirling Malice grew indistinct, and Ganon's shape sank back down, breaking apart like a cloud caught in a strong wind. Soon it was gone, leaving only the faint red haze that was ever-present around the castle.

"Just hold on, Princess," Link said. "Just a little more time."

His words seemed insignificant. How could he ever hope to defeat such a monstrosity? The Calamity was enormous—far larger than he had even realized. It was easily as large as the Divine Beasts; maybe even dwarfed them. His attacks would be little more than pinpricks, even _with_ a holy blade.

They must have all known this, though. The Princess certainly must have, didn't she? Was the Master Sword just that powerful? The Divine Beasts? Was it the combination of all of these elements that would lead him to ultimate victory?

 _Shouldn't I have some kind of special insight into this sort of thing?_ Link nudged Spirit forward again, forcing his gaze away from the castle. _After all, aren't I the reincarnated hero?_

Reincarnated hero. The idea made him uncomfortable. How did he measure up to the heroes of old? He imagined fairly low in that respect—how many others of them had been defeated in their fight against Ganon? The continued existence of the land seemed to suggest that _none_ of them had failed in the past. Not until him.

Sighing softly, Link shook his head. Hadn't he already dealt with these feelings before? Why was it that every time he felt even the slightest bit melancholy, he dwelled on his failures? Failures from a century ago. Failures that he had already begun to set right—two Divine Beasts had been freed already! He was _winning_ , so why did it so often feel otherwise?

He turned his gaze back on the castle. Ganon. _It's the one responsible._ For his failure, for Princess Zelda's imprisonment, for the state of the world. It was responsible for the deaths of countless people. Link thought back to the small town of Mabe Village. Razed to the ground by Ganon's machinations.

"I'll find a way," he said, though his voice hardly sounded firm. He sat up straighter in the saddle. "I have to find a way."

* * *

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* * *

Link didn't understand why they needed to stop at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab before continuing on to the Tabantha Frontier and Rito Village, but his opinion did not seem to matter very much lately for anything. What Princess Zelda wanted, she most certainly got.

They had set out the day prior, traveling west at an easy pace. It was to be their first real journey together. The princess and her loyal knight. Link could hardly believe that the king would even allow his teenage daughter to travel alone with a man. It seemed unsafe in quite a few ways. Of course, he was called the best swordsman in all of the land, though the sincerity of that title teetered between bitter sarcasm and awe, depending on who said it. There had been quite a few knights intending on competing for the honor of being Princess Zelda's personal protector.

He was certain that any one of them would have made the princess much happier. At least she wasn't glaring at him right now. Instead, she and the Sheikah woman, Purah, were standing over that strange device that the princess carried on her hip. Purah, who was at least a full head shorter than the princess, was standing on a small footstool.

"Hmm, I thought for sure that was going to work," Purah said, tapping her lips. "There is _definitely_ some other functionality that it's missing. I mean, the code definitely mentions some other runes. What could Magnesis mean?"

"I'm still marveling at the images that it can capture." Princess Zelda tapped at the screen a few times. From his vantage, leaning against the brick wall, Link couldn't quite see what she was looking at, but he knew what she spoke of. They and the other Champions had all gathered together after the ceremony to have their photograph taken by Purah.

A slight smile crossed his lips at the memory. Daruk had completely ruined that first photo, but he found that he liked it, anyway. Particularly the way Revali had looked in the image, the pompous—

"What are you smiling at?"

The princess was looking back at him, frowning slightly. With a start, Link realized that he had been staring right at her while thinking about the picture. He stood up straighter, opening his mouth but then hesitated. The brief pause was enough to annoy the princess, who rolled her eyes and turned away from him again.

After a moment, he saw her sigh and look back at him. "You don't… have to just stand there, if you do not wish."

He hesitated and then stepped forward to stand beside her, curious about the device called the Sheikah Slate. An image of Hyrule Field was showing on its face, as clear as though he were looking out of one of the castle's many windows. It was quite beautiful.

"Oh, I meant, if you wanted to—" The princess stopped herself, glancing over at Purah, who shrugged. Link felt a sudden rush of embarrassment wash over him. She hadn't been inviting him to the table—she had been attempting to dismiss him. Well, he was here now, so he might as well stay.

"How does it work?" he said, voice soft.

Purah gasped. "He _can_ speak!"

Link set his jaw, refusing to look at her. He kept his eyes on the Sheikah Slate. After a moment, the princess cleared her throat. "Well, to be honest, we still don't know for sure. But we think it's _this_."

She turned the device over in her hand and used her index finger to tap a small black circle of glass in the center of the Sheikah eye emblazoned onto its back.

"See?"

She turned the Sheikah Slate back over, resting it on one hand while using her other hand to manipulate the screen. She pressed a small green icon, and the screen turned black. Link frowned. Then she carefully used her free hand to grasp the edge of the device and pulled the hand she had been using to support it away. At once, the screen flashed with light and color. It took just a second before the image on its surface came into focus, revealing the wooden table beneath it. She moved her hand back under the Sheikah Slate, but further away now, wiggling her fingers as if to wave. She moved her hand closer to the back of Sheikah Slate until, suddenly, the screen went black again as her hand covered whatever it was that enabled it to take such clear images.

"So, we think that is the aperture for the camera rune, but we do not know how it works," she said, finishing her demonstration by pressing a few more buttons on the screen to take the Sheikah Slate back to its normal state—the dark screen with a couple colored icons in the center.

"But check it! It's only a matter of time before we get it figured out. Pretty soon, I'm going to have this thing all busted open and figure out how all of its internal parts work. And then I'm going to make my own. As soon as I figure out how to actually _open_ it." Purah leaned forward to look around Zelda, grinning at Link.

Link frowned for a moment, considering quietly. "But… how does it help us? Against Calamity Ganon, I mean."

That was the wrong thing to say, it would seem.

Princess Zelda's face suddenly grew flushed, green eyes flashing angrily. "Oh, well, that's just it, isn't it? It's not very useful in a _fight_ , so it's not very useful at all."

He opened his mouth to protest—he hadn't meant it like that at _all_ —but she plowed on ahead, not giving him a chance to speak.

"Why, we should just give up _anything_ that isn't directly related with Calamity Ganon, shouldn't we? I might as well just throw the Sheikah Slate into the river—won't be needing it when I face down the beast, my loyal _knight_ by my side."

He clamped his mouth shut. This was his fault—he never should have even said a word. Every time he tried, something like this happened.

"You know what, Purah? I don't even think I should worry about bathing any longer. After all, it hardly has anything to do with my quest to defeat Ganon! And you never know—perhaps the Goddess will be so overcome by my _stench_ that she will finally answer my prayers!"

Link backed away from the table, face burning with embarrassment. He decided to take Princess Zelda up on her earlier suggestion and walked out of the room, out into the sunlight. He could still hear her sarcastic tone all the way out the door.

* * *

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* * *

Link's eyes opened, revealing the shadowy canopy of trees overhead. Another dream. Another memory. Why this one? What was his subconscious trying to tell him, besides the fact that he and Princess Zelda seemed incapable of sharing a kind word to or about each other when they first began their journey together?

Sighing softly, he pushed himself up to a seated position, peeling back the top of his bedroll. He slipped his legs out from the warm covering, the cool night air immediately chilling him. It felt as though another cold front had passed through in the night, leaving the air considerably cooler than it had been the night prior. He wished that they could have at least had a small fire.

They had made it across the open field without incident, settling down in a forest southeast of a mountain marked on Link's Sheikah Slate as Mount Gustaf. They had been forced to turn south to reach the forest, but it was the only cover around for them to make their camp. Just like the night before, Link had taken the first watch, remaining awake until shortly after midnight. That way Kass could use the cover of darkness to scout out their path for the following day during his watch.

Kass wasn't anywhere within sight. There would likely be at least another hour before they should get moving again—the moon was high overhead. However, knowing that there was little chance that he would get back to sleep with his most recent memory replaying in his head, he walked out of the circle of their small camp in order to answer the call of nature.

Distantly, he thought that he heard a wolf's howl. Then he heard the snap of a branch. A much closer sound. He froze, keeping still as he slowly turned his head, eyes searching the darkness for any sign of movement. For a time, nothing moved, but then he saw it. A red light moving just beyond the shadowy tree trunks.

He squinted, trying to make out the object in the distance. As he focused on it, other details came into view. It wasn't just a single red light, but several lines of light, crisscrossed in patterns reminiscent of constellations. It turned, and now Link saw a brightly glowing blue light. Its eye.

 _Guardian_.

Link threw himself against the nearest tree. A twig cracked under his foot in the process, and the Guardian froze. The blue eye turned slowly to look at the patch of trees that he and Kass had made their camp in. It stood tall on six segmented legs, whole and dangerous. Link could remember all-too-well the damage that it was capable to doing.

He waited, holding his breath, barely peeking out from beyond the tree. He didn't move a muscle, hoping that the Guardian would move on. It didn't. Instead, the Guardian moved closer to the tree line, still peering in in Link's direction. It lifted itself up on its six legs, appearing to try to view in from a higher vantage.

After a moment, it lowered itself and began to move to the side slowly, still peering into the forest, searching. Link hesitantly glanced back towards his gear—his shield and sword were all back near his bedroll and completely out of reach.

The Guardian continued to move, and Link realized with horror that it would be able to see him if it continued on in the direction it was moving. Heart pounding in his chest, he slid around the tree, attempting to keep out of view of the searching blue eye.

 _Just leave. Go. There's nothing here._

The Guardian stopped moving—it was close enough that Link could hear the faint sounds of its clawed feet striking the ground. For as large as it was, it was surprisingly quiet while in movement. Link hesitantly peeked out from behind the tree again and nearly cried out in surprise—the Guardian had moved even _closer_ to the tree line, and its blue eye was close enough now that he could see it pulse.

He waited, holding his breath. No fire came. No blast of energy or searing heat. No bright flash. Finally, the Guardian backed up from the forest, its blue eye turning away. It seemed to consider for a moment and then continued on its way, walking silently into the night.

Link closed his eyes tightly and leaned his forehead against the rough tree bark, breathing heavily. Cold sweat had broken out all over his body. He was trembling.

 _Goddess, how am I supposed to face those things again?_ They had killed him once. Would they kill him again? Somehow, he doubted that he would be waking up in another one hundred years, if they did.

Eventually, Link heard the soft whoosh of air that signified Kass' return to the camp. He finally moved away from the tree, walking back on unsteady feet.

"Did you—"

"Yes." Kass looked at him, concern clearly visible in his eyes. "It appears to have moved on for now. We should leave right away, in case it returns."

Link nodded, and they worked quickly to gather up their supplies. Link placed the saddle onto Spirit's back and tightened it down. "It's a good thing that it didn't see Spirit," he said.

"They don't attack animals." Kass glanced over at Link. "I saw another one tonight move right past a deer. It did not attack it, though I am certain that it must have seen it. The deer showed no fear in its presence, either."

Link frowned. "Maybe it's not aggressive anymore?"

"I do not think that is it," Kass said, shaking his head. "There are many stories of people being attacked while traveling too close to the castle. It is one of the reasons that so few people venture into Hyrule Field anymore. The stories would have one believe that there were Guardians all the way south to the Great Plateau."

Link wasn't sure what he thought about that. It was good to hear that they did not attack indiscriminately, true. He imagined that the forests in this area would have long since been burned down if they did. _On the other hand, it means that they've been redesigned to attack only certain living things._

"Do they target the other monsters?"

"I do not know, though I suspect that they must, due to the clear division between their territories. Monsters try to avoid traveling too far north, presumably to avoid entangling themselves with the Guardians."

They finished packing their camp, and Link grasped Spirit's reins. Together, he and Kass began to travel west, remaining in the cover of the trees as long as they could. Finally, as the sky began to brighten in the east, they exited the forest and angled north. They would rejoin the road soon and enter what Link feared to be the most dangerous leg of their journey.

The only way across the river that encircled Central Hyrule without going days out of their way would be the Carok Bridge, just north of Mount Gustaf. It was far closer to the ruins of Castle Town than either of them were comfortable with, especially now that a Guardian had patrolled so close.

There was also the growing fear of a Yiga ambush. Likely, several of the would-be assassins knew by now that he had not traveled south on the road to the Gerudo desert. The ones lying in wait near Death Mountain may have also realized by now that Link's horse was gone. They could be following across Hyrule Field. Worse, some could already be lying in wait for Link and Kass. The bridge would make for an excellent location to stage an ambush.

The grass here grew particularly tall, easily reaching up to Link's knees and, at times, his hips. Kass occasionally took flight to do a wide circle around them, ensuring that the Guardian hadn't turned back towards them. So far, it hadn't, remaining a couple of miles to the northeast. The hazy pre-dawn light prevented Link from making out its distant figure. To matters worse, fog was beginning to settle into the valley, reducing their visibility even further.

He led Spirit by the reins again, but they moved with much greater haste than before. The sooner they reached the bridge and left Hyrule Field, the better. To their left, Mount Gustaf rose. Being near it was a hopeful sign—they were not so far from their destination now. They would reach it by mid-afternoon—even quicker, if they maintained their current pace.

"Have you experienced any more memories, Link?" Kass asked, his voice sounding tense. The fog was beginning to grow thicker, obscuring Hyrule Castle, as well as most of the other surrounding landmarks. It was unnerving.

The Rito probably needed to fly overhead again soon, but he admitted that the reoccurring take-offs and landings were beginning to take their toll on his body. Kass was growing weary, finding it increasingly difficult to gain the necessary altitude to remain safe and to do so quickly enough to be unnoticed. So, he filled the nervous silence with words.

Link could hardly blame him, though he wasn't sure that he wished to discuss the memories that he had been having lately. Ever since arriving in Hyrule Field, he had been having flashes of memory, even outside of the dreams. Unfortunately, other than his brief memories of his father, many of them had left him feeling emotionally drained and… disappointed.

"I… think that I'm remembering my first trip to Rito Village with the princess."

He could remember setting out from the castle with Princess Zelda, riding out of the stables side-by-side. He could remember their first tense night under the stars. She had erected a tent for herself, and he had cooked a simple stew for them to share. He didn't think a single word had passed between them that night.

"Is that so? What was the purpose of the trip, if you don't mind my asking? Something with the Divine Beast, I presume?"

"That's right," Link said, not meeting Kass' eyes. He kept looking around for any sign of enemies. The fog was too thick to see anything well, anymore. "Revali had asked her to visit and make some adjustments. Something about how it couldn't bank as well to the left as it could the right."

He could remember her muttering to herself while sitting in her saddle, a little notebook in her hand. He didn't think that she realized he was listening to her. Not that he had understood most of what she said—she had used words and phrases that still had no meaning to him, even now.

"She also had to speak to the Elder about…" Link frowned, looking down as he concentrated. " _Something_. I can't remember what it was."

Something about the memory of seeing the princess sitting alone, speaking to herself, brought a warmth to Link's heart. He didn't need his other memories to realize that must have been a common occurrence with her.

 _"I do my best thinking aloud. I assume that doesn't bother you?"_

"Hmm… I am not surprised that retracing your steps, as we are doing, would help you recall certain memories. If you have any memories of Revali, I would like to hear them. He holds a certain legendary status among the Rito people, and I have found it surprisingly difficult to learn much about what he was actually like, outside of the stories."

"Yeah, I'll—"

The sound of a horn cut through the quiet morning, echoing off the mountain. Link cursed and whirled, looking around wildly, but could not find anything through the fog. Had they been spotted?

 _Maybe it's something else. Not related to us at all. If we just keep going—_

"There." Kass pointed into the fog, and Link narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the shape. A moment later, he cursed, pulling the bow from around his shoulder and slapping Spirit's rump to cause the horse to trot away.

The shadowy shape of a bokoblin on horseback came into view, riding hard with a wild expression on its pig-like face. It held a long wooden shaft with one end sharpened to a point, which it lowered in an attempt to run Link through.

An arrow suddenly sprouted from the center of the bokoblin's chest. It looked down in surprise but made no sound as a second arrow lodged into its throat. The bokoblin slipped sideways, dropping the makeshift spear to the soft earth. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't alone. Four more mounted shapes had appeared in the fog, all galloping towards Link and Kass.

"Get in the air, Kass," Link said, eyes darting between the four approaching shapes. There were too many of them to take out with bowshot.

"Link—"

" _Go_. Circle overhead. Warn me if more are coming!" Link shot another arrow, this one sinking into a bokoblin's shoulder, causing it to cry out in pain, and then rushed forward, slinging the bow over his shoulder again. He grabbed up the fallen spear just in time to thrust it up into the ribs of another mounted bokoblin. The wooden shaft was long enough that he was able to plant its butt into the ground, successfully skewering the bokoblin and driving it off of its mount entirely.

He couldn't afford to look back to make sure Kass had done as he ordered. Another bokoblin was galloping towards him, wielding a sword with a broken tip. He pulled his spear free of the bokoblin that he'd run through and tried to do the same again, but this bokoblin knocked his spear out of the way with its sword. Link barely avoided being trampled by the horse in the process.

 _Not good. They probably heard us talking—no way they saw us through the fog._

An arrow sank into the ground at Link's feet, and he broke into a run, narrowly avoiding another thin shaft as it flew past his head. Before he could get a sense for where the archer was, however, the bokoblin that he'd wounded with an arrow earlier was there, furiously swinging a spiked club at Link's head.

Link tried to parry the blow with his spear, but the bokoblin had better leverage. His blow knocked the spear out of Link's hands, sending it clattering to the ground. Link pulled the small knife free of his belt and ducked forward, under another swing of its club, and swiped it across the bokoblin's exposed thigh. It howled in agony, dropping its club, which struck Link painfully in the back as it fell.

The bokoblin kicked its horse back into motion, racing away, and Link stowed his knife again. He grabbed the fallen club in one hand, and the spear in the other, eyes darting around for his next foe. The sword-wielding bokoblin was still out there, as was the archer.

He began to move again, which proved fortunate. Another arrow whizzed past him.

 _There!_ He could make out the shape of the archer, but it was further away than he had expected. Maybe they could see through the fog better than he could? No time to think about it another, as the sound of hooves approaching informed him of the sword-wielder's second approach.

Link whirled and hefted the spear over his shoulder. After a second, he found the bokoblin in the fog and threw the spear like a javelin. His aim wasn't perfect, but it still had the desired effect. The spear sank deep into the bokoblin's shoulder, knocking it cleanly off its horse to the ground.

 _Just got to get the archer._

Link whirled again, looking into the fog for any sign of the last mounted and armed bokoblin. He spotted a dark shadow a moment later and frowned. That looked too large… Too tall…

"Link, _run_!" Kass swooped down low, his normally calm voice suddenly panicked. Link's blood ran cold.

The Guardian suddenly emerged through the fog, six legs propelling it smoothly into view. One of the bokoblins yelled something in their guttural language, and the Guardian turned its head toward it. It was the archer, who desperately shot an arrow towards the hulking machine of stone and metal. The arrow bounced harmlessly off its black body.

The Guardian's red lights pulsed more brightly, and there was a flash of blinding white light. Link watched in horror as the beam of energy lanced through the fog, burning a line of it away in an instant. The beam struck the bokoblin and its horse in an explosion of fire. The horse screamed, lying on its side, half of its body engulfed in flames, and what was left of the bokoblin wasn't even able to do that.

Frozen, Link could only stare at the carnage. He wasn't breathing. He wasn't thinking.

 _Six legs, clambering over burning wreckage. A blue eye pulsing amidst flames, aiming right at him, preparing to finally end his life._

 _"No!"_

The other remaining mounted bokoblin was bolting, racing away as fast as it could on its horse. The Guardian tracked it with its swiveling head and rose up higher on its legs. It fired again, and Link saw the ground under the bokoblin erupt. The horse and its master tumbled through the air, broken.

"You must _run_ , Link! Move!" Kass was still circling overhead, flapping his wings madly. Link knew it was difficult for him to maintain speed and momentum this low to the ground.

But Link couldn't tear his eyes away from the Guardian. It slowly rotated its cylindrical head, blue eye searching. It saw Link. The lights on its body seemed to pulse with excitement, and it rose up taller on its long legs, preparing to fire. And, still, Link was frozen. Fear gripped him in its inescapable vice.

Kass suddenly swooped low and stopped his forward momentum with a powerful flap of his wings. With surprising smoothness, all while suspended in midair, he grabbed his bow from between his talons and took aim. He shot an arrow that struck the Guardian directly in the eye.

The Guardian spasmed, the lights on its body flickering wildly. Kass dropped the bow, catching it in his outstretched talon, and flapped hard to maintain altitude. His feet briefly touched the ground before he took off again, flying low over the grass.

The Guardian shook off the attack a moment later, turning its head to track Kass' flight. It fired a line of energy towards the Rito, but Kass banked right just in time, narrowly avoiding being struck. Link finally broke into a sprint to the waiting Spirit, who pranced nervously.

Link swung himself up into the saddle. The Guardian fired again towards Kass, but the Rito had gained enough distance and altitude now to avoid the attack. So, the Guardian turned its attention onto a much closer target. Link kicked Spirit into a gallop.

A beam of energy lanced out, striking the side of Mount Gustaf just behind Link. Ducking low over Spirit's back, Link spurred the horse into as fast a sprint as they had ever done. Behind him, Link could hear the Guardian give chase, its legs propelling it forward to match Link's speed.

Link guided Spirit onto the dirt road, nearly overgrown now by underuse. Behind him, the Guardian pursued, sending another lance of white hot energy across the ground nearby, igniting the grass in a line. He took a moment to look ahead to their path, and then turned Spirit north, back off of the road. The road ahead formed a canal, blocked in on both sides by the mountain and a combination of trees and old ruins on the other. He would be an easy target.

Spirit leaped over a log, nearly unseating Link. He leaned lower in the saddle, wind rushing by as they ran. Link heard the log crunch under the Guardian behind them.

 _Come on, boy. Go faster. Just a bit faster!_

Spirit weaved around a tree in their path, which exploded a moment later in a plume of fire. Link could feel the heat on his back. He glanced back, noting that the Guardian had fallen behind them, though they were hardly out of danger yet.

He spotted a series of rocky outcroppings nearby and angled Spirit towards them. _Almost there!_ A shadow passed by to his right, and Link glanced up, seeing Kass flying high overhead. He was still there, even though Link had told him to fly home in a situation like this. Oh well—there was no time to worry about it now.

He looked over his shoulder, looking to where the Guardian was located now, and then turned Spirit into the rocky outcrops, zigzagging around several of the stone pillars. He heard another energy blast strike the outcrop that they'd just passed, shattering stone. The constant back and forth slowed their progress, but it also broke the line of sight, which was far more important to Link at the moment.

He could hear the Guardian reach the outcrops behind them and glanced back, unable to see it any longer. He kept Spirit moving forward until they abruptly exited the rocky area and entered a thick wood. Link halted Spirit in the shadowy center of the forest, looking around for any sign of the Guardian.

For a moment, there was only silence. No Guardian fire, no mechanical legs tearing up earth and scrabbling over stone. And then he heard it. The sound was strange and alien to him—a series of whirs and beeps that didn't sound at all natural. He ducked low on Spirit, eyes open and searching.

Finally, he saw it, just outside of the grove of trees, its red lights pulsing. It had paused, turning its head this way and that, shuffling on its long legs. It fixed its gaze on the trees. Link held his breath. The Guardian turned and began walking away from the trees, further north. The lights on its body seemed to dim as it did so.

Link released his breath in a groan, pressing his face to Spirit's mane. The horse was breathing heavily as well, sides heaving. He foamed around the bit in his mouth. Link dismounted and pulled Spirit's face to his, rubbing his nose comfortingly.

"You did great," he said in a whisper. He pressed his face to Spirit's briefly and then pulled away, keeping hold of the reins, and walking back the way he had come, leaving the trees and entering the rocky outcroppings.

Now that he wasn't racing through, he was able to inspect the stone with a more critical eye. The rocks were far too uniform to be natural. He could see places where stone had been sheared off and gathered in large blocks.

 _Another quarry, just like the one in Akkala._

It made sense. Hyrule Castle would have needed an incredible amount of stone to build it, so it was only natural to build it near a quarry. The quarry seemed to be a large one too, considering how long it had taken he and Spirit to cross it. Looking at the various rocky pillars, Link wondered if this had once been a hill or small mountain.

As they slowly made their way through, a shadow crossed his path. A moment later, Link felt a rush of wind as Kass landed in front of him, breathing heavily. His feathers were considerably ruffled, but he otherwise looked unharmed. Good.

Link nodded to him but said nothing, simply continuing on his way, drawn towards the center of the quarry. Somehow, he knew what he would find there. Kass fell in beside him, also not speaking. Perhaps after such a harrowing experience, no words needed to be said.

Finally, they found what Link expected. In the center of the quarry, surrounded on three sides by sloped stone walls, was a glowing Sheikah shrine.

Link released Spirit's reins and moved forward, climbing the sloped walls enough to peek over their tops. The castle was far closer now, just across a thick moat, looming high above him. The quarry was just on the outskirts of the Castle Town, and from this vantage, Link could see the old city stretched out before him.

The buildings had been leveled—all of them. The city had long since died, burned to ash in the initial attacks by the Guardians. The foundations and a few broken stone walls, almost entirely covered in the dark Malice substance, were all that remained.

Except for the Guardians.

The old Castle Town was infested. He saw several of them crawling over the broken remains of his civilization, and they were joined by at least four of the flying types as well, which hovered over the bridge that led up to the castle. He even saw several broken Guardians, some missing legs or other chunks of their body, but still very much so alive, glowing with the same red light as their whole brethren.

Link ducked his head back below the surface, sliding down the slope to rejoin Kass at the bottom. They had crossed far more north than planned in their flight from the Guardian, now well and truly in Ganon's territory. The air even felt different here—oily and foul, like the air in the Divine Beasts. It didn't surprise him, considering the amount of Malice that he had seen.

They exchanged a look of concern, and then Link stepped up to the shrine, pressing his Sheikah Slate onto the pedestal by its door.


	32. Chapter Thirty

**Whoops! I'll be honest, today turned out busier than expected and then there was a Smash Brothers Direct and... well, I almost totally forgot to post a chapter today! I'm rushing out the door, so no review replies this time. I'll try to catch up on them with the next chapter, however! That being said, I think many of you will greatly enjoy... and hate what comes in this chapter. Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty**

Food sizzled in the cookpot as Link sat by it, poking at the mixture with a critical eye. Something was missing… He could tell just by looking at it. The consistency seemed right, but something about the coloring bothered him. What was it? Rabbit meat, rice, some carrots and herbs…

Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Link turned and rummaged through the saddlebag that he had pulled off of Spirit's saddle. This was rapidly becoming his cooking pack, as he kept most of his ingredients and foodstuffs in this one. He even started strapping the cookpot to it during travel—might as well keep it all together. He pulled out a small glass jar full of a red substance slightly courser than powder. Goron spices.

He unscrewed the lid and tapped some of the spice into the stew, stirring it in. Still not satisfied, he continued to tap and stir until, finally, the color seemed right. Smiling, he screwed the lid back on and stowed the spice into the saddlebag. He lifted the wooden spoon to his lips and tasted the dish. It was…

 _Spicy_.

Coughing as the spice hit the back of his throat, Link used his waterskin to wash it down, which only helped a small degree. However, for all its heat, it had an excellent taste. So that was good, at least.

Kass watched him curiously from across their small camp, his face lit by the warm fire. He seemed to be smiling. "You know," he said, finally. "I never imagined that you would be such an accomplished cook. That wasn't a quality ever spoken of in the songs and stories that my teacher told me."

Link glanced up at Kass and shrugged, smiling. "I feel like it's one of those things just beginning to come back." He looked down at the dish. "I don't even know what this is. Can't remember its name." Kass laughed and Link's smile widened. It felt good to sit here in the warmth of the fire.

They left Central Hyrule the day prior. After the Guardian chase, Link had activated the Sheikah Shrine, traveling into its depths and completing its trials. He was growing more adept at seeing the solutions that the Sheikah intended for him to take, as well as some alternate methods to skip portions of the shrine puzzles. Or perhaps they had intended on him finding such shortcuts, having positioned things just right to allow him to make use of them. He had no idea what the designers intended.

After the shrine, they continued west, crossing the bridge into North Hyrule without being accosted by any more Guardians or monsters. No Yiga ambush awaited them on the bridge, or that evening, as they sat and lay quietly under a large overhang of rock. As the next day dawned, both of their spirits lifted considerably, and they continued on their journey.

Still making their way west, they passed through a deep canyon. The rock formations formed overhangs overhead that looked like sharp teeth, giving Link the impression that they were in the maw of some great beast. They encountered a group of monsters along the way, but the creatures did not prove to be a challenge for Link to cut down. After that, the only other living things they spotted in the canyon were the occasional keese that slept in caves or crevices.

The road had forked at one point, with one branch traveling straight north and the other southwest. It had peaked Link's interest as he looked down the north road. He knew that he had traveled on it before, yet he found that his memory refused to give up its secrets as to what the road held. Kass had offered to let them take the detour, but he decided otherwise. He could spend his whole life chasing down hidden memories, or he could continue on his mission.

They had finally made camp a short time after exiting the canyon. It wasn't that late yet, but Spirit was beginning to show signs of weariness. The long trek across the field had taken its toll on them all, and they were still barely halfway to their final destination. Better to get rest while they could.

Camp had been made in the shadow of a large tree-like plant that rose high on a thick trunk before its top flared out in a flat-topped disk made of thick, interwoven wood and long, green needles. Link had no memory of such trees, but Kass informed him that they were called Seres dragon blood trees.

"So why are they called dragon blood trees?" Link asked after doling out a bowl of the stew to Kass and settling down on the ground to eat his own. He looked up, gazing at the canopy overhead. The sun had begun to set and, with it, the air was cooling noticeably. The climate here was cooler than it had been in the central region, despite the warmth of the late spring. He was thankful that they had decided it was safe to build a fire tonight.

"That is actually a tale that I would prefer not to tell you just yet," Kass said, smiling at Link. At Link's curious expression, he continued. "You'll know soon enough."

Link raised one of his eyebrows, now more curious than ever. Kass was usually very forthcoming with information. After a moment, though, he accepted it, trusting that Kass was being honest. Apparently, Link would know soon enough.

He lifted his first spoonful of the food to his lips, tasting it. His tongue burned with its spice, but it was deliciously savory at the same time, the rice having soaked up much of the meat and vegetables flavors.

"I'm not sure if I've ever seen you looking so content," Kass observed after a few moments of silence. He had begun eating his own food and hadn't commented on its heat.

The statement caught Link off guard, and he looked up from his dish, which he had already almost finished.

"Forgive me for my observations, but it seems to me that you thrive in this sort of environment. You often seem uncomfortable when surrounded by people, but out here you are happier. Content, as I said."

It was true enough, Link thought as he stirred the food remaining in his bowl. He didn't like being in the center of attention. Being around crowds made him feel on edge. But it wasn't that he was some kind of recluse or loner. He enjoyed having friends. He felt better when traveling with a companion.

"I don't mind people," he finally said. He had even enjoyed the celebrations in Goron City. They had lauded him as much as the Zora and the Sheikah had, yet he hadn't felt nearly as uncomfortable around them as he did around the others. Their attitude towards him had been different. Even as they celebrated his actions, they had also treated him like an equal. A brother. He was as likely to be cursed at by an old Goron he had disturbed as he was to be clapped on the back by another. "I think I just don't like being placed on a pedestal to be gawked at."

"Hmm…" Kass nodded thoughtfully. "A difficult proposition, considering what you have set out to do."

"I'm getting used to it." Link sighed. "I may not like it, but it… It seems to help."

"It gives the people hope," Kass supplied.

 _Hope_. Just like Impa had said. He thought to his blue Champion's tunic, tucked away in Spirit's saddlebags. He hadn't worn it on his trip through Hyrule Field, and he didn't dare wear it now. Any Yiga they passed would surely know of it.

"My friend, I know that you do not wish to be held in such high regard, and I apologize for my own role in denying that wish to you. But you must understand that your presence here signals a shift in our world. Not just the Zora and Gorons, whom you've saved from terrible fates, but even those we met at the Wetlands stable."

Link frowned. The day before traveling into Hyrule Field, they had met at the stable, remaining there for the night. There hadn't been many travelers there, though Link had recognized many of the same faces that he'd seen on his first stop there. Permanent residents, it seemed.

"I don't understand," he said.

"Ahh, but of course. You only saw them after I had been playing for a time." Kass nodded, considering. "Link, do you know why I love telling stories?"

"Because you love imparting knowledge?"

"Yes, that is true, in part, but it is not the only reason." Kass set down his bowl and reached over, picking up his instrument case and undoing the series of metal latches on it. He opened the lid and lifted out his concertina, gazing down at it fondly.

"You see, I have found that music and storytelling have an incredible effect on emotions. Hopes. Dreams. A simple key change can affect the entire outcome of a story. I can tell a story of a brave knight facing down hordes of demons, eventually falling to his death before their overwhelming numbers." He played a long note, low and somber. "And the story can either be a tragedy—a tale of the woes of fighting the inevitable—or it can be a tale of bravery, honor, and sacrifice." He played another note, this one fuller and stronger.

Link immediately felt a shift in his perception of the image in his mind. The first tone had projected a desperate feel—hopeless. The other gave him the sense of a single man standing tall and defiant, fighting to save the ones that he loved. The end was the same in each case, yet so different. Which had he been on that field one hundred years ago?

"The men and women of Hyrule often feel like that knight to me, barely surviving. Monsters only grow stronger each day, the Calamity rages more and more often, and now even nature itself seems to be in upheaval, thanks to the Divine Beasts. And for years, they have been like the first man, desperate and hopeless. Awaiting the inevitable doom.

"But lately, it seems to me that the residents of Hyrule are standing taller than before. No longer do they merely survive, but they want to fight back. I used to try to use my music and storytelling to accomplish such a shift in people's hearts, though it was often only a temporary change. Now I find that I don't have to as much."

Kass looked up from his concertina, smiling warmly at Link. "You've brought hope back into their lives, Link. You've fought the very elements of nature and won with barely a scratch on you. You've traveled across half of the land, righting wrongs and saving lives. Yes, I have done a little to spread the tales of your victories, but I have only hastened the process.

"The land is changing for the first time in one hundred years. It feels as though…" Kass paused, considering, as he looked up towards the darkening sky. "As though spring has arrived after a long winter."

"Huh."

"Link?"

Link looked at Kass, tearing his eyes away from the dancing flames under the cookpot. "It's just that… That's what Impa wanted me to do. To give hope. That's why she gave me the tunic and insisted that I not hide my mission."

"She has seen much. Likely, she knows full well the power that hope can bring to a desperate people."

"I'm… happy. That I've been able to help." Link looked up. The sky had become a deep purple now. "I want to see this land free from Ganon, Kass. I want to see new towns being built. I'm _tired_ of seeing ruins everywhere."

"Have you spared any thought to what you will do _after_? After you defeat Ganon?"

Link took a long time to reply. "I don't really know. What does a wandering hero do when there is no longer any evil to fight?"

"The land shall need leaders."

"What, like as king?" Link looked back down at him, eyes opening with alarm.

"Not necessarily, though I have no doubt that some might whisper your name for such a role after all you've done and will do in the future." The thought sent a chill down Link's spine. He thought of his little cottage in Hateno Village and of cooking under the stars. He could have neither of those things if he became king.

"But there are other ways to lead than from a throne. Your memories hold key information, though you might not yet remember them. We have lost much knowledge of the old world since the Calamity. Individuals such as yourself or Impa will be vital to the rebuilding effort."

What knowledge could he bring, though? He… knew how to fight, that was true. He could teach others swordplay. From what he had been told and seen in Zora's Domain, he had even already done so in the past. Could he be a military leader? A general in a new Hyrulean army? A Knight Captain?

 _Duty_. That was what it came down to, wasn't it? Even if he accomplished everything that he set out to do, he would still do his duty, no matter where that took him.

Briefly, he thought of the princess, and suddenly, he wondered what she would want to do, if he freed her. Surely, she would become queen. He thought of the memories that he had of her. Her disdain for him notwithstanding, she always seemed more comfortable when in her traveling clothes than anything formal. Would she want the throne, if offered to her after so many years?

Link felt as though he should know the answer to that question, yet he didn't think that he knew the princess as well as he thought he had before Death Mountain. After the memory at the Spring of Power and the subsequent conversation with her, he thought that he had a good sense of who she was, but now…

 _People can change._ Link frowned, shaking his head slightly. He was being unfair, and he knew it. There was no doubt in his mind that the memories he had begun to see since entering Death Mountain had come from before the Spring of Power. She had obviously changed. Their relationship had changed.

And yet, he couldn't shake the look on her face when her father announced that Link would be her knight.

 _"Father, no."_

"I can see that I have set your mind spinning," Kass intoned a few moments later, smiling sympathetically. "I apologize. Of course, your focus should be on the now, rather than tomorrow. I merely cannot help myself but to wonder at what the future will bring. What kind of world shall our children grow up in?"

Link shook his head, meeting Kass' eyes and smiling. "I'm all right. Just… doing some wondering myself, I suppose."

He pushed the negative thoughts from his mind and moved closer to the fire, scooping out another bowl's worth of the dish. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Curry." Kass looked up at him curiously. "It's curry. Rabbit curry."

Kass smiled broadly and lifted his bowl in a kind of toast. Link felt a smile of his own cross his lips as he sat back down, steaming bowl of curry in hand.

* * *

The next day's travels passed by pleasantly. They passed by a location labeled as Hyrule Ridge on the Sheikah Slate. In the distance to the north, Link saw many more of the dragon blood trees, some growing dozens of feet tall. Black clouds had gathered over a large patch of them, sending rain and lightning down among the trees, and the storm did not appear to be in any hurry to move on.

"Thunder plateau," Kass informed him as they walked along the road. "There is a perpetual thunder storm over it that has been there for as long as anyone can remember. I even know several stories of intrepid adventurers who have braved the storm while looking for treasure."

It made Link think of Divine Beast Vah Ruta and its strange control over the weather. He wondered if there was any Sheikah technology somehow behind the storm but had little interest in trying to find out for himself as he watched jagged lightning fork down to strike the ground.

When they rested for the night, it was at another of the stables that Link was growing familiar with throughout the land. This one had been placed right under a particularly large dragon blood tree that rose at least fifty feet in the air overhead. Like the other stables that Link had encountered, this one seemed to have a small group of people that lived and worked in this area permanently. He wasn't quite sure how they remained viable, with how few travelers he saw on the roads, but Kass assured him that they got enough business on this side of Hyrule Field.

Link hadn't been sure about staying at the stable, considering his concerns over the Yiga threat, but he hadn't seen a way around it. Even if they moved on, whatever Yiga _were_ at the stable would simply follow them and attack in the night. Perhaps this way, the presence of others would at least give them pause before attacking.

Still, though, Link paid for a private room, which he shared with Kass. The door could not lock, so he and Kass slept in shifts, as they had been doing throughout their journey together. Nothing happened in the night, however, and the next morning Kass roused Link early, informing him that he wished to show him something.

"What is it?" Link asked as he tightened his belt before sitting on his bunk to slide his feet into his boots.

"You will see. Trust me—you will not want to miss it!" Kass beamed at him before exiting the room.

Link looked longingly to his bed—he'd been having a good dream, though he couldn't quite remember what it had been anymore. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now that he was up, though, he stood and walked out into the stable's common room.

It took him a moment to find Kass, who stood by one of the curtained entrances. Link stepped towards him, passing by a man sitting cross-legged on the floor, a small table set out before him. He appeared to be a merchant of sorts, as he had an assortment of items on the table, each meticulously placed and organized. There was a massive backpack sitting on the floor beside him. When he saw Link looking at the table, the man grinned broadly at him. "Hello there!"

Link smiled politely at the man but kept moving, walking out under the curtain that Kass held open for him. Once outside, they walked past a paddock containing a small herd of goats and approached a long bridge that crossed the canyon that separated this region from the Tabantha region.

Link had caught sight of the bridge the night before when they arrived, but he hadn't noticed the large wind pumps that caught the wind and spun to face it. They stood tall on poles dozens of feet tall, their blades just barely emerging from the lip of the canyon. There were several of them spread throughout the canyon. A lazy breeze blew through the canyon, ruffling Link's hair and causing some of the fans to turn and face the breeze, their blade spinning.

They reached the bridge, and Kass held out a feathered hand to signal for Link to stop. Link did so and frowned at Kass, looking around. What were they here to see? Why had it been so imperative to get out here quickly—and so early? Most of the stable's other residents had not yet emerged.

"Kass?"

The tall Rito shook his head, glancing down at Link. He held up one finger, and then looked back up the canyon, where it snaked to the northeast. "Just wait. Trust me." Link fell silent, waiting as Kass did, eyes searching the canyon. What were they waiting on?

The wind picked up, catching more of the wind fans, causing them to slowly turn to face the same direction. Distantly, the first rays of sunlight emerged over the tops of the dragon blood trees. Silence fell as the insects and birds all ceased their morning songs.

The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood on end, and he looked around. Nothing made a noise, with the exception of the wind pumps, which continued to spin with the breeze.

Suddenly, the breeze became a gale that howled down the canyon. All of the remaining fans spun, snapping into place, their blades spinning rapidly. Wind chimes attached to the stable's gutters began to tinkle with a soft, soothing sound. A red glow appeared from just around a bend in the canyon.

Link took a step closer to the canyon's edge, frowning and gazing in the direction of the glow. _What…_

Kass placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Not too close."

Something long and sinuous appeared from around the bend, its body undulating as it floated on the wind. It swam through the air like an eel swam through water. It had a long, scaly snout topped with two serpentine horns and a white mane of fur behind the horns; its body was long and lithe with several pairs of short legs, spines along its back, and a long tail ending with even more of the spines positioned dangerously around it.

Link gasped, eyes widening as he looked at the impossibly large creature that seemed to fill the entire canyon with its presence. "Dragon…" he whispered, voice not audible over the gusting wind and tinkling of the wind chimes.

The dragon _flowed_ down the canyon, approaching the bridge, never changing its slow, purposeful pace. It flew with supernatural grace, its body rising and falling rhythmically. As it got closer, Link could see that its horns and spines all glowed with a fiery orange light, and that it released small puffs of fire from its snout as it exhaled. The air grew noticeably warmer as the dragon approached.

"What is it?" Link asked, breathless. The dragon reached the bridge and flew under it, continuing on its way down the canyon.

"Dinraal," Kass said, watching the dragon pass with a warm smile. "There are three dragons that inhabit this land. Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh." Kass inclined his head towards the red dragon. "She inhabits the region near Death Mountain and Akkala and travels through this canyon each morning. The other dragons, who inhabit Mount Lanayru and the Faron Marshlands respectively, each follow similar patterns, though they tend to be less predictable."

"Din," Link said, watching as the dragon's tail passed under the bridge and out the other side. "Nayru. Farore."

Kass looked at him with some surprise. "Yes, that is right. I'm surprised you knew that. Most Hyruleans appear to have forgotten the creation legend. I only know of it because of some of the ancient texts left me by my teacher after he passed."

He could see in his mind's eye large stone dragon's maw in the center of a thick jungle. Old. Ancient. Covered in moss. Its teeth worn down to smooth, round nubs from the years. The inside was shadowy, but he could just make out the upper half of the statue of the Hylia within. The Spring of Courage. Princess Zelda was within, though he could not see her from his vantage, outside of the dragon's maw and at the bottom of a series of steps.

 _Din. Nayru. Farore._ _Each of the three springs is aligned with one of the three ancient goddesses._ Princess Zelda's voice blossomed in Link's mind. That is what she had told him before entering the spring. _I will pray at each of them in hopes of unlocking my powers._

She had been unsuccessful there, just as she had been at the Spring of Power. That just left…

"Kass, do you know where the Spring of Wisdom is?"

"Hmm… The songs speak of the three goddess springs. Courage, Wisdom, and Power. The Spring of Wisdom is said to be to the northeast, but I do not know its exact location. I would likely place it within the Lanayru region. Perhaps on the mountain."

Link nodded slowly, trying to focus his mind on the final spring. It held significance to him, but his memories of the place refused to surface. Had they never made it to the spring? Was that, perhaps, why he could remember nothing of it? Perhaps Ganon had returned prior to their trip to that final location. Perhaps that was why Princess Zelda's powers had not awakened until it was too late.

"Link? Have you seen another memory?"

Link shook his head, but then hesitated. "Something like that. I'm still sorting through it." He met Kass' eyes. The dragon had rounded another bend in the canyon, disappearing from his view. "I'll tell you about it once we get on the road."

Kass nodded, and they turned back to the stable to gather their things. Within the hour, they had packed up their gear and set out again with Link on Spirit's back and Kass flying overhead to ensure the path ahead was safe.

* * *

Link stared up at the cliff face before him, eyes searching out the handholds in its surface. While some places were less steep than others, there were also sections that were sheer and even slightly inverted. It would be a difficult climb alone. With Kass' help, however, it should simple enough, though.

Only a little over an hour had passed since they set out on the next leg of their journey before Link stopped them, calling Kass down. Link's eyes were fixed on a series of broken pillars atop the canyon wall that brought Link a sense of familiarity as he looked at them. He'd been here before.

When Kass told him that there was also a Sheikah Shrine atop the cliff, it made up Link's mind.

"Just take this end of the rope and tie it to one of the pillars, all right?" Link held one end of the rope out to Kass. He doubted the length of rope would be quite long enough to reach down to the ground, but it would be close enough.

Kass took the rope, looping it over his chest, and then glanced around. After a moment's consideration, he began to run back the way they had come, spreading his wings and taking flight. He flew in a long arc, slowly gaining altitude until reaching the right height, landing on the ridge overhead. A minute later, the rope was flung down the side of the cliff. As Link expected, it did not quite reach down far enough for him to grasp from the ground.

He approached the cliff face and rubbed his hands together, considering the wall before him. Finally, taking a breath, he began to climb. His fingers found the narrow ledges and crevices necessary, and he made quick work, climbing the twenty feet necessary to reach the dangling rope. Once he had grasped it, the rest of the climb was much easier.

When he crested the top, Link stood up straighter and looked around, taking in the sight. The ground leveled out here, though he could see that the ground sloped down the further west it went. On the side opposite of where Link climbed, it ended with a severe drop off into the Tanagar Canyon, where the dragon had flown through earlier. Atop it was a series of large, round columns and arches, most of which remained standing, despite their great age. Other structures dotted the ground, too—the remains of whatever old buildings once stood atop this plateau.

All of the columns and buildings seemed to be pointing to and housing an ancient Sheikah Shrine that shone with orange lights on its eastern end, near where Link stood. It had once been enshrined in square of columns, but many of these had since collapsed or been worn down by the elements.

Link stepped towards the shrine and looked down in surprise as his foot found the remains of a stone floor. The floor was made up of stone tiles with elaborate designs carved into their surfaces. He looked back up at the shrine, approaching it.

When he reached it and stepped up onto its base, he turned and looked around, eyes gazing over his surroundings.

"I've been up here before…" he said, frowning. It seemed painfully familiar to him, yet no memory was forthcoming. What had happened here?

Kass opened his mouth, but Link shook his head, concentrating. _What is it about this place_? He turned and looked up at the Sheikah symbols on the shrine, finding them off somehow. _They weren't glowing the last time I was here, were they_? That was it. The shrine had been inert, and Princess Zelda had… what? What was she doing?

He grimaced, trying again to remember—to recall what he was missing. But nothing surfaced. His memories remained as opaque as ever. After several minutes of silence, Link finally shook his head. "Nothing." He looked at Kass. "I'm going to complete the shrine. Maybe I'll teleport back here later and figure it out."

Link turned, unclipping the Sheikah Slate from his belt and approached the round pedestal, glowing with the orange Sheikah eye. He held the device out to it but stopped before touching the smooth glassy surface.

 _She was here. Kneeling right here. Trying to activate it. She was… angry._ Link gasped as memory flooded in.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

She disappeared before he woke in the morning. Link probably shouldn't have felt as surprised as he did—this sort of thing was becoming quite the common occurrence for the princess of Hyrule and her personal knight. She wasn't that far ahead of him, from what the residents at the Tabantha Stable had told him, and he had a pretty good idea of where she had gone.

They had finished their second visit to the Rito Village since his becoming her knight. Revali had sent her a letter two weeks prior complaining that his Divine Beast did not respond to his urges to turn as well as he thought it should. His suggestion, which had been full of his typical self-absorbed arrogance, was that Princess Zelda should come at once to see that his Divine Beast was fixed.

He had expected the princess to decline, or at least explain that it would have to wait until after the trip to the Gerudo desert that they were planning had concluded. After all, she had been speaking of this trip for the last several weeks, so his assumption was that she wouldn't want to risk postponing that. What he hadn't counted on, however, was her desperation to get out of the castle even earlier than planned.

"I expect that you still have many preparations to conclude with, Sir Link, so I shall not require that you come with me on this trip," she had told him one evening. "I shall allow you to finish your preparations and will, instead, travel with Purah and Robbie to Rito Village. We shall be quite safe."

She had barely given him time to reply, instead smiling curtly and turning, her blonde hair flaring out behind her as she walked purposefully away. The next morning, when he saw her expression when she found Link waiting beside her white stallion with his brown mare, made the sleepless night full of last-minute preparations nearly worth it.

Now, rather than going to Gerudo desert in two weeks, they would, instead travel to Rito Village first, attend to Revali's inability to solve his own problems, and then go straight south to the desert from there. Link was quite proud of his ability to make the plan come together, actually. Of course, he suspected that had been Princess Zelda's plan all along, but he said none of that to her. He had long since realized that the best thing he could do in her presence was remain silent.

The trip to Rito Village had gone well enough. Purah and Robbie hadn't actually traveled with them all the way there—they were, instead, on the way to the Ancient Tech Lab. Link didn't ask the princess about that, either. Once there, Link had allowed the princess and Revali to go about their business without his interference—Revali _still_ wouldn't help him get up to the flying machine—and together, he and Princess Zelda set off for Gerudo desert ahead of schedule.

On the way back through the wide canyon before the Tabantha bridge, she commented to herself about the ancient columns in the Rayne Highlands, looking up at the old ruins from atop her horse. He had offered that they could ride up to look at them, but she had refused. That likely should have been Link's first clue that she would disappear on him.

Link pushed his horse harder than he would normally have liked as he rounded the cliffs to where the land sloped up onto the highlands and eventually, the plateau where the ancient columns rested. While the roads were still mostly safe, this was a considerable distance off the beaten path, which did worry him. If the princess had gone and gotten herself into trouble…

But no. As he climbed the hill and came within view of the pillars, he saw her horse standing placidly, grazing. He breathed a sigh of relief and slowed Epona's approach. As he neared, he began to hear her quiet mumblings as she spoke to herself. She came into view.

Princess Zelda knelt beside one of the old Sheikah shrines, this one standing as inactive as all of the others that he'd seen around the land. She leaned close, having opened a small panel in the round pedestal by what she claimed was the entrance, and fiddled with something inside of it.

"There _must_ be a way to get this to open. It is just like the Shrine of Resurrection, so why won't _these_ work as that did?" She closed the panel and stood up. After a moment, she hesitantly reached out with her Sheikah Slate, placing it against the pedestal. Nothing happened.

Her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head, sighing. "It must be designed to wait for… something. A signal of sorts, perhaps?" She looked down at the device in her hands. "But designs can always be worked around. I should be able to figure this out." The princess hesitated. "At least, I hope."

Epona snorted loudly as Link brought his mount to a stop, and Princess Zelda's shoulders stiffened. He dismounted and, when he saw her again, she faced him, cheeks growing red. He saw irritation in her eyes.

"Ahh. I see that you caught up," she said, coolly. She gripped her Sheikah Slate before her like a shield. "I do believe that I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort every single place that I go. You were not required to follow me here. I would have preferred that you remain behind at the stable to prepare our supplies for the next leg of our journey."

Link remained silent, not daring to speak now. Her eyes were dangerous all of a sudden, and her cheeks grew even more flushed. She stared at him, though, waiting for several seconds before blowing out an irritated breath, placing her hands on her hips, and looking away.

"It seems that I'm the _only_ one here with a mind of my own." That stung, though Link tried to keep his face free of emotions. It would blow over. It always did. "I, the person in question, am _fine_." She looked back at him, lips pursed. " _Regardless_ of the king's orders."

This wasn't good. She was only growing angrier—and, if Link was honest with himself, he was too. He felt his cheeks beginning to flush, but he still kept his mouth clamped shut. _Let it go. It's just her temper. She's frustrated. Her experiments didn't work._

He didn't understand why she was prone to snapping at him like this. He tried to be polite and honorable, as a knight should be. He tried to respect her space and privacy, as long as he was still close enough to protect her, should the need arise. He avoided interrupting her studies and experiments with questions, even when he was dying to ask one. She didn't seem to like having him around, so he tried to be as nondescript as possible. Silent as a stone.

Link understood better now than before her plight, and he did not fault her for wishing to do things like getting away from the castle. He knew the pressure that she was under and thought that he could relate. She had not yet awoken her sealing powers, regardless of the hours of prayer each day. But what could he do? Knowing that he, the Chosen Hero, was as incapable as she was would only worry her even further, he was sure.

The princess paused again, taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she met Link's. "Return to the castle."

 _What?_

She walked forward, chin held high as she brushed past him. "And tell my father that I do not _need_ a babysitter, _please_."

Link closed his eyes, exhaling slowly, and then opened them again. He began after her, walking back in the direction of the horses. After a few steps, she stopped, and he saw her clench her hands into fists. She took a breath and turned back to him, her cheeks flushed deeply now.

"Stop _following_ me!"

Her voice echoed off the columns and walls around them, shrill and full of fury. Link stopped, eyes widening. She had gotten irritated at him before, but this…

He opened his mouth, licking his lips. "I… I can't."

"I gave you an order, _knight_." Her voice was full of venom now—the fact that he had responded only seemed to have angered her further.

"Princess, I am your chosen—"

"Chosen? _Chosen_?" She laughed bitterly, taking a step towards him. "I did not _choose_ you! Not as my knight, nor as a Champion." She advanced closer, and he felt heat rising up the back of his neck. "No, the sword did, as did my father. But not me."

The princess stopped only a foot from Link, looking up into his eyes with a look that he could only assume was hatred. She reached out, poking him in the chest.

"I never asked for you to accompany me. I never asked for you to _protect_ me." She paused, looking at her finger, which pressed against his blue Champion's tunic. She pulled it away, dropping her hand back to her side, and turned away. "I don't _want_ you to be my knight."

She began to walk away again, her steps less determined now. Her shoulders slumped, her fury spent. Link said nothing, for what could he say?

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Anger. Hurt. Confusion. The emotions washed over Link as his mind was pulled back to the present. He stared at the glowing orange pedestal, trembling slightly, feeling his cheeks growing flushed.

Did she truly not know? Did she even _care_ to know? He followed her. Protected her. He had been doing nothing more than his most sacred duty, and she had spat it back at him like it was something vile. After everything that he had done, _that_ was how she treated him?

After defeating _two_ Divine Beasts, after being hurt in a dozen different ways, after _dying_ for her— _that_ was what he received from her?

 _No_. _No, that's not right. That was before. In the past. Before all of this._

It was all too much for Link to process. He stepped back from the pedestal, clipping the Sheikah Slate back on his belt. His thoughts warred with themselves, both furious and confused. In that moment, he thought that he hated her. Maybe it would be better if he _did_ just abandon her. Go back to her father and—

 _No!_ He shook himself, trying to focus. _That's not now. It's not—that was over one hundred years ago!_

"Link?"

 _She hates me. No. She hated me. Does she still now? No. Does she?_

"Link, are you all right?"

He could see her face, red with anger and spite. He could hear her venomous tone as she spat her insults. He could feel the embarrassment and anger washing over him. He could feel the desire to snap back, to tell her just how unpleasant _his_ life had been since being forced into service. He could. He _would_. He would tell her right now and—

 _No!_

"Link!" He felt two large hands clasp both of his shoulders and shake him. The image of her shattered, replaced by the view of Kass, his expression deeply troubled. "Link, what is it? What did you see? You look…" Kass hesitated, and Link thought that he could understand why. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails felt as though they might pierce his skin. His jaw was tightly set, and he felt far too hot in his tunic.

Link forced himself to relax and push the memory aside. It was the past. It wasn't _now_. Gradually, he felt his emotions come back under his control. He took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly before speaking again. His teeth ached from the pressure he'd exerted on them.

"I'm okay. I…" _I might be going mad._ It was growing more difficult to separate his memories from the current reality. The emotions he felt in them were all too real. He'd felt it before, with Daruk and Mipha, but it seemed to him that they were only getting stronger.

"I need a moment." He pulled away from Kass, shaking his head, and unfolded his paraglider. Before Kass could object, Link walked to the edge and leaped off, gliding down into the canyon below, to where Spirit waited.


	33. Chapter Thirty-One

**Well, I knew that last memory would get some reactions, and I was not disappointed! People keep telling me that he desperately needs context, and you're right! And I assure you that context _will_ arrive in time. However, that memory-and Link's reaction to it-actually plays a very key role to his character arc. It'll all work out in the end! **

**This chapter comes down off the emotional high-or low-of the last chapter, but still brings us to an important point in the story and introduces some new characters that you all might be familiar with...**

 **Lord Halcyon: Thankfully, we do know where that story ultimately ends up. And, really, so does Link when he's not being overwhelmed by emotions that might as well not even be his own any more. I'm also happy that you enjoyed the conversations with Kass in this past chapter. Kass is, with the help of some other side characters, the best way for me to show the effect Link is having on the land as a whole. I love including him.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: I couldn't write this novel without including those dragons! I think they are some of the most fascinating aspects of the new world portrayed in Breath of the Wild. They're so mysterious and foreign, yet they're also so natural that people barely remark on them. I won't be unraveling their mysteries in this story, but I definitely have to make sure they have a chance to appear.**

 **midnaisbae: I understand why the direction I took Link's thoughts following the memory in the last chapter didn't fully sit right with you! That's totally cool, but I would say that it was never my intention for him to come off as though he were thinking about giving up his mission. Rather, his emotions and thoughts were confused, torn between the past and present, and uncertain of where he actually was or what he was doing. Either way, I think you will find that he has calmed considerably in this chapter. His resolve to see things through has not changed-he just needs to work out some of the feelings brought about by his recent memories.**

 **To my other reviewers (of which I had a lot over the last couple chapters...), thank you so much for the comments! I'm going to cut off responding here, though, as this is already becoming a very long author's notes section. Keep them coming, and I'll make sure to respond in the future! Thanks a lot, and please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-One**

On the afternoon of the eighth day since leaving Kakariko Village, a full day and a half after the stone columns, Link and Kass finally came to the foot of Rito Village. The tall spire of rock had been visible from afar for much of the day, separated from them by a large lake and land formations that took them on a winding path, rather than allowing them to approach from a more direct angle. Link had suggested that Kass could fly home, if he wished. Link knew that he missed his wife and daughters greatly. But Kass had merely shaken his head, stating that he would have time with them soon enough. He would see Link through this leg of his journey.

Rito Village was larger than the name suggested, made up of what appeared to be hundreds of little huts built in a series of rings stacked atop each other on the way up a central rock spire. The spire was in the center of a large, round lake—Lake Totori—and was surrounded by several smaller islands that each bore their own huts and homes, all connected by a complicated series of wooden bridges and ladders. Even the walls of the deep depression that the lake was in had their own wooden abodes built against them. All around, Link could see the avian people walking and gliding between buildings, passing over the lake with each with their wings outstretched.

The sprawling city was set against a large, snowy mountain range on the other side of the lake. The Hebra mountains made up the entire northwest corner of Hyrule, providing an interesting counterpoint to Death Mountain, which was just as far north as these were. He wondered if the Eldin region would be just as cold as the Hebra, if it weren't for Death Mountain's status as an active volcano.

Interestingly, there was a small settlement of Hylians just outside of Rito Village as well, as well as a particularly large stable. By the countless tree stumps and the stacks of thick logs, Link guessed that this was a logging community. Perhaps even the primary supplier of the vast amount of wood used by the Rito in their constructions.

"Rito are not particularly good lumberjacks," Kass explained when he saw Link frowning at a cart pulled by, full of logs. "Our bones are more brittle than Hylians, so using axes tends to be dangerous. For many years, we used saws, but then sometime in the past—long before the Calamity—we decided to hire Hylians to work our forests for us."

It was fascinating to watch. The Hylians themselves seemed different than others Link had seen. The air was much colder here than it had been to the east, so many of them wore thick clothing, but much of their clothing had been adorned with feathers of various shapes and colors. Their hair tended to be cut shorter and a bit wilder. They even seemed to walk with a different gait here. More like…

"They almost look like Rito themselves," Link said, lips pulling up into a curious smile.

"Yes, many of these men and women have spent their entire lives among us. There were, at one time, fewer Hylians living among us, but when the Calamity forced the Hylians of the central region to flee, some chose to go west, rather than east."

Link glanced up at Kass, who had turned his attention on the central spire. His home. He saw longing in the Rito's eyes.

"Kass," Link said. "Why don't you go home to your family? It's already getting late, so I'll stay the night here at the stable. I don't know if I have the energy to climb all the way up there right now, anyway."

Kass looked at him, hesitating, clearly torn. Finally, he reached out and squeezed Link's shoulder. "I'll speak to the Elder as well. Let him know why you have come."

"Great. Why don't you come back in the morning and give me the tour? But, for now, go be with your family. They don't know you're coming, right? Should be a good surprise."

Kass chuckled softly. "My daughters will likely annoy the neighbors tonight with their excitement." Finally, he nodded. "Thank you, Link. I will see you in the morning."

He turned away, approacching the edge of the cliff surrounding Lake Totori, spread his wings, and dove off, falling out of sight. A moment later, he soared up, flapping hard to gain altitude. He flew at a steeper angle than Link thought he'd ever seen him do so before, clearly intent on getting home as quickly as possible.

Link watched him quickly grow distant, joining the few other avian forms gliding around the city, and then turned away. He felt the memories at the edges of his mind, but he tried to force his mind away from them. After what he had seen amidst the ancient columns, Link felt as though he was no longer interested in seeing more of the past.

He doubted that he would have much of a choice in the matter, though. Already, he had seen vague impressions of him and Princess Zelda riding up to this very stable, greeted by a contingent of Rito. No words had passed between them in that memory, and he was fairly certain that it had been the first time they approached the village after he'd been made her knight, rather than their second trip.

He pushed the memory from his mind and, instead, set about getting settled for the night. He hired the use of the stable for several nights and was even able to get himself a private room by offering some of the uncut gemstones that he'd received from the Gorons in trade. He was fairly certain that they were worth far more than the room would have costed, but Bludo had seemed sincere in his promise to supply Link with more, should he need them.

Once situated in his room, door shut and the room's dresser pushed in front of it to block it from unwanted entry, Link sat down on the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. He remained like that as night fell outside. The room grew chilly as night fell. There was no fireplace, but a pile of heavy blankets sat folded on the floor next to the bed.

"Zelda?" he whispered in the dark room, eyes gazing out of the small window.

As he could have expected, Link received no reply from the princess. Did she still see him? _Does she even care?_ he thought, scowling. Then he shook his head, sighing. _Foolish. I can't dwell on the past like this_.

He tried to banish the dark thoughts but only partially succeeded as he rose from his seat and pulled off his worn travel clothes. Using the moon's light streaming in from the window, he found more clothing in his saddlebags and set them out to wear in the morning.

Finally, he settled himself in bed, pulling the blankets, which appeared to have been made with feather stuffing, around him. They were quite warm and helped lull him into a fitful sleep full of dreams and memories.

* * *

A commotion outside woke Link the next morning. He blinked himself awake, looking around the room with a frown. Sunlight lit the room well, and Link saw figures moving around frantically just outside of his window.

He threw the blankets off of him and rose quickly, pulling on his clothes and gear. With a grunt, he shoved he dresser out of the way of the door and emerged into the common room. With some surprise, Link noticed that quite a few Hylians and even a few Rito had taken up refuge in the common room, peering out from the curtained entrance with fear.

Link pushed through the crowd and walked outside, looking around for the threat. Nothing surrounded the stable, though, but his eyes were drawn up to the sky by a long, piercing screech that caused the trees to tremble.

The awful sound came from an enormous flying creature in the skies above Rito Village. Shaped like a bird with a long, pointed beak, two outstretched wings, a tail, and two legs ending in clawed feet, Divine Beast Vah Medoh was an incredible sight to see. Link quickly removed his Sheikah Slate, activating its telescope rune to get a better view of the mechanical creature.

Red lights pulsed all over its metal and stone body, including a spiral pattern wrapped around its beak. Spinning fans— _propellers_ , Link's vague memories told him—had been placed on its undercarriage, somehow providing it with enough lift to remain in the air, just as the flying Guardians had.

At first, Link couldn't quite understand why the people were panicking so much. From his perspective, it seemed that the Divine Beast was just flying overhead. Then he saw a familiar lance of blue-white energy shoot out from one of Medoh's wingtips, seemingly firing wildly into the air. The energy blast was unmistakably the same as Guardian's fire.

"What…" Link held his breath, searching the skies for any indication of what the Divine Beast was firing at. He found them a moment later—a pair of Rito in the sky, flying like a pair of tiny falcons in pursuit of prey.

As he watched, one of the Rito banked to avoid another of the energy blasts and then twisted in the air, grabbing what appeared to be a bow. He fired something back at the Divine Beast that created a fiery explosion against the Divine Beast's wing. It appeared to do little damage, however, and the Rito folded his wings against his body, diving to avoid another retaliatory blast.

The other Rito, this one with feathers of a darker shade, attacked by skimming overhead, dropping something that created a series of explosions along the skyward side of the wing. Link couldn't tell if these explosions phased the Divine Beast, but it did release another ear-piercing screech, like that of an eagle.

To Link's horror, the Divine Beast fired again, and this time, it struck the darker Rito with its lance of energy. The Rito entered a freefall, spinning limply through the air as it fell towards the village below.

Suddenly, the other Rito, this one bearing white plumage, dove out of the air with blinding speed towards the falling Rito. He reached out with his large talons, grasping the seemingly unconscious comrade, and opened his wings, flapping hard to slow their descent. They landed somewhere in Rito Village, out of sight behind the rock spire.

Link turned his attention back to the sky, watching as the Divine Beast continued to fly overhead in slow circles over the village, no longer attacking. The warning was clear to Link. Kass had told him about this—it did not attack the village or its people directly, but it basically grounded the Rito around the village whenever it was overhead.

He remained there, looking up at the mechanical beast, for a long time. Eventually, the people that huddled in the stable while the battle raged on began to filter back out. He could hear some of the Rito discussing amongst themselves in quiet tones.

"Teba should have known better…"

"—only going to make it angrier—"

"Skies above, Harth didn't look good…"

The Rito began making their way towards the bridge leading up to Rito Village, and after a moment, Link decided to follow. He would find Kass when he got there—if anything was clear to him now, it was that he needed to deal with the Divine Beast quickly. If it began to attack the village in earnest…

He made it halfway to the bridge when he saw Kass' tall form pushing his way across the bridge. He saw Link and made his way directly towards him. "Ahh, Link," he said. "Good. I'm glad you're up. I imagine that the Elder will wish to see you soon."

Link nodded, his eyes drawing back up towards the flying Divine Beast. Where had it been when they arrived the day before? Perhaps among the mountains. Did it always fly, or did it set down at times? If not, how, exactly, was he even supposed to board it?

"I trust that you saw that spectacle?" Kass said, his voice growing somber.

"Are they all right?"

"I don't know. From what I heard, the Elder tried to stop them from attacking it so rashly. One can only hope that they both survive."

 _I can't blame them,_ Link thought, frowning. _They're no different than Sidon or Bludo. Trying to keep their people safe._

They made their way across the series of bridges and into Rito Village. Link found the city to be a shock of color and noise. Even with the tense atmosphere following the attack on the Divine Beast, the city bustled with Rito of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Their homes and shops were similarly fashioned with fabrics of every color imaginable. None of their buildings had doors or even walls. Instead, most of them were huts with tall, pointed ceilings held aloft by curved planks of wood. This left large gaps open to the air, many of which were covered by drapes and blinds that could be rolls up.

"You sleep on hammocks?" Link asked, pausing beside one such hut and looking in. There were several hammocks strung up around the sides of the room, with various pieces of furniture arranged underneath them. It didn't seem that the Rito valued privacy very much.

"Did you expect we slept in nests?" Kass said, smiling wryly.

Link flushed, shaking his head. "No, just… I didn't expect hammocks."

They continued to climb higher into the city. The stairs that led up to the different levels were not all centrally located but, instead, were spread throughout the city, which gave Link a chance to get a feel for how the city functioned. He noticed that now there weren't any Rito flying between the different levels or across the lake to the outer ring of towns. The atmosphere felt tenser with Medoh overhead.

By now, Link was growing familiar with that feeling. He had seen it in Zora's Domain and Goron City as well. The furtive glances, the whispered tones. The way that the people darted from place to place, always in a hurry, never wanting to dawdle for long. The feel of a people oppressed.

Link looked up. He couldn't make out the entire Divine Beast due to the levels of the city overhead, but he caught a glimpse of its wing as it wheeled lazily through the air. It released another angry cry.

"Poppy!" He looked down to see a small, purple-feathered child rush out of one of the huts they neared. She was followed by a chorus of, "Dad!" as four other Rito children all hurried out of the hut, each a different color and size. Kass was soon surrounded by the children, looking quite pleased as he bent down, sweeping all five of them up in his wide wings.

Link took a step back to give Kass space as he greeted who he assumed to be the Rito's children. They were followed out by a tall, slender Rito woman with teal coloring. She smiled fondly at the children, but she wrapped her wings around her body in an anxious way. Link saw her eyes flick up towards the Divine Beast.

"Ahh!" Kass said, rising and patting his daughters' heads. "Amali, this is whom I told you about. Link, this is my wife, Amali."

"So I have you to thank for bringing my husband back to me," Amali said, smiling and stepping forward, offering her wing for Link to shake.

"Oh, you're the one that is going to fight Medoh!" one of the children suddenly said.

The tallest of the children with red coloring flapped her wing at her sister. "Dad said not to talk about that, Genli!"

Link hesitated, glancing between Kass and Amali, before looking down at the five Rito children, all of which had suddenly turned their attention on him. They had a strange mixture of fear and hope on their faces.

"…That's right. I'm here to stop Medoh was causing so many problems."

"But you don't even have _wings_. How are you even going to get up to it?" one of the other daughters asked. This was the same one that had rushed out to greet Kass first—the purple one.

Kass chuckled and patted her head fondly. "We'll make sure he can get up there, don't worry." He looked at Amali and smiled apologetically. "Amali, if you could… I fear that I must get Link to see Elder Kaneli. In light of this morning's events, I feel it might be the best time to broach the subject with him again."

Amali nodded and swept her wing back towards the house. "Girls, let's let your father and Mr. Link go for now. You still have some school work that you need to complete before you practice singing."

A chorus of aww's followed this pronouncement, but a fierce look from Amali sent the girls scrambling back into the family home. She stepped closer to Kass, and they pressed their foreheads and beaks together in a show of affection that suddenly made Link feel uncomfortable.

When Amali pulled away from Kass, she smiled at Link. "It was nice to meet you, Link. I hope you will join us for supper. I was able to catch some fresh fish this morning before that _thing_ arrived again."

Link agreed, and he and Kass moved up to the next level of Rito Village.

* * *

It took them quite some time to finally reach the top, and Link felt winded by the time they stopped in front of their destination. The Elder's hut was much like all of the others that Link had passed. The Elder of the Rito, it would seem, did not require a palace like a king, but made do with the same resources and means as the others did.

Inside, sitting on a wooden rocking chair, was a tall, round Rito. The Elder had a long beard made of fine, white feathers, and a pair of long eyebrows that extended out past his head. He had a small hooked beak, rather than the larger beaks that many of the other Rito had. Link wasn't sure if there were different species among the Rito, but he thought that the Elder bore a distinct resemblance to an owl.

The Elder was speaking to another Rito. This one had white feathers running all the way down his body, with the exception of darker grey feathers at his wingtips and tail. The feathers atop his head curved up to form a spiked appearance. While most of the other Rito that Link had seen had worn simple clothing of colored fabric across their breasts and waists, this one wore worn leather armor and had a bow slung across his back. He bore the unmistakable appearance of a warrior. Link thought that he recognized him.

"— _warned_ you of the dangers of attacking the Divine Beast, and now look at what has come of it, Teba. Harth is barely hanging onto life, and all you have accomplished is angering the beast!"

The Elder's voice carried out of the hut to the wooden walkway that Link stood upon with Kass. Link glanced up towards his companion, but Kass only shook his head, holding out one of his wings to forestall their progress in to see the Elder.

The other Rito named Teba shook his head, and Link thought that he saw his feathers expanding out some, making him look larger. He swung his wing in a cutting motion. "We're _all_ barely hanging onto life! We're barely able to gather fish from the lake anymore, we can't teach our children how to fly, and even the mountains have become off-limits now that Medoh has started firing upon us there. We _have_ to do something, Kaneli!"

"No! I will not have you bringing down its wrath on us all with your rash actions. I told you before that you were not to launch another attack on it, and you ignored me. I will not _stand_ for it again," the Elder said, leaning forward in his chair. He, too, had grown larger, his feathers puffing out.

Teba stared defiantly up at the Elder, his feathered fingers forming tight fists. "And I'm not going to stand back and watch as we waste away. There is barely enough food to go around as it is—what will we do when the next batch of hatchlings arrive? There is already talk among the outer settlements about migrating east." He paused as the Elder's expression showed brief confusion.

"You've heard, haven't you? The Divine Beasts to the east have stopped raging. Someone figured out a way to calm them— _we_ can do the same."

Kass apparently decided that was as good an entrance as he could have asked for, because he suddenly cleared his throat loudly and stepped forward into the Elder's hut. Both Teba and Kaneli stopped their argument, turning to look at Kass in surprise. Neither of them had even noticed him and Link standing just outside.

"Elder Kaneli, Teba, I apologize for interrupting your discussion, but I believe that I have brought someone that might be able provide a valuable service with regard to the Divine Beast." Kass turned back and outstretched his wing towards Link, who stepped into the hut beside him. "Please, let me introduce you to Link. The one responsible for saving both the Zora and Goron peoples from their respective Divine Beasts."

The silence stretched as both Teba and Elder Kaneli gazed at Link and Kass. Teba, especially, stared hard at Link, looking him up and down with a critical expression. Link wished he had worn something more imposing than just his Zora sword and Telma's tunic. Maybe this had been the right time to pull out the Champion's tunic again.

Suddenly, Teba pushed past Kass to stand in front of Link, fixing him with an even fiercer stare. "Is that true?" he asked, voice gruff. "You stopped the other Divine Beasts?"

"Yes."

"How? What did you do? How did you get past their defenses?" Teba leaned a little closer, looming over him.

Link met Teba's golden eyes with his own, trying to project equal confidence. "Each Divine Beast is different. But once the defenses were disabled or destroyed, I boarded it and destroyed the creature that is controlling it."

The only reaction that Teba gave was a slight widening of his eyes. "Do they have a weakness? Something that I need to look out for on my next attack run?"

"Teba!" Elder Kaneli's voice pierced the air, and Teba stiffened, expression growing dark. "That is _enough_. As I told you, I do not wish for you to attack the Divine Beast again. It's too dangerous. If it decides to attack the village in retaliation, then we will be helpless against its attacks."

"Kaneli—"

"That is my _final_ word, Teba! We will figure out a way to deal with the Divine Beast without resorting to brazen attacks."

Teba stared hard at the Elder, hands clenched into fists. Finally, he whirled, fixing Link again with his glare. "Come find me when you are finished here. I want to know more about how you stopped the other Divine Beasts." He glanced up at Kass, nodding curtly, and then shoved past Link and out of the hut.

"Teba!" Kaneli called angrily, but Teba ignored him, storming away. He sighed, noticeably deflating some as he leaned back against his rocking chair. He looked at Kass. "Do you see what your tales of Revali have done to him, Kass? All he wants is to be like him."

Kass frowned slightly at that but spoke patiently. "Elder, I believe that he merely wishes to protect the village."

"And I do not?" Kaneli said, tone growing fiercer again. "No, he wishes to have glory. He wants to be the next great Rito Legend, just like Revali. Where Revali once rode the winds upon the back of the Divine Beast, Teba wants to be the one to tame it."

Kass did not contradict the Elder this time but, instead, turned to Link and waved him closer. "Elder, this is the man I spoke to you about last evening. I believe that he is the key to solving our difficulties with Medoh."

"And as I told you last night, I don't want a Hylian stranger to attack the beast any more than I want my own warriors to do so. I feel that, in time, the Divine Beast will eventually calm again and retreat to the mountains to rest, as it has done repeatedly over the last one hundred years."

"I understand this," Kass said. "But I do think it would be prudent to hear what he has to say. He has proven to be very effective at dealing with the Divine Beasts with no casualties incurred by the local populace. He is, after all, the Hylian Champion from before the Calamity."

Kaneli didn't look convinced but sighed, nodding. He looked at Link expectantly. Link cleared his throat. "From my experience, the Divine Beasts have only grown worse in the last few months. Divine Beast Vah Ruta attempted to flood all of Zora's Domain, and Rudania tried to bring the whole of Death Mountain down on Goron City."

Kaneli waved a wing dismissively. "So far, the Divine Beast has shown no interest in our people, as long as we don't fly with it overhead. This has made some things difficult for us, yes, but it is nothing as dire as what you are describing."

"Regardless, I'm not just taming the Divine Beasts to save the different races. I am freeing them so that they can be used against the Calamity Ganon, as they were supposed to be one hundred years ago."

"Ahh, yes. Kass told me about that as well. You say that you are the Hylian Champion, then?" Kaneli leaned forward, fixing Link with a curious stare. "Then perhaps you can tell me some about Revali. After all, it is said that he journeyed alongside you in your quest."

 _That doesn't sound right,_ Link thought. He didn't have any memories of Revali traveling alongside him and the princess, outside of the memory he had of their parting, right after the Calamity attacked. He hadn't even seen Revali in that memory, either.

"I lost my memories since then and have only recently begun regaining some of them. I have to confess that I don't remember any interactions that I had with Revali."

Strangely, it didn't bother Link as it once had to say that. Somewhere between his first journey into Kakariko Village and here, he had gotten used to acknowledging his lack of memories.

"I see." Kaneli leaned back in his chair again, rubbing his feathery beard. "And, even without these memories, you presume yourself capable of taming our Divine Beast?"

"I did with Ruta and Rudania."

"Yet, you also admitted to Teba that each Divine Beast is different. You don't know _how_ to tame this one yet."

Link hesitated. "It… typically involves battling against the Divine Beast's defense systems."

"Yes, I heard you tell Teba that as well. You believe that you would need to fight it to gain entry and defeat whatever creature you believe is controlling it."

Kass stepped forward, apparently sensing, as Link did, that the conversation was not going in the direction that they wanted. "Elder, I understand your desire to be prudent when dealing with the Divine Beast. But I believe that Link is right. The only way to truly remove the risk of the Divine Beast is from the inside, as he has done twice already. To do that, he will need to lead an attack on its defenses, however."

Kaneli sighed, shaking his head. "Kass, I believed that you were more cautious than this. You cannot expect that I will allow this Hylian claiming to be the Champion long dead to lead an attack on the Divine Beast, when I have just forbidden our greatest warrior from doing so."

 _Claiming to be the Champion?_ Link stepped forward, opening his mouth to speak, but Kass held out one feathered hand to him, still meeting Kaneli's gaze.

"Elder, I assure you that he is who he says he is. I have seen sufficient proof of his identity time and again in my interactions with him. Furthermore, his identity is vouched for by several people among both the Zora _and_ Sheikah that still live and remember him from before the Calamity. This is Link, the Hylian Champion. And he received a specific task from Princess Zelda to tame all four Divine Beasts."

"The kingdom of Hyrule is no more," Kaneli said, shaking his head once again. "We do not answer to their call any longer. Perhaps this _is_ the hero of legend, but I am still the elder of our people. I must do what I believe is best to keep us safe."

The intensity of Link's sudden rush of anger at these words surprised him. White-hot, it bubbled up from the pit of Link's belly, threatening to spill out, lest he keep it contained. He wasn't entirely sure if he _should_. He could feel his face turning red, and his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

Kass placed a hand on his shoulder, still looking up at the Elder. "I hope you will reconsider. I do not believe it would be wise for us to stand in the way of Link's destiny."

The Elder breathed out long and slow. "Perhaps you are right, Kass. But, for now, I will choose patience and caution. I will not act with brashness."

Kass' fingers on Link's shoulder tightened. "Very well. Thank you for listening to our concerns." He turned Link forcefully, and they walked out of the Elder's hut.

Link wasn't entirely sure if they were out of earshot when he opened his mouth to speak. "Who in Hylia's name does he think he is?"

"Link, peace." Kass held his wings out to Link, trying to shush him. But there was no hushing Link. Not now. Not after what he had been through to get here.

"No. No, I didn't come all this way just to let anything stand in my way now. I came here to stop the Divine Beast and free Revali's spirit. I'm _going_ to do that, Kass. And he doesn't answer to Hyrule anymore? The princess still _lives_. The Kingdom of Hyrule still remains!"

Several other Rito were looking at them now, easily able to hear their conversation due to the open nature of their huts. Kass made another soothing motion with his wings.

"Link, I don't expect that you _will_ be stopped by him. I understand that you have a mission that must be accomplished, and I will help you in any way I can—starting by going back to try to convince the Elder after he has calmed down."

"Kass, if the Divine Beast _does_ start attacking the Rito, it's going to be catastrophic. I need to get on there as soon as possible. I can't wait for an old man to change his mind."

"But you can surely wait a few days. Medoh has never directly attacked our village, and I do not believe that it will begin doing so. Not yet, anyway. Right now, I feel it would be better to have a plan in place. You should speak with Teba so that you can understand better what it is that you will be facing.

"You will also need a way to get up to the Divine Beast, and I believe that he will be your best option there as well. He is a very strong flier. He could carry you to it."

Link exhaled slowly, feeling his anger from earlier ebbing away. There was logic to Kass' words. He unclenched his hands. "All right. I'll let you try to convince him. But if he refuses, I'm going to find my own way."

"And I will do what I can to help you, as I said. Your mission is far too important to be stopped."

Their eyes met. "Thanks, Kass," Link finally said.

"You are welcome. Now, come. Have you eaten anything yet?" When Link shook his head, Kass smiled. "Then we shall ask Amali to get you something to eat. She is an excellent cook."


	34. Chapter Thirty-Two

**Here's another chapter for you all! Probably could have gotten it up a little earlier, but I've got to be honest-I've been writing like a madman lately. Got some really big events later in the story that I know you will all like. It'll take a while to get there, but I hope you'll trust me when I say they'll be worth the wait. For now, however, Link still has the joy of dealing with the stubborn Rito...**

 **iCards: I agree that people who ignore the obvious source of help are annoying, but I also can't totally blame Kaneli either. His greatest fear is that Medoh will be aggravated into attacking the village. For him, that risk isn't worth it. Is he wrong? Well... yeah. But it's an understandable concern!**

 **echo009: I debated having the Yiga make an attempt on Link's life in the last chapter, actually. Ultimately, I decided against it for the sake of keeping the plot moving forward. Don't worry, though. There are plenty more fun times with the Yiga coming.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Honestly, Kaneli was the leader that I felt I had to change some. I feel like they tried to establish him as someone who opposed Teba's rashness initially, but then he just up and tells you to go talk to Teba to find out how you can help! So I decided to make a few adjustments for the sake of keeping things interesting. And, frankly, it's not as though Teba's initial attempts actually went anywhere useful, as we saw!**

 **To my other reviewers, thank you so much for the comments! Keep leaving them, and I'll definitely try to respond to more in the future. For now, however, please read and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Two**

"Actually, Sir Link," said Princess Zelda. "I think that it would be better if I progressed alone from here. My meeting with the Rito Elder pertains to some important details regarding trade and political alliances. It would not do for me to have someone… unneeded present."

They stood together on the landing, just a short while before the stairs that led up to the upmost level of Rito Village. Their first trip together had been just as uncomfortable as he had originally feared. Indeed, since their brief stop at the Ancient Tech Lab and Link's apparent blunder, they had spoken very little to each other. She rode ahead while he remained a few paces behind. At night, Link had silently made camp for her while she usually took time to utter her evening prayers, and then they ate a quiet meal together before she retired for the evening.

Link had never felt so uniquely uncomfortable around another person in his life—and that was truly an accomplishment all to itself. The rift between them appeared impassable.

He couldn't be sure if she was lying about her meeting with the Rito Elder, but he suspected she was. Nothing she said prior to this moment had indicated this was anything beyond a routine visit to speak with the Elder regarding some simple matters. The primary reason for their visit had been to see the Divine Beast Vah Medoh and speak with Revali about his comfortability controlling it, but as he had not been present at the village when they arrived, the princess decided to get her meeting with the Elder out of the way.

He didn't want to cause an argument by bringing this up, however. In truth, he would have greatly preferred not to go see the village Elder and his attendants, anyway. The stares and, at times, outright hostility, that he had received upon entering the village left Link feeling quite content to wait on this deserted porch.

"Well, I shall take your silence to mean you do not object." Princess Zelda spoke with a haughty tone, and Link's cheeks grew warm. Before he could say anything, however, she turned and made her way up the stairs.

Sighing softly, Link turned and walked to the small rail at the edge of the porch. It hung out over the many levels of Rito Village beneath it, overlooking Lake Totori and the Hebra Mountain range further north. Like many other of these landings, the rail had two openings on either side of the center to allow the Rito to use them as take-off points for flight.

It was chilly here. Much colder here than in Central Hyrule, though he reflected that it would not be so long before the seasons would change. He wondered how the harvest back in Hateno Village would proceed this year. He doubted he would be able to travel back to the village in order to oversee and assist with it, as he had in the past. Not with his new duties. Not with the sword on his back.

A breeze began to blow past Link, and he resisted the urge to shiver. He _should_ have brought his cloak. The wind continued to pick up, and after a few seconds, he frowned. The wind was… swirling around him almost like a whirlwind. It grew stronger, and Link took several steps back. Suddenly, a spinning form burst up from underneath the landing, carried by the whirlwind. The figure spread apart his wings, ceasing his upward motion, and to Link's surprise, the wind ceased immediately as well.

Revali, the Rito Champion, wore clothing that was similar, though noticeably more ostentatious than the normal clothing worn by Rito. Rather than just colored fabric stretched over his breast, he wore a thin piece of metal with swirling designs etched into it. His midsection was covered by a deep red cloth, and the skirt that he had around his waist had gold trim that matched the expertly crafted bow on his back. His Champion's garment wrapped around his neck like a scarf, hanging down in front in just such a way as to show the stylized image of the Rito Divine Beast to anyone looking at him.

He landed on the rail where Link had been standing, his long talons gripping the wood with ease, as he gazed down at Link, smirking. "Impressive, I know. Very few can achieve a true mastery of the sky, yet I have made an _art_ of creating an updraft that allows me to soar."

He paused, fixing Link with his green eyes, waiting. _Likely waiting for me to say something stupid, like after the ceremony_ , Link thought. He kept his mouth firmly shut.

Revali sighed. "It is considered to be quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito. With the proper utilization of my superior skills, why, I really see no reason why we couldn't easily dispense with Ganon."

Still, Link said nothing. He stood still, watching Revali, yet trying to feign a nonchalant posture. The truth was that Link did not care for the Rito Champion. He thought that Revali had his head so far up in the clouds that he couldn't see the fields beneath him, as Link's mother often said. He was arrogant and smug, and often built himself up by pushing others down.

Revali was, in short, an ass.

He also didn't seem to care much for Link either, considering the barely veiled insults that he continually flung at Link during their brief time together at the castle several weeks prior.

Revali hopped down from the rail, folding his wings behind his back in a strangely formal matter, walking forward. "Now then, my ability to explore the firmament is _certainly_ of note…"

He stopped beside Link, his eyes and the muscular of his face still forming that smirk as before. He turned and placed a wing across Link's shoulders, pulling closer. "But let's not—pardon me for being so blunt—let's not forget that _I_ am the most skilled archer among all the Rito."

He removed his wing from Link's shoulder, and Link tried to force himself to remain relaxed. _Hylia, what is his problem?_

Revali's smirk faded some, and he stepped around behind Link, slowly circling him. He continued speaking as he rounded back into Link's view. "Yet despite these… _truths_ , it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you." He held one finger out, pointing it at Link's face.

Link took a steadying breath. _Steady. Stay silent. It wouldn't be good to get into an argument with the Rito Champion in the middle of his home._

"All because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sword strapped to your back." Revali withdrew his hand, gazing at his blue feathers thoughtfully. "I mean, it's just… asinine."

Link's fingers twitched, and his expression must have shown something of his dark thoughts, because Revali glanced at him. His eyes narrowed, all traces of his earlier smugness gone.

"Unless you think you can prove me wrong?" Revali suddenly stepped closer to Link, thrusting his face forward so that they were mere inches apart. Link refused to give any ground, meeting Revali's eyes with a glare of his own.

"Maybe we should just settle this one-on-one?" His eyes remained fixed on Link's for another moment, daring Link to act. Finally, he pulled away, reaching up and stroking his long, hooked beak with a feathered hand. "But where?"

 _How angry would the princess be if I punched him? Would it be hard to find another Rito Champion if he quit? Or broke a wing? Both wings_?

"Oh, I know! How about up _there_?" He spun around, thrusting a wing up to the air to point at the flying Divine Beast Vah Medoh, flying overhead with the help of its spinning propellers.

Revali turned back to Link, eyes widening. "Oh, you _must_ pardon me." His smirk returned, and Link set his jaw. His teeth began to ache dully. "I forgot that you have no way of making it up to that Divine Beast on your own."

Link remained resolute in his silence. He wouldn't give Revali the satisfaction of knowing just how _irritating_ he was. Revali likely knew, though. His expression betrayed mirth and satisfaction.

Finally, Revali turned his back to Link again and spread his wings. He bent his knees, wings hovering just over the wooden floor, and suddenly, the whirlwind began to swirl around him as before. The sudden gale forced Link to step back as dust and debris sprayed his face.

Revali looked at Link over his shoulder, voice dripping with disdain, just barely audible over the wind. "Good luck sealing the darkness." And, with a mighty flap of his wings, he rose with the whirlwind, spinning briefly before shooting out the top of the column of air and flying into the sky to reach the Divine Beast.

Link watched as Revali departed, clenching his fist tightly by his side. Eventually, the gale died, and he was left in silence.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link blinked as awareness of his surroundings returned. He had spent the morning with Kass and his family, but he eventually expressed an interest in finding and speaking with Teba. Kass offered to escort him, but Link had asked for directions, instead. Now that Kass was finally back with his family, Link didn't feel right constantly taking him away.

Teba, it would seem, had a home on the same level as the Rito Elder, though further around the in the opposite direction. As he had made the climb, passing by countless Rito, he could sense the unease that pervaded the populace. Rito adults looked up at the flying Divine Beast with despondent expressions; parents snapped at children for making too much noise; and most of the Rito avoided walking out onto the boardwalks as much as possible, choosing to stay inside of their huts.

To make matters even worse, he also sensed… anger. Division. It was subtle, and he hadn't noticed it on his first walk up to the top of the spire with Kass, but now that he was alone and able to pay better attention, he could see it. Youthful Rito that paced, wearing various weapons and bows or gathered together in small groups to whisper. Older Rito that watched Link pass by, expressions inscrutable. The Rito city felt like it was about to pop.

It was far bleaker here than he had initially thought.

As Link had neared the uppermost level of Rito Village, he paused beside a landing, much like those below, though this one had a Rito emblem emblazoned upon it with white paint. Looking at it, he realized that it was the same emblem as was on his paraglider. He could remember the king telling him that it had been made of Rito fabric.

As he looked down at the landing, he was struck by an even greater familiarity with the location, and crossed over to lean against the railing, gazing out towards the distant Hebra mountains while considering the feeling. He eventually remembered why it was so familiar to him, but after seeing the memory, he wasn't sure if he was particularly happy about it.

"I had no idea that Revali was so…" Link searched for the right word but ultimately decided to leave it at that. It didn't feel right to disparage the dead.

But the memory left him feeling agitated. Not quite to the same degree as the recent memory with Princess Zelda had, but this memory had been prior to that one, hadn't it? It was growing difficult for Link to keep track of the internal timeline in his mind. This one had been… just a few weeks after the Champion ceremony. After he'd saved the princess and been made her knight, but before they had ventured to Death Mountain. Before they stopped at the lighthouse in Akkala.

He wondered where the memory at the shrine took place. It had to be before the memory at the Shrine of Power, right? But try as he might, Link couldn't quite sort them out in his head. He thought that it likely did, but he had nothing that could truly reconcile the two memories together. The pages of his life remained scrambled.

Link sighed heavily, leaning against the railing. _Damn._ He had more important things to worry about than his scrambled emotions and thoughts. There was another Divine Beast for him to defeat. Another ally to free. He wondered what the Revali would say when he saw Link.

"Who are you?" A voice behind him caused Link's back to stiffen, and he turned to see a youthful-looking Rito. He, like many of the Rito, stood taller than Link—really, did all of the races of Hyrule stand taller than Hylians? He had green feathers with a hint of blue and a pair of braids that hung down on either side of his face. Golden eyes looked at Link with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.

"I'm Link."

"What are you doing here?"

Link's eyebrows turned down slightly as he took in the Rito's expression and tone. "I was just looking up at the Divine Beast."

"Usually, I'm the only one here. I think everyone else is afraid to come up this high anymore." The Rito considered for a second before sitting down on the ground, reclining back on one wing while resting his other on his bent knee. "You one of the lumberjacks?"

"No."

The Rito, who Link thought seemed to be, at most, a young adult, looked at him curiously. Finally, he looked up at the flying automaton and grimaced. "I hate it here."

 _What?_ Link remained silent, not at all sure who the Rito was—or why he was even talking to him. He should just continue up to find Teba. That was the right thing to do. Link took a step forward, intending on doing just that.

"I know my mom wants me to take over the shop one day, but I hate it here. This whole place is just… _boring_."

"Boring?" Link asked, slightly incredulous. "Aren't you being terrorized by the Divine Beast?"

"Well… _yeah_. But not really terrorized… I don't know. It usually just flies around up there. We can't do much flying when it's around, but…" The Rito shrugged the shoulder he wasn't leaning against.

"It just seems like… that wouldn't be very boring."

"I guess. I think I'm just sick of being here. I don't hate the idea of being a merchant. Not really. Just not _here_. I want to sell more than wheat and sugar. I don't want to work in the same place I was born at."

"Why don't you just leave?" Link asked, growing irritated at the young Rito. Didn't he have more important things to worry about than this?

"Where would I go? I wouldn't want to go someplace really hot like the desert."

"There's several towns out east. Hylian and Sheikah towns."

The Rito considered that for a moment before shaking his head. "And I bet they already have a bunch of regular merchants already. It'd take a lot of work to try to establish myself. No, I'm probably just going to just… spend my whole life here. Die here."

Link sighed, shaking his head. "All right, well…" He trailed off, not knowing the youth's name. The Rito glanced at him.

"Fyson."

 _Fyson?_ Link hesitated, looking down at the Rito. But he shook himself a moment later. "Well, Fyson, I've got to go. I need to meet with someone."

"Oh, okay. See ya." He raised his wing, and Link walked past him, glancing back with a frown. It wasn't his business, really, but the Rito's selfishness bothered Link. With all the troubles facing his people, one would think he would care about something else.

Link stopped, a thought occurring to him. _Oh, damn._

That's what he had been doing, wasn't it? Dwelling on the hurts caused by Princess Zelda and the irritations he'd felt at Revali. Meanwhile, Medoh flew overhead, slowly choking the life out of the Rito, Divine Beast Vah Naboris was in the south, and Ganon raged in the castle, threatening to break free at any time.

 _And all I can think about is how the princess yelled at me._

He was a fool. Selfish. Petulant. As bad as he'd been shortly after awakening, when he'd complained to Impa. _I deserve another slap._

He closed his eyes, pursing his lips. The memories _hurt_ , it was true, but he couldn't worry about that right now. They were a distraction. In time, more memories would return. Perhaps he would discover how he and the princess eventually got over their animosity towards each other. Maybe he and Revali would end up best of friends.

And, if not… Well, one hundred years was a long time to hold a grudge.

Link opened his eyes and glanced back up at Medoh. _That_ was his primary concern. Everything else could wait. He stepped forward again, feeling a renewed purpose as he began climbing the steps to the higher level.

* * *

It did not take Link long to reach Teba's home from Revali's landing. The higher Link climbed the spire, the fewer Rito he found milling about. The greatest concentration of homes and shops were further down the spire, true, but he also found numerous empty huts and structures on the uppermost levels. He suspected that fear of Medoh drove some of the populace further down. Teba remained, however, as did the Elder.

When he walked up to Teba's hut, Link found him inside, though he looked as though he was preparing to leave, standing by the doorway with his back to Link. He was speaking to a lavender-colored female Rito, who had her wing wrapped around a child.

"Look," Teba said, his voice gruff. "I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'm just going down to check on Harth."

The female Rito's expression showed worry. "I know, but after what happened earlier—"

"I'm not just going to stand by and let us be terrorized by that thing, Saki! Today was just a setback."

"What about Kaneli's orders?" The female Rito, whom Teba called Saki, glanced past Teba and spotted Link. She opened her beak, but Teba spoke over her.

"If that old man thinks I'm just going to sit on my tail feathers and do _nothing_ , then he's a bigger fool than I thought." Teba's voice began to rise, anger apparent in his tone and posture. "I'm the greatest warrior that we have. I'm _going_ to bring that thing down—or I'll die trying."

The child's eyes widened, and Saki pulled him closer. " _Teba_!"

Teba hesitated, glancing down at the boy under Saki's wing. "Every warrior must face the possibility of his death, Tulin. You'll need to remember that." He held the child's eyes until, finally, the boy named Tulin nodded, though he still looked terrified.

"Teba, this is reckless—"

" _Enough_." Teba swept his wing through the air, and Saki snapped her beak shut. "I'll return shortly."

Teba turned around before Saki could get another word in and came face-to-face with Link. He met Link's eyes, his stare fierce, before grunting. "So you finally arrived. I thought you fled after speaking to Kaneli."

Link remained still, meeting Teba's eyes and trying to project some form of confidence. "I need to get aboard the Divine Beast."

The Rito considered him for a moment before replying. "Then I guess you'd better learn how to fly." He pushed past Link onto the walkway that rounded the spire.

Link sighed and spun, following Teba, who walked with a determined gait. Link found that he had to hurry to keep up. "You said that you wanted my help."

Teba glanced at Link as he walked down the stairs. "No, I said that I wanted information. _I_ will be the one dealing with the Divine Beast."

"I've already defeated _two_ of them."

"Great, so you can tell me how to defeat this one."

Link reached out, grabbing Teba's wing to stop him. Teba yanked his wing free, fixing Link with a dangerous glare. Link took a deep breath. "Look, we can help each other. You want to help your village and keep your family safe, right? _I_ need to get aboard the Divine Beast to destroy the creature controlling it."

Teba turned and continued down the path. Link clenched a fist and followed, passing by Fyson, who still sat on Revali's landing.

"Why?" Teba asked as Link caught up to him.

" _Why_? The Divine Beast is being _controlled_. If I kill the creature inside, then it won't be a threat to your people anymore."

"No, if I destroy its _weapons_ , it won't be a threat. Even better if I bring the entire thing down. But you want to take control of it— _why_?"

"To defeat Ganon."

Teba stopped walking, looking at Link. "To defeat Ganon."

"Yes. I am freeing each of the Divine Beasts in order to use them against Ganon."

"Who are you?" Teba asked, eyes narrowing.

"I'm the Hylian Champion from one hundred years ago." Link met his eyes.

"From one hundred years ago."

"Yes, I was resurrected after I—"

Teba turned and continued walking. Link felt his face grow hot, and he hurried after Teba again.

They made their way down several levels of Rito Village, finally arriving at another occupied hut. This one was positioned next to a bridge that crossed over to another, smaller flat-topped spire that rose from the base of the main spire. What looked like a blacksmith's forge sat atop the spire, though Link saw no one working the forge at this time.

Teba stepped into the hut, and Link followed, seeing a pair of Rito within. One of them was an adult male with dark grey, almost black feathers. His right wing was wrapped tightly in white fabric and held in a sling. Each of his shoulders were, likewise, covered in white bandages, and it looked to Link that many of his feathers had been charred, though it was difficult to tell with their dark coloring. The other was a Rito child, no older than Kass' daughters, with bright pink feathers, who sat on the floor with a book open in her lap.

"Teba," the dark-feathered Rito that Link assumed to be Harth said as they entered. He started to stand, but Teba waved at him to sit back down.

"How is the wing?" Teba said, sitting down on the floor across from him.

"Broken." Harth lifted the wing slightly, wincing. "It's going to take me a while before I'm able to work the forges again." Harth's eyes fell on Link as he entered, and he gave Teba a confused look.

Teba sighed. "He's here to help with the Divine Beast."

Harth laughed bitterly, but his laughter gave way to coughing a moment later. The little girl looked up from her book, frowning. When Harth's coughs subsided, he spoke again. "A little late for that."

"Yeah, well, I'm not done with it yet."

Harth grunted, looking at Teba with a hard expression. He considered for a long time before nodding. "I figured."

Both of the Rito men fell silent, and Link glanced down to see the Rito child looking at them with a worried expression. Harth noticed her a moment later and sighed. "Molli, why don't you give us a few minutes? Go play but don't go far. Where I can see you."

The little girl looked uncertainly between the three men before nodding. She grabbed a doll from a shelf and hurried out of the hut onto the walkway just outside. Harth watched her go, protectively, before looking back at Teba.

"So. Going back to the Flight Range?"

Teba nodded. "I'll go tomorrow. Can't fly there as long as Medoh is overhead, so I'll go on foot."

"And your friend?"

Teba sighed and glanced back towards Link, fixing him with a hard stare. Finally, he nodded to the ground beside him, and Link sat down. "How did you defeat the other Divine Beasts? You said it's being controlled by something?"

Link launched into an explanation of the creatures and spirits that he had encountered on the other two Divine Beasts.

"You're telling me that the spirit of Revali is still somehow up there? And you're going to save him by destroying whatever mythical demon that inhabits Medoh?" Teba said after Link finished.

"Yes."

Teba grunted and glanced at Harth, who looked equally as uncertain.

Link reached down to pull out his Sheikah Slate, opening it and navigating to the gallery rune. He found the image of him and Princess Zelda, gathered with all of the other Champions. He turned it around to show the Rito. "Proof that I am who I say I am."

Teba raised an eyebrow, looking from the photograph to Link's face. "You don't look too much like the guy in that photo right now."

Link raised a hand, feeling at the hair that covered his cheek. It hadn't grown as fast as he would have liked, but he was sporting a beard and a shorter haircut now. "There were… complications. I had to disguise myself while traveling west."

"Right." Teba looked back at Harth again and, finally, sighed. "Okay, let's say you somehow are the Hylian Champion from one hundred years ago. Skies, let's even say that you're right and that Revali's spirit is up there, waiting to retake control of Medoh the moment you kill the thing inside of it. That doesn't change the fact that the thing still tries to blast anyone that doesn't have their feet on the ground."

"Tell me about its defenses," Link said. "What does it use?"

Teba and Harth explained the Divine Beast's methods of defending itself. Then, together, the three of them put together a strategy for defeating it. It was a foolhardy plan, to be sure. It would leave them both exposed than either would like, and any number of things could go wrong.

But it was a plan.

* * *

Link returned to Kass' home, only to find that Kass wasn't there. According to Amali, he had taken his daughters to practice singing. Curious, Link got directions from her and soon found him and his children on a viewing platform of sorts a few levels up. As he approached, he began to hear hints of music floating on the air.

Kass was there, with his concertina, rocking back and forth as he played a song for his daughters, who stood in a line before him, arranged from the tallest and eldest to the shortest and youngest. The five girls sang along with Kass' song, each seeming to sing a slightly different part that came together to form a cheerful chorus. It was quite beautiful.

After a few moments, Kass stopped playing, considering. "Genli, why don't you and Kotts swap parts? I want you to try singing the melody with Notts. Kotts, try the harmony. I think it will better fit your range. Cree, you sounded as though you were having trouble finding the right key."

He played a long, sweet note on his instrument, humming with it. "Do you hear it?" He hummed again, and this time, Cree joined him, her voice wavering briefly before matching his. "Good. Keep that."

He looked to his youngest daughter, standing at the end of the line, and opened his mouth to speak, but then he caught sight of Link. He smiled broadly and waved Link forward. "Ah, welcome. I wondered when you would return. We were just practicing our singing. I found out that my daughters haven't been practicing _nearly_ as regularly as I instructed in my absence…"

The youngest of Kass' daughters stuck her tongue out at him, and Kass chuckled softly. He looked back to Link. "I trust you spoke with Teba?"

"Yeah, but we can talk about that later," Link said, leaning against the railing. "Do you mind if I watch?"

"Not at all." Kass turned back to his daughters and lifted his beak, standing straighter. They all followed his lead, and when he began playing, their voices soon joined his song. Kass, too, soon began to sing along with them in his deep baritone.

Link smiled warmly as he watched his friend sing. Kass was even more animated than usual, playing joyfully and swaying with the music. During a couple of the songs they played, his eldest daughter began to play a small handheld harp along with Kass, and another of his daughters began to play a small pan flute.

A small group of Rito gathered as their impromptu concert continued. Link saw Amali near the front, but he also saw Teba's wife and their son, though Teba was nowhere to be seen. The crowd grew as the afternoon gave way to twilight, with many seated on the floor of the platform and walkways. Link looked up and saw quite a few pairs of Rito feet hanging down from the next level up as well, as more sat there and listened.

The music seemed to transform the Rito before Link's eyes. Where, before, many of them had seemed downtrodden and hopeless, he now saw smiles on their faces. They spoke to each other eagerly, and a few even called out song requests. Kass took it all in stride, as did his daughters, who clearly enjoyed making music with their father.

Eventually, the music ended after the sun had set. Many of the crowd had returned to their homes, as had Amali with three of their daughters, leaving only Kass and his two eldest daughters. Kass set his concertina down into its case, as the crowd dispersed. Several of the Rito came forward to thank Kass for his music, but very soon the only ones left were Link, Kass, and his daughters.

Kass embraced his daughters tightly, rubbing his cheek against the tops of their heads. "Go on. I'll be home soon. I'm going to speak with Mister Link for a time."

The two girls hurried off in the direction of their home, and Kass watched them go with a fond expression. When they were out of sight, he turned to Link. "It feels good to sing with them again. It is difficult to realize just how much you will miss something until it is gone."

He approached the railing and leaned against it, looking out. Link did likewise, resting his elbows against the rough wood. "I think I know a thing or two about that," he said. Link thought of Mipha and Daruk. How strange it was that he found that he missed their companionship. Their conversations. Their warmth.

Kass hummed softly in acknowledgement, and they fell silent for a time longer. Link eventually broke the silence. "I found out that Revali did not like me very much."

"A memory?"

Link nodded. "The only clear memory I have of him involves him challenging me to a fight." He smiled faintly, shaking his head. "I think I'm ready for some happier memories now."

"They'll come." Kass patted Link on the shoulder. "Many journeys are tumultuous when they first begin. Personalities clash, tempers flare, and even close friends learn of new sides to each other. That all passes with time."

"I think you're right, but it's just…" Link sighed. "It's not like reading a book. I experience the moment as if reliving it anew. All of the thoughts, the emotions—they're all mine. They can be hard to shake."

"Of course. But I am confident that they will eventually get better. My teacher indicated that, with time, you two were inseparable."

"Revali and I?"

"You and the princess."

Link glanced up at Kass. The Rito had a knowing look in his eye, and Link felt his cheeks flush. _When did the conversation turn from Revali to Princess Zelda?_ He looked away again.

"They eventually get bad again." The deaths of their friends. The fall of the kingdom. His defeat.

"Yes, but the story did not end there, did it?"

"No. It didn't." Link took a deep breath, standing up straighter. Kass did the same. "I'm going to be leaving with Teba in the morning. We'll travel north to gather supplies, and then we're going to try to launch another attack on Medoh the day after."

"Yes, I assumed as much. I suspected Teba would not be able to sit quietly and wait."

"I want you to stay here. With your family."

"Ah."

Link met the Rito's eyes. After their journey together through Hyrule Field it felt strange to separate from him now, but it was the right thing to do. "I don't know what the Divine Beast is going to do when we attack it. Ruta used ice spikes, and Rudania tried burying us under a mountain of molten rock—they respond more viciously to me than they usually do to others, too. So you should be here, with your family. You can get them out, if Medoh poses a threat to the village. You can warn the others, too."

Kass watched him in silence for several seconds before speaking again. "I appreciate that, Link. I will stay. But you must be willing to give me a full accounting of the Divine Beast and whatever you find in it."

"Don't I always?"

"Yes, but I want even _more_ details this time. This is, after all, my patron Divine Beast. I am very curious about what you will find upon it."

Link smiled at Kass, agreeing. They remained where they were for a short time before, finally, they both departed—Kass to his own house, and Link to an inn in Rito Village, where he was able to rent a hammock for the night.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Did someone ask for a bonus chapter? No? Well, you're getting one anyway! Big things going on in my writing lately. Just finished off the longest chapter I've ever written (more than double the normal length), and I felt pretty accomplished. So I figured it would be fun to throw an extra chapter out this week. Plus, this one has some pretty fun parts. I think you'll enjoy it!**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Thanks! I'm glad the scene with Kass and his daughters worked out well for you. I have music in my background, too, though I confess that I'm not one for musical theory. I had to do some research to make sure some of the terminology I used was done right!**

 **iCards: Yeah, Link was pretty depressed over that stuff for a while, but nothing like a good rivalry and a bit of doom and gloom to remind him that he has more important things to concern himself with.**

 **Now, please enjoy and let me know what you think! I'll have another chapter up on Saturday during my regularly scheduled posting times!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Three**

Link pulled on his new boots made from thick animal hide and then patted his belt for the thick gloves he had purchased from the Brazen Beak in Rito Village. The new clothes, much thicker than what he normally wore, would help keep him warm as they neared the Hebra mountains, not to mention while he was aboard Medoh, which would be far colder still, assured Teba. He also pulled on the blue hood given to him by Telma, followed by his cloak. He was, perhaps, overdressed for just starting out, but not by much.

The morning had brought with it a cold wind that seemed at odds with the warm late spring days that he and Kass had enjoyed on their trek across Hyrule Field. Perhaps it was the elevation here, or just the way the wind chilled while blowing over the mountains, but it served as a clear reminder of what Link was walking into. This would be the opposite of Death Mountain, but required just as much preparation, if not more.

The two of them set out later than they had initially planned. That morning, as Link and Teba walked down towards Rito Village's exit, they had been stopped by a group of Rito that angrily demanded Teba stop what he was doing. Though the Rito Elder had not been present, his influence certainly had been.

For a brief moment, Link worried that a fight might even break out between Teba and the gathered Rito, and he thought Teba had worried about the same, considering how tense he had seemed. Eventually, the Rito let them pass without incident, though not without warnings of doom and destruction called after them.

They almost reached the bottom level when another group of Rito appeared in the path, though these appeared to be there to cheer Teba on. Teba spent little time acknowledging them either, however, and soon he and Link were on their way towards the nearby stable, where the small logging community thrived.

He had, after much deliberation in the night, decided to leave Spirit at the stable. While he thought the horse would have been fine in the cold, Link wasn't sure if he would be able to easily return to their destination following the attack on Medoh. Teba had informed him that there were no provisions for horses where they were going, and Link didn't dare risk leaving Spirit out in the cold for days, while waiting for Link to return. Teba would walk, as would he.

He just hoped he wouldn't return to find that Yiga set up another ambush waiting for him.

Their day's journey would take them around the northeast side of Lake Totori. There was no road, and the terrain would be difficult at times, but it was the shortest path to their destination—the Flight Range.

Much of their travel early on was in silence. Link didn't have a problem with it at first, as it gave him time to reflect on their plan for stopping Medoh. Eventually, however, the silence began to grate on Link. He glanced over at Teba, who walked without slowing or altering his pace, eyes forward.

 _So stoic_ , Link mused. Teba was the opposite of Kass in almost every way. Where Kass had been warm and full of anecdotes and stories, Teba was cold and silent. It was… familiar to Link, somehow, but he wasn't certain why.

 _He's worried_ , Link thought as he observed Teba. _Probably about his family. The village. Perhaps even the fate of the world. Does he understand the importance of this mission to Hyrule as a whole?_

Strangely, Link didn't find that he worried about such things as much anymore. Oh, the fear of failure still had an effect on him, but after what he had been through and accomplished thus far… He was here. He was as prepared as he could be.

"Are you going to keep staring at me all day?" Teba asked, breaking Link out of his introspection.

Link looked away quickly, sighing. Silence stretched between them again for a while longer before he finally spoke. "Why aren't there more Rito willing to fight against the Divine Beast?"

"There were," Teba said, glancing at Link out of the corner of his eyes. "But most of them were killed when the Divine Beast first arrived."

"How long ago was that?"

Teba grunted. "We knew the Divine Beast was around for years, but it didn't bother flying around until several months ago."

"And it's been terrorizing your village ever since?"

"No." Teba fixed Link with a more direct stare. "Kass didn't tell you?" Link shook his head, and Teba sighed. "When it first showed up, it didn't bother attacking unless we tried to get on board it. Most Rito were content to leave it alone."

"What changed?"

"I don't know. Maybe the Elder's right, and we did by leading attacks against it. But, regardless, eventually it started attacking Rito just for flying too close to it, and then for flying anywhere within sight of it. It's gotten to the point now that we can't fly anywhere, even near the ground, when it's in the sky overhead."

"So, it's just been getting consistently worse?"

"That's what I just said."

"The other Divine Beasts were the same way. I don't think your attacks are causing the problem. It would have gotten worse, regardless."

"Yeah, well, yesterday, Harth was the only other Rito I could convince to attack it with me. Today, I've got you."

Link ignored the slight. "If we don't stop it, it will keep getting more aggressive."

"I'm not going to turn back this time," Teba said, eyes hard. "It's flying lower than before."

"You think it might be getting ready to attack the village?"

Teba nodded. "The Elder doesn't believe me. He thinks we should all just shove our heads in the ground and wait for everything to blow over."

Everything made sense to Link now. Teba's insistence to lead another attack so soon, and the Rito's reticence to let him. They feared that his actions would bring the Divine Beast's wrath down on them, but Teba knew that was coming, even if he did nothing.

"We'll stop it before that happens," Link said.

Teba looked over at him again, considering. "You're not like other Hylians I've met."

"How so?"

"Most of them are cowards."

Link winced. "We lost… everything one hundred years ago. Our kingdom, our land, thousands of people…" He'd just traveled through the heart of Hyrule—Link now knew firsthand just how much had been lost. None of the other races had lost even a fraction of what the Hylians lost.

"And none of them since have tried to rebuild," Teba said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Look, I'm not trying to insult your species. I'm just saying that most of the Hylians I've met seem content to wait around and let someone else do the saving. The Hylians living outside of the village, for example, haven't offered to do anything to help. They just assumed Medoh is just Rito business."

 _Fair point_ , Link thought. It aligned with much of what he'd seen since beginning this journey. It wasn't laziness, or even cowardice, though. It was something closer to apathy. Many of the Hylians he'd encountered were simply _living_ , and little more.

"And this whole mess began _because_ your kingdom decided to start digging up these things, didn't it?"

Link frowned. "It was to stop the Calamity. And _all_ the races pitched in with it. The Rito had a Champion as well."

"Because we were _subservient_ to Hylians," Teba snapped. "The king ordered it, and we obeyed. And look what good it brought us. The Calamity won _anyway_ —and now there's a Divine Beast flying over our heads, blasting anyone near it out of the sky."

Link felt his face flushing with irritation. He wished he hadn't even tried starting this conversation at this point. "How many Rito have you lost because of the Divine Beast, compared to the thousands of Hylians killed when Ganon rose again? The tens of thousands?"

Teba snorted. "I've heard the stories from Kass. The only reason that happened at all was because your princess couldn't—"

"Don't." Link's voice grew dangerous. Teba opened his beak again, but Link cut him off. "Do _not_ speak ill of the princess. You don't know what she's done to keep you safe. What she's still doing today."

Teba considered Link for a time, meeting his eyes. Finally, he nodded. After a moment, he spoke again. "You're right. Kass has told us those stories as well."

Silence fell between them again. Link walked, looking straight ahead, confronting an uncomfortable thought. _Am I much better?_ Considering his reaction to the memories he had most recently, he wasn't so sure. He had an idea of the stress on Princess Zelda's shoulders, even then. Was it any wonder that she didn't want Link around her when facing that?

 _Princess, I'm so sorry._

* * *

The icy blast nearly pushed Link back, forcing him to duck his head and trudge forward. He used the walking staff that he'd made from the fallen tree branch to steady himself and keep moving forward through the thick snow. The pack on his back felt far heavier now than it had when first setting out. His legs ached with the exertion of continuing climbing higher and higher into the mountain range.

"Almost there!" Teba said, looking to look over his shoulder and ensure Link heard him. Link nodded, gritting his teeth.

The temperature plummeted the closer that Link and Teba got to the mountains. It began to rain not long after their conversation. Icy droplets of water fell on them for a time before it transitioned to a bitterly cold snow. The forests and plains gave way to snowy foothills and, eventually, icy rocks and mountain passes.

Mountains loomed over them, their sides covered with snow and the occasional tree. The animal life had changed, too. Though Link still saw the occasional fox or rabbit, he began to see large moose populating the forested areas and large, horned animals to the southwest, where the ground leveled out again. They were unfamiliar to Link, and Teba told him they were called rhinoceroses.

The cold wind didn't seem to bother Teba much as he continued to walk through the snow. Though his tunic seemed slightly thicker than the one he'd worn when Link first met him, his legs were still bare, with the exception of dark wraps below his knees. His wings and face were, likewise, left bare.

Another icy blast blew down from the mountain, and Link winced, turning his head so that the hood of his cloak caught the brunt of it. The snow fell in thick, wet flakes that stuck to his cloak and soaked his thin beard with melting ice crystals.

The Rito-made clothing did help, at least. The boots were surprisingly warm, even after trudging through snow for hours, and the pants kept his legs feeling dry. The right glove was fingerless, however—likely for the purpose of making it easier to use a bow—so Link tucked that hand inside of his cloak.

The snow storm did not abate until the afternoon gave way to twilight, and they made their way into a mountain pass and onto a clearer path, where trees and shrubs had been cleared away. When the snow dissipated, their destination grew visible in the distance—a wall-less hut at the top of the path, next to a large depression in the ground, ringed by mountainous rock.

"There it is," Teba said, pausing to look up at the dark hut. "The Flight Range. Revali created it over one hundred years ago to train Rito children in aerial combat."

"I think I've been there before," Link said, frowning. Now that he could see the hut in the distance, it seemed familiar to Link in the way that made him certain that he had seen it before, but the memories were still locked away.

Teba grunted, fixing him with an unreadable stare. Link met his eyes, wondering if Teba still didn't believe his story of being the Hylian Champion. It should have been a relief, really. His claims in Rito Village had been met with outright skepticism, unlike with the races to the east. Here, he was a nobody, for the time being.

 _It doesn't matter,_ Link thought, pushing the irritation he felt at Teba's expression aside. _As long as I'm still able to get on the Divine Beast, I don't need him to believe me._

Finally, Teba turned and continued up towards the hut, and Link fell back into step beside him. The wind picked up as they climbed, howling through the mountain pass, and Link pulled his cloak more tightly against him.

He eyed the hut as they neared it, grimacing. Like other Rito structures, it was little more than a roof over a wooden floor. There were no walls to shield them from the icy wind. It would be a miserable night, indeed.

"What do you remember about Revali?" Teba asked, suddenly.

Link looked at him in surprise. Maybe Teba wasn't as skeptical of his claims as he thought. "Not much. Not yet, anyway. He was an excellent flier."

"Yeah, we know that. Everyone remembers him because he was the best flier and best archer we've had in centuries. Maybe ever. What else do you remember, though?"

Link shrugged. "Nothing, really. I can vaguely remember being around him, but we did not interact much in the memories I have." He decided to keep his apparent rivalry with Revali to himself, as well as Revali's open disdain for him. That probably wouldn't help Teba's already tenuous opinion of him.

Teba didn't seem pleased with his response but pressed no further, continuing his trek up towards the Flight Range. Sighing, Link followed.

Within another fifteen minutes, they arrived at the cold structure. Now that they were upon it, Link saw that the hut sat above the ground on stilts, with a tall ladder leading up to its entrance. It sat, nestled against the rock wall, with a small wooden landing stretching out over the deep depression. Once in the hut, Link looked out at the Flight Range, frowning as he was struck, again, by the familiarity of the place.

The Flight Range, it turned out, was little more than a series of targets attached to the sides of the depression by way of ropes and wooden supports. The targets varied in height, size, and color. In the center of the circular depression was a tall rock spire, also adorned by several of the targets.

Link stepped out onto the small landing, surprised by the strong updraft that rose up from the bottom of the depression. The wind buffeted him from below and caused his cloak to billow around him, forcing him to draw it tightly around him. He reached the end of the landing and looked down, spotting a small body of water far below him.

He reached out, holding an open palm over the air rising, wondering what would happen if he tried to ride his paraglider here. Would it be enough that it actually lifted him into the air, or would he simply sink down slower?

He looked back at a noise from behind him. Teba had gone around to the sides of the hut, pulling down thick blinds and securing them with lengths of rope. They weren't quite walls, but they, with the inclusion of the firepit in the center of the hut, would likely help to keep them warmer during the night. Already, the temperatures plummeted even further than they had been during the day.

Link stepped back under the shelter of the hut and walked to the side of the room, where wood had been stacked and covered from the elements. He brought several pieces over to the firepit, setting them out to get a fire started now that the wind in the hut had been cut off.

It took him several minutes to get the fire started, during which Teba closed off all of the remaining openings around the hut. However, once it began, the fire consumed the tinder and licked at the wooden logs merrily, giving off a heat that was incredibly welcoming. Link sighed and removed his cloak and gloves, warming his palms.

"You Hylians don't do well in the cold," Teba said as he walked over to a chest and began removing supplies from it.

"We don't have a layer of feathers to keep us warm."

"True."

Teba sat down across from him, and Link saw that he had retrieved several thin, straight sticks and a pouch full of some kind of dark powder, along with some other materials. As Link watched, Teba crafted an arrow of sorts, tipped with a tightly wrapped pouch of the power, and an arrowhead made of flint. He added some fletching at the bottom of the arrow and then gently set it to the side, before grabbing another of the arrow shafts and starting a new one.

"Are those the explosive arrows?"

Teba nodded.

"What are you putting in them?"

"Explosives."

 _Right_. Link sighed and continued to warm his hands. After a time, he pulled his boots off as well, setting them beside the fire to help dry them out as well. He gazed around at the hut, noticing for the first time a number of bows of different styles hung from hooks on the ceiling. He saw several simple wooden bows, as well as some of the recurve-style bows used by the Sheikah. Some of them bore interesting embellishments at either end of the bow that looked like bird winds.

One of the bows caught his eye, and Link frowned, standing. He walked across the cold wood floor and reached up, taking a very elaborate bow from its hook, and turned it over in his hand, inspecting the craftsmanship of the wood. The bow was shaped like a wide, shallow "M", with golden wingtips at its ends. A pair of thin rods extended out its front, near the leather-wrapped handgrip. A thin, blue ribbon had been affixed to one of the wings.

"This was Revali's bow," Link whispered, touching the ribbon with a hesitant finger. He turned to look back at Teba, who had stopped making his arrows and watched him with a curious expression.

"It's a replica," Teba said. "Harth crafted it a few years ago based on a portrait of Revali that he saw."

"It exactly like it."

Teba gazed at him for several moments before speaking again. "Did you ever see him use it?"

Link spoke with barely a thought. "Yes."

He had seen Revali use it. He'd seen him use a bow identical to this right here, just outside of this hut. He could remember it clearly now—and he could remember all too well the anger he'd felt.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Revali hadn't been where he was _supposed_ to be when he and the princess first arrived in Rito Village on their impromptu trip to answer his summons. Despite their tight schedule, and their need to continue on south to the desert, Revali did not, apparently, feel the need to wait for them at the village. Instead, he left a message for them, telling them— _telling_ the princess—to meet him at the Flight Range, which was easily a full day and half's ride away.

Link assumed that Princess Zelda would be angry. That she would refuse. Certainly, that's what she would have done if he had suggested anything that would have delayed them from their mission by three days. But she didn't. Instead, she simply took it in stride, smiling to the Rito that gave them the message, and they continued on their way.

And now that they arrived at the Flight Range, Revali _still_ wasn't here. It was almost enough to make Link snap. Almost.

"I'm sure he will return shortly," Princess Zelda said, removing her thick gloves and crouching beside the fire that Link had created, using some of the wood left in the hut. She wore a white winter coat with a wool scarf around her neck. Link had chosen to put on extra layers under his Champion's tunic and wore a thick cloak that he could easily remove to get to the Master Sword underneath.

Link wasn't nearly as certain as the princess regarding the Rito Champion's absence. Revali had already disappointed them once on this trip—what's to say he wouldn't do it again? But he didn't contradict her. It felt as though he were constantly walking on thin ice with her—especially lately. Perhaps showing up the way he had, after she had suggested he not come on this trip, hadn't been the best choice. Still, though, he had to fulfill his duties.

He turned, stepping out onto the narrow landing and looking around the Flight Range. It was made especially for Rito archers—likely made for Revali himself, now that Link thought about it. Hadn't the village elder described it as "Revali's Flight Range"?

An arrow shot over Link's head, and he started, whirling and looking for the archer. Behind him, something exploded close enough that he could feel the heat upon his back and felt the shockwave.

"Princess, get down!" he cried throwing off his cloak and pulling the Master Sword from its sheathe. He needed to move, he needed—

A shadow passed overhead, almost faster than he could track with his eyes. More arrows flew through the air, but they weren't aimed at him. Instead, they were shot towards the targets in the Flight Range, exploding upon impact. Half a dozen arrows flew through the air in the time it would have taken Link to draw a single one, each causing a fiery explosion upon the targets, which shattered with the impact.

Revali swooped down before Link, holding his golden bow in his talons, passing out of view for a few moments before shooting back up into the air on a gust of powerful air. With a smooth motion, he flung the bow out in front of him with his legs and caught it in his wings, his momentum still carrying him upwards. He drew three arrows back, at the same time, and released them just as his upwards momentum died. Each arrow flew true, striking a different target.

Revali continued this for a time, flying around the Flight Range and shooting targets with incredible accuracy and speed. Link was ashamed to admit that he had never seen anyone so skilled at archery before. It made his own skills, which weren't inconsequential among knights, look paltry by comparison.

Finally, Revali flew low and flapped his wings, sending a gust of wind towards Link that forced him to grab the wooden railing, lest he fall over the edge. The Rito landed easily on the railing a few feet away. He gave Link a clear smirk and then hopped down, walking into the hut.

"Ahh, your highness," Revali said. "I see you finally made your way over here. I wasn't certain if you would arrive in time before I had to return to the village. It would have been unfortunate if you traveled all the way here, only to have to turn around again."

Link clenched a hand into a fist but said nothing, following after Revali. He thought that he saw something of Princess Zelda's own irritation on her face, but she hid it well. She really only seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve around Link, for some reason.

"Yes, well, we arrived in Rito Village two days ago, but you were not there," the princess said, voice calm and polite. "We arrived as quickly as we could, of course."

" _Two days_?" Revali exclaimed. "Skies above, if I had known it would take you _two days_ to get here, I would have told you and your little knight to not even bother and wait for me there." He shook his head, but then spread his wings. "Oh well. You're here now. That's all that matters, hmm?"

Revali spoke to the princess as though he were her equal, if not her better. It irritated Link to no end, but he had little choice but to hold his tongue. It was just as his father had taught him—sometimes the hardest thing a guard could do was remain silent, but it was also among the most important.

"Yes, of course," Princess Zelda said. "I am here now, and you can explain to me more of what you wish to accomplish with your Divine Beast. I understand from your letter that you wish for it to be more responsive, but I'm going to need more details than that."

What followed was a lengthy discussion between the princess and Revali. Revali mostly made demands, and Princess Zelda repeatedly told him that such things might not be possible. In the end, she determined several areas that she would attempt to make improvements on, but as it was getting late, they would not be done until the next day.

Link found himself alone with Revali for the first time since his first trip to Rito Village when Princess Zelda climbed down the ladder to answer nature's call before settling in for the night. The wind shades had been long since pulled down, and the hut had become pleasantly warm. It still smelled of lightly seasoned trout and potatoes—Link's contribution to their meeting that night.

Revali looked at Link and smirked. "Having fun traveling around with the princess?"

Link clenched his jaw and tried to ignore the Rito bastard, focusing instead on spreading out his bedroll on the wooden floor. They had not brought hammocks, which was fine by Link. Tying them to the hooks hanging from the ceiling would have required him to stand on his toes, as he was just a few inches too short to be able to do so effectively.

"It is strange," Revali said, musing. "I would have thought that, by now, she would at least be willing to _look_ at you. I suppose she still finds your presence as unnecessary as I always have."

It was hard, right then, not to take Revali up on his earlier offer of a duel. Link did not consider himself to be a particularly violent man, regardless of his skill with the sword. He prided himself in the ways he avoided fights and brawls during his time as a page and squire, though he was happy to admit that he usually came out on top when such things were inevitable. But he might have been willing to make an exception for Revali. If Princess Zelda weren't nearby, he likely would have.

"I suppose you'll just always be a reminder of all of her shortcomings."

"What?" Link stood, finally turning to face Revali.

"Oh, he _does_ speak! I was beginning to worry—can such a dim-witted knight truly—"

"What did you mean by saying I'm a reminder of the princess's shortcomings?"

Revali laughed. "You really don't know? You truly _are_ as dim-witted as I thought." Link took a step forward, and Revali held up his hands in a warding motion. "Oh, calm down. I have no interest in ruffling my feathers defeating you in a fight."

"Just tell me."

Revali watched him calmly, considering. Finally, he shrugged. "Well, isn't it obvious? As ill-conceived as the notion of you being the one to defeat Ganon is, at least _you_ have your little sword. The princess doesn't even have that. She is…" He held up his hands, palms up. "Talentless."

"Don't call her that," Link said, though it lacked the passion he'd felt earlier. His mind raced with this new information.

Revali snorted. "She might as well be when it comes to her duties. But she knows her way around the Divine Beasts, at least. I'll use that to ensure that I'm as ready as I can be to face down the beast myself when you, inevitably, fall."

Link reached out and grasped the blue Champion's scarf around Revali's neck, feeling his face flush with heat. He could hear his heart racing in his ears as he glared at the Rito, who looked startled by Link's actions. He clenched his left hand into a tight fist, preparing to punch Revali right in his smug beak.

"Sir Link!"

Link released Revali immediately, stepping back, He glanced over to see Princess Zelda standing in the doorway. Had she heard? Her cheeks were red but that could have been because of the cold or embarrassment. He briefly met her eyes, but her expression was difficult to read.

He turned away from both her and Revali, walking to his bedroll and keeping his back to the other two occupants of the room. Behind him, he could hear Princess Zelda crossing the room over to her own bedroll. She made no immediate motion to climb into it, however, and he glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't facing him exactly, but he thought that she was looking at him in her peripheral vision as well. She seemed to want to say something.

He waited. Finally, her shoulders slumped, and she pulled her outer coat off, rolling it to use as a pillow before climbing into her bedroll. Link sighed softly and climbed into his own. None of them said anything else that night.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Teba woke Link before dawn. The fire had been reduced to embers, and Link was wrapped tightly in his cloak and Rito-made clothing. When he sat up in his hammock, he saw that Teba was already nearly ready. His bow had been set out on one of the tables in the room, and he had a thick quiver full of explosive arrows attached to his hip. Another of the specially enlarged quivers sat on one of the tables for Link.

Link carefully got out of the hammock, lowering himself to the floor. The wood floor was icy under his feet, even through his thick woolen socks, so he quickly slipped his boots on. He adjusted his clothing and cloak and began to gather his equipment.

Neither of them spoke as they worked. Link gathered much of his extra gear into his pack, setting it against one side of the room—he would have to come back here to get it later. Instead, he packed light for the coming fight. His bow and assortment of arrows spread across two quivers. Ancient sword. Shield. Paraglider. Sheikah Slate. He had a few other small items that he was able to strap to his belt, but he tried keeping his provisions as light as possible for the next part of their plan, which Link was least comfortable with. He would have to leave his cloak behind and hoped that his clothing would be enough.

He would have to fly with Teba.

"I'm going to have you get on my back," Teba said, walking out onto the landing.

"You'll be able to fly like that?"

Teba looked back at Link, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Why would I suggest it if I couldn't?" He looked away. "But it will be easier than having you hang below me from my talons. Once we get up to Medoh, I'll try to drop you off on its tail. I think we damaged the cannon there our last attack, so it should be the safest location. If not, you're going to need to be ready with that glider of yours."

"Right."

"After that, I'll try to draw as much fire as I can. Just get to work."

Link nodded. The plan was simple enough but posed a great deal of risk to both of them. The Divine Beast had two cannons each on its tail and each wingtip—one on its topside and one underneath. Teba would act as if conducting an attack like last time, firing his arrows at the cannons and doing his best to damage them. From what he told Link, though, they were extremely well-armored. He managed to damage a single one in the last attack, but it had happened quickly enough that he wasn't sure what did it. He hadn't had any more luck when he attacked those on the wingtips.

So, Link would try to covertly destroy them while Teba kept them occupied. He had his own bomb arrows, as well as his Remote Bomb Rune. Between them, he hoped to find a weakness in the cannons' armor that he could exploit. If they could take out the weapons on the Divine Beast's topside, then that would hopefully allow them to disable the weapons on its underside much easier.

It was a foolish plan, he knew, but it was also the only way for him to get aboard the Divine Beast. He just had to hope that the creature controlling it did not attack immediately. They tended to attack when Link tried approaching the control mechanism, so he hoped to avoid going near it and delay that fight until the Divine Beast itself had been dealt with.

"Get on," Teba said, bending his knees at the edge of the platform.

Link hesitated only for a moment before approaching and climbing onto Teba's back, hands firmly grasping the Rito's shoulders. Teba grunted at the additional weight but said nothing. Instead, he spread his wings and rotated them.

"Just making sure I've got the full range of motion," he said a moment later. Teba looked back at Link, and he nodded. It was time to go. Teba wasted no more time, stepping off of the platform.

Link resisted the urge to scream, but just barely. The world upended itself around him as, suddenly, he was diving headfirst towards the pool of water and ice far below, the wind whipping at his hair and clothing. His hood blew back off his head. The surface of the water got closer and closer, and suddenly Link was struck with a terrifying thought.

 _What if Teba can't fly with me on his back?_

Teba spread his wings wide, catching the wind, and suddenly they righted in the air, the force of their sudden shift driving Link's forehead into Teba's back, between his shoulder blades. Link forced his head back up, and his eyes widened.

Teba flew in a tight spiral around the spire in the center of the Flight Range, flapping his wings hard to gain altitude. The updraft helped propel him up, and after a few seconds, they shot up past the hut and out of the depression.

Link gasped as they rose above the land. The snowy landscape stretched beneath them, the white of the snow still visible, despite the dim predawn light. He could see the shadowy forms of moose and rhinoceroses, as well as other creatures that he hadn't noticed before. At first, he thought they were wolves, but something about them seemed wrong. They loped on all fours, but their limbs were too long and their gait too odd to be wolves.

He tapped Teba's shoulder and pointed. "What are those?" he asked, having to yell to be heard over the rushing wind.

Teba looked down briefly and then back up at Link. "Wolfos! They don't usually come this far down the mountain—I'll have to get a group of warriors to push them back after this is done."

Link looked back down at the white-furred creatures and watched as one of them suddenly rose up on two legs and swiped a massive claw at a moose. The creature and its prey were soon lost from his view, however, as Teba banked, putting a grove of trees between them.

They continued to climb in the air, the trees and animals below growing smaller and smaller. Link wasn't one that thought himself afraid of heights, but his precarious position didn't inspire great confidence in him as the ground rushed away. Every time Teba flapped, Link felt himself rise and fall on his back. He gripped Teba's sides tightly with his legs, but this didn't feel nearly as secure as Link would have liked it, and his exposed fingertips holding Teba's shoulders had already grown numb.

They were suddenly bathed in light. Link squinted and looked to the east. Though the land below was still in shadow, they had risen high enough that they could see the sun peeking over the mountains to the east.

Still, they flew higher. Link kept his face low and looked around in wonder at the land around them. Below, the snow had disappeared, replaced by the darkness of grassy hilltops and green trees. He could see other birds in the air, too. A flying-V formation of geese flew not far away. An owl circled a meadow beneath them.

The sun continued to rise, gradually shining more of its light on the land. As it did so, Link looked ahead to see what had previously been little more than a dark shadow in the night sky. Divine Beast Vah Medoh loomed in the sky before them, still circling over Rito Village. It had begun to turn towards them, however, and Link heard Teba curse.

"It already noticed us!" he said. "Hang on, Link—it's going to get rough from here on out!"

 _It wasn't rough already?_ Link thought with resignation. He held on tighter as Teba sped up, beginning to drift back and forth to the left and right. Medoh sped in their direction, flying away from the village. Link hoped that the residents were prepared to take cover.

A lance of white light shot towards them from one of the wings, followed by another from the opposite wing. Teba easily avoided them due to their distance, but the fire continued, unabated. From their angle, the Divine Beast employed both upper and lower cannons, firing all four in a series of blasts that would only get more difficult for Teba to avoid as they approached.

They began to rise into the air as a steeper angle, forcing Link to grit his teeth and hold on for dear life. The gambit worked, however, as soon only the upper cannons were able to continue their barrage.

"Get ready to jump! I'll get as low as I can, but I don't want to sacrifice my speed!"

Link had another idea, however, and as Teba suddenly went into another dive—this time over the surface of the Divine Beast—he pulled the paraglider from its sheathe and held it under his body, breathing rapidly.

The white flashes of energy continued to shoot past them, far closer now than it had been before. Teba still banked to avoid them, but he was largely relying on speed now and the sudden drop in altitude to stay ahead of the deadly blasts.

They passed over the Divine Beast's head and wings, barely clearing a building-like structure that sat just before its tail. One of the energy blasts struck the building, causing an eruption of fire just behind them.

"Now!" Teba cried.

Link opened the paraglider over his head, and suddenly, he was wrenched free of Teba's back. It hurt his shoulders and hands far more than he had been expecting, and Link barely held onto the paraglider through the process. It worked as he had hoped, however, and he now glided in the air just over the Divine Beast's flat tail, which seemed to serve as an entrance platform.

Teba looped around, looking confused, but when he saw Link, he nodded. He performed a thumbs-up gesture with one of his wings and then went into a dive, gaining more speed. He shot down, out of view, and Link was alone.

Link steered his paraglider down towards the tail. The Divine Beast was still moving underneath him, and Link worried that he would miss his window to land, if he didn't do so quickly. As he did so, he got his first good look at one of the cannons, though this one appeared to be damaged.

It had a wide, dome-like base covered in Ancient Sheikah designs, and a cylindrical head with a pair of fins on either side. It sat at a slight angle, and Link could see where part of its base had been cracked and appeared to collapse under its weight. Likely from the previous attack on the Divine Beast by Teba and Harth.

The cannon didn't move, and the lights on its body that Link expected to be there remained inert. Regardless, Link couldn't deny what he was seeing. When Teba had mentioned cannons, his initial thought had been something closer to the cannons used by Gorons, but this was a far cry from those metal tubes. _No, this is a Guardian,_ he thought, face grim.

It lacked legs, and its head was a different shape, but the design was unmistakable. It looked much like the flying Guardians, actually, only inverted and without the propellers. Immediately upon realizing this, Link felt that same stab of panic that he'd felt when he first saw the Guardians since waking. Irrationally, he thought about turning his paraglider and letting himself glide away from the Divine Beast.

 _No_. Link forced such cowardly thoughts away, wresting control of his mind. _I can do this. I have to do this._

His feet touched down on Medoh's surprisingly grassy surface, and Link exhaled slowly. He looked back towards the broken Guardian. "They can be beat," he said. And it had to be him. He steeled himself and turned his back on the Guardian. There were two others atop the Divine Beast that needed to be dealt with.

Before him was the entrance into the heart of the Divine Beast. The dome-like tunnel was dark, and Link could already see from his vantage the Malice that coated parts of the floors and walls. Grimacing, he stepped forward, preparing to enter.

"Well, now. I've seen that face before," said a voice behind him.

Link spun, though he suspected that he knew who the voice belonged to. Behind him stood the ghostly form of Revali, unchanged from the Rito he saw in his memories, with the exception of the green aura surrounding him. He even still had the same smirk played across his eyes.

"Revali."

"Yes, man, you do not have to look so dumbfounded. Is it really such a shock to see me upon Medoh?" The spectral form stepped forward, waving his wing around, as if showing off his domain.

Link was immediately annoyed.

"I'm here to free the Divine Beast." He paused. "And you."

"Yes, yes, I know. I figured that you would find a way to show up eventually, but making me wait so long… It's a bit indulgent, don't you think?"

The fingers in Link's left hand twitched, as if itching to lay the Rito out. His recent memories of Revali replayed in his head, adding to his sense of frustration. He tried to keep his face and voice calm, however. "Look, I don't have time for this. I need to disable the Guardians _before_ whatever is controlling this decides to join the fray."

Revali tilted his head, looking at Link curiously. "You've changed. At first, I thought it was the plumage on your face—so _patchy_ —but it's more than that, isn't it?" Distantly, Link heard the other Guardian cannons firing. Revali heard them too, frowning. "Well, come on, then."

They turned and entered the Divine Beast. As they passed into the shadowy interior, Revali glanced over at Link, looking him up and down. "I assume you just came from my village. How are the Rito doing?"

Link looked at him, noticing a slight tightness around his eyes, despite the air of unconcern that he tried to show. "They're flourishing better than some of the other races around Hyrule. I don't think the Guardians came this way when they attacked—I haven't seen any signs of their destruction like in the east."

"Good," Revali said, looking away from Link.

They continued on a few more feet before the air changed, as Link knew it would in the presence of Malice. Link resisted the urge to grimace as they entered a large room with multiple levels. The cavernous ceiling curved upwards, covered in Sheikah designs. He noticed several large skylights, but they had mostly been covered by the Malice, leaving everything dark and shadowy.

They entered the room at the upper level, and a stone bridge crossed the large opening below them. Parts of the bridge were covered in Malice, but it looked to Link that he could sidle around it or step over the worst places. Link glanced over at Revali for confirmation, and he nodded, stepping forward onto the bridge. Link followed, trying to pick up the pace. He didn't know how much time Teba had before one of the cannons got off a lucky shot.

"How long has it been, exactly?" Revali asked, not looking back at Link.

"One hundred years."

Revali hesitated. "How are you still alive?"

"They placed me in some kind of Sheikah machine. It brought me back." Link decided not to mention his missing memories. He didn't feel like giving Revali any more ammunition than was strictly necessary at the moment.

"Of course, they could only use such technology for the hero with the special sword." Revali glanced back over his shoulder, and Link saw bitterness in his yellow eyes. "The rest of us were just the _help_."

Link remained silent, not sure how to reply to that. He had no memories of the events leading up to the other Champions' demise. His assumption was that they had no way of retrieving the Champions' bodies following their death, but he truly didn't know for sure. He still didn't even know for sure if he had actually died and been resurrected, or if he was simply healed from grave wounds from the brink of death.

Revali turned away again and continued. Link caught up to him, avoiding a puddle of Malice. As they crossed the bridge, Link couldn't help but to take in the full size of the chamber they were in. Though this upper level was relatively small, providing a path to get out onto the wings, the levels below them extended deep into the underbelly of the Divine Beast. There were even what appeared to be long chambers extending to the sides as well—the interiors of Medoh's wings.

Sheikah machinery was everywhere. Link couldn't make sense of any of it as he gazed around the chamber. Much like the previous Divine Beasts, pipes ran along the walls, and Link saw several moving cogs interlinked with others. No waterwheels in here, though. He wondered what powered these great beasts.

 _And Princess Zelda was the one that Revali called upon to make adjustments?_ Link thought, suddenly curious. What kind of adjustments did she make? Did she work on the complex mechanisms that made up the Divine Beasts? _How did she even know what to do with them?_

He couldn't dwell on such thoughts for long, however, as he soon noticed something else ahead of them that drew his attention. From one of the pools of Malice, a large black eye had formed and opened, watching Link with an orange, vertical-slit iris. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Revali, what is the creature that inhabits this place like? What should I expect?"

"Why, are you scared?" Revali asked. His demeanor shifted, returning to the unconcerned air that he so often portrayed. All hints of his previous anger were gone. "It is strong and favors ranged attacks over getting close. Hopefully you're better at aiming with that bow of yours than you used to be."

Link's confidence grew as he thought of the Ancient arrows in his quiver. As long as this creature didn't have access to something akin to Daruk's protective barrier, as the last one had, he thought that he could destroy this one quickly. He lengthened his stride, speeding up.

Once across the bridge, Link saw what he originally hadn't seen from the other side of the room. There was another opening here, leading out onto the tops of the wings, but Malice covered much of it in pools that somehow clung to the walls and formed a web of dark goo that stretched across the entrance. Some of the Malice had even grown more solid, forming jagged spikes and pillars. There was no way for Link to get through it without touching the stuff, which Mipha had strongly warned him against doing.

Outside, Link heard a series of explosions. He couldn't see what was happening from this angle, but he didn't have time to find another path through. _Time to see if this works_.

Link pulled out the Ancient sword from his belt and activated the shining blade. The Malice on the wall reacted immediately, rippling and shuddering in the presence of the blue energy.

"Now, what is that?" Revali asked, curious. "No Master Sword?" He inspected the Zora sword that Link still carried on his back. "No, that's not it at all, is it? What happened it?"

Link ignored him, stepping forward and slashing at some of the goo that stretched across the entrance. The sword cut through it easily, sending up a cloud of blackish smoke as it did so. He felt the entire Divine Beast shudder slightly under his feet as he did so. If the Blight didn't know he was present before, it almost certainly did now. No matter. Link cut several more strands and then held the sword to the floor, watching as the Malice parted, trying to avoid being touched by the energy blade.

"We'll talk more later, Revali," Link said, looking at him. He could feel his heart racing inside his chest. Just outside were a pair of Guardians. Different, perhaps, than the ones that had killed him one hundred years ago, but Guardians all the same. And he was going to destroy them.

Before Revali could say anything else, Link rushed outside into a storm of wind and fire.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Four

**Here we go again! We're speeding head first towards the end of Part Two! And, believe me, Part Three has even more twists and turns than this. It was supposed to be the shortest part-or at least shorter than Part Two-but it has grown... a lot. I can't wait to share it with you all! However... we've got to get through a thing or two before we get there!**

 **Now, I got a _ton_ of reviews after the last two chapters, so bear with me! I definitely can't answer them all. There are a few I want to address, however.**

 **JimmyJones12: You are pretty correct! Some of those more supernatural aspects of the game-especially the ones that specifically exist for a gameplay purpose (armor upgrades, item management, etc)-have been left in the background to keep the plot moving forward. _However_ , I would say that all three of your examples are actually in the story! I've hinted at the Great Fairies more than once, and the others may be featured in future chapters. Just like the dragons, I want to make it clear that these creatures all exist in my world-it's very possible that Link just hasn't encountered them yet.**

 **midnaisbae: I wouldn't say that I _skipped_ Kass' quest, though I certainly changed it. You never know what the future might hold! Same goes for Link's future adventures in Gerudo Town. That's going to be fun. As for Zelda's mental state after one hundred years of being alone, see the prologue! Or future chapters. Also, I agree with you, to a degree, that Teba has a very one-sided view of things. That's exactly how I wanted him to come off. He sees things from the Rito perspective, with Rito pride to back him up. However, he isn't totally wrong. Considering Tarry Town is the first new settlement in roughly one hundred years (outside of, perhaps, some of the small places that sprung up around the stables), Hylians have their work cut out for them. I would even suggest that it is only fear of Ganon that has kept the other races from laying claim to old Hylian lands.**

 **iCards: Yes! Revali calls Zelda talentless-he says it right in his diary in the game-but she's the one who actually worked with the Champions with their Divine Beasts. I have, perhaps, expanded somewhat on her role in this story, but I'm not sure. No one else is ever even mentioned as having worked on the Divine Beasts, other than Zelda. She is quite far from talentless, but Revali thinks in terms of actual, tangible usefulness in battle, since that's where he sees his own worth. After all, what skills do we ever see him show other than skill in combat and cutting remarks? I'm glad you like my descriptions of the Divine Beasts-it's exactly for this reason that I did that.**

 **Thanks to all the other comments! Please keep them coming-I love reading them, even when I can't always respond to them. Now, please read and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Four**

 _I've never been here before_ , Link thought as the wind whipped at his hood. He looked around the broad wings of the Divine Beast, covered in grass, moss, and more than a few pools of Malice. It was an amusing thought, in a way. Of all the places Link had visited since waking, this was likely the first one that truly had no familiarity to him. _Revali never did let me visit Medoh…_

The amusement didn't last long, however, as he looked around. Stone pillars were set in lines on the wings, as well as what appeared to be the remains of a few old walls. Had there once been structures built on the wings of Medoh?

It didn't matter. He could ponder their purpose later—right now, he needed to use them. He could see the Guardian cannons on the tips of each wing, their heads turning to follow the dark speck in the sky that Link knew to be Teba. He had retreated slightly, likely to make it easier to dodge the white energy that shot towards him.

Link moved quickly down the left wing, choosing to run on the outside of the line of pillars and old walls, rather than down the middle, fearing being blasted in the back by the cannon on the opposite wing.

Teba apparently noticed Link's emergence from the Divine Beast, as he abruptly swooped down again, launching another bomb arrow at the Guardian. He didn't retreat this time, either, remaining close enough to pose a constant threat.

"Huh," Link heard Revali say nearby. "He's pretty good. Not as good as me but, perhaps, with time…"

Teba swooped low again, firing another arrow that exploded against the Guardian's body. It did no apparent damage, however, and the Guardian retaliated with another of its blasts that Teba narrowly dodged. Another lance of energy shot out from below the wing as well—he was low enough to be targeted by the cannons on the underside of the wings as well.

Link swore as he watched Teba avoid the second blast, only to nearly fly directly into a third blast from the Guardian on the opposite wing. He was far too close, but he didn't retreat, swooping low over Medoh's wing and weaving between some of the pillars. Another of the energy blasts struck the pillar, causing it to explode in a cloud of debris and rock dust.

Link picked up his pace, hoping that Teba's proximity would keep him from being noticed as he ran down the wing. Finally, reaching the last of the pillars, Link paused and peered around. Teba flew by, a white blur against the blue backdrop of the sky. The Guardian's head, which rose up on a tall cylinder, tracked his flight and fired another beam of energy.

Link inspected the Guardian, trying to decide on the best method for taking it out. Teba had hoped that Link would be able to find a weakness in the Guardian's armor up close, but nothing that he saw suggested a weakness. How had the last one been defeated?

 _The base was broken_ , he thought, frowning. It was one of the few definite signs of damage that he'd seen when looking at the Guardian corpse on Medoh's tail. The base. The Guardian's base appeared to be stone, much like the rest of its body, but it was not a flat circle all around. Instead, Link saw that the design of the base allowed for several small gaps between it and the ground beneath it. Enough for a bomb to slip through? It was worth a shot.

Link pulled out his Sheikah Slate, selecting the Remote Bomb Rune. He pressed it, causing the bomb to appear on the ground in front of him. He picked it up and glanced back out towards the Guardian.

And hesitated. This… was a Guardian. It may not have had the six legs, but it was a Guardian. It sent a shiver down his spine. Was he… ready for this?

It fired again at Teba, and Link closed his eyes. He _had_ to be.

He waited for it to follow Teba's flight in the opposite direction, looking completely away from Link, before he sprinted out from behind the cover of the pillar.

He reached the Guardian's base a moment later and rolled the spherical bomb underneath the nearest gap. Link quickly backed up to the pillar again, holding his breath. The Guardian didn't appear to see him, however, and continued tracking Teba's flight, firing occasionally. Teba had stopped firing explosive arrows as well, appearing to focus more on defensive maneuvers than attacking.

Link triggered the remote bomb. With a sharp crack and a flash of brilliant white light, the bomb exploded underneath the Guardian.

The Guardian suddenly tilted violently to the side as its base split into two. Its eye spun around in a circle, seeking its newest attacker, but it was too late. The lights on its body flickered wildly before growing dim. Its eye settled upon Link, standing beside the pillar, before it, too, dimmed and died.

Link felt a savage thrill of excitement at finally destroying one of the machines, but he knew that he couldn't dwell on it long. There was another Guardian topside that needed to be dealt with, and quickly.

He turned, running back the way he came. He had to reach the other one before it could be alerted to a second attacker. If he moved quickly, he could—

The ground beneath him shifted. Tilted. Suddenly, Link was running uphill.

"Link, watch out!" Revali said.

Link understood a moment too late as the ground beneath him tilted further, the angle of his climb growing steeper. Too steep. His feet began to slip. Eyes widening, Link dove for one of the pillars, throwing his arms around it. He found grooves in the pillar that his fingers were able to grip, but it was far too wide for him to wrap his arms all the way around.

Medoh continued to tilt until it flew nearly completely sideways in the air. The wind had picked up considerably as well as Link hung by the pillar, his feet desperately kicking at the surface of the wing, trying to find purchase.

Link saw Revali hovering nearby. All traces of smugness had been erased from his expression. He looked fearful. Link understood the feeling all too well at that moment.

Medoh shuddered again, and suddenly, one of the pillars near Link exploded with Guardian fire. Cursing, Link ducked his head as debris rained down on him. He was stuck, and the second Guardian, it would seem, was quite aware of him now.

Another of the pillars exploded. Link was protected by the pillars that stood between him and the other Guardian, but that would change quickly. He desperately glanced around, looking for anything he could use, but he was stuck. He couldn't reach any of the other pillars to climb, and there were no openings in the ground that he could see that would allow him to retreat inside the Divine Beast.

With a rush of air, Teba suddenly swooped by, landing on the pillar. He reached down to grasp Link's hand, pulling him up onto the pillar. His eyes widened briefly as they fell on the floating spirit of Revali, but he didn't let himself be distracted for long. Instead, he turned, exposing his back to Link. "Get on!"

Link didn't need to be told twice and grasped Teba's shoulders as the Rito spread his wings and took off again. Behind them, the Guardian fired again, destroying another pillar, but he didn't look back to see how close this one had been. Teba flew away from the Divine Beast, weaving in the air to dodge any oncoming Guardian fire.

"Good job, Link," he said. A lance of white energy flew past them, and Teba changed directions, beginning to fly in a wide loop that would angle them back towards the Divine Beast. When Link saw it again, he was surprised to see that the Divine Beast had begun to level out again. They were also much lower to the ground now—while flying on its side, it had lost quite a bit of altitude.

"You ready?" Teba asked, glancing back over his shoulder. "I'm going to fly straight at it and get you close. I'll slow down as much as I can to drop you off, but it's going to be a hard landing."

Link nodded, and Teba smiled, though his eyes showed weariness. This was very trying on him.

With a burst of speed, he angled straight for the opposing Guardian. Link held onto his shoulders tightly, keeping his head low, as Teba began to weave back and forth. A lance of energy passed them, far closer than Link would have liked, but Teba didn't flinch.

As they neared the other side, Teba swung to the right, dodging around a broken wall, and flapped his wings to the front, greatly slowing his momentum. Link took that to be his cue and slid off of Teba's back, dropping the five feet to the ground, which he hit with a roll. Overhead, the Rito took off again, flapping quickly to gain speed.

The ground beneath him shuddered again, beginning to tilt in the direction of the Guardian turret. Gritting his teeth, Link readied his bomb and ran out from behind the pillar. He reached the Guardian quickly and rolled the bomb under its base, as he had the last one, but he watched with horror as the tilting wing caused the bomb to continue rolling, right out the other side of the base and off the side of the wing.

Before he could trigger it and ready another bomb, the Guardian turned its eye on Link. The ground under his feet continued to tilt, and he was suddenly certain that he wouldn't be able to reach cover in time to escape the Guardian's blast.

 _Only one thing to do then,_ he thought, grimacing. _Hopefully Teba's close._

Still holding the Sheikah Slate with one hand, Link grasped his Ancient sword with the other and ran forward, using the wing's angle to run up onto the Guardian's base. He plunged his sword into its eye, watching with satisfaction as the red lights on its body began to flash violently. Suspecting what would come next, Link ripped his sword free and kicked off the Guardian.

Suddenly airborne, Link found himself looking down at Rito Village from above. He wondered if the Rito below were standing out, watching the ensuing battle. Were they hiding in their huts? Had they evacuated?

Something slammed hard into Link's back, and he felt sudden flaring pain in his shoulders. He looked to the sides, seeing a pair of Rito feet gripping his shoulders. Teba's talons pierced his tunic, as well as the flesh of his shoulders.

"I've got you!" Teba said from above him, voice strained. He began flapping hard, but Link could tell this was difficult for him. Above them both, the Guardian that Link stabbed exploded in a burst of white light, and Medoh began to level out again, likely to bring the Guardians on its underside to bear.

Link stowed his sword on his belt with difficulty and lifted his Sheikah Slate. As the nearest Guardian came into view, he pressed his finger on the Stasis Rune, which bathed it in yellow light. The stasis only lasted a few seconds, but when it began to move again, the Guardian seemed confused. Its eye spun around, looking for them. When it finally found them again, it was too late. They flew over the edge of the wing and out of sight of the Guardian.

Teba dropped Link to the ground and landed a few feet away, stumbling and reaching up to a pillar to steady himself. His chest heaved as he worked to catch his breath. Link slowly stepped forward, rotating his shoulders to try to work out the pain he felt in each of them. Teba's talons didn't seem to have done much damage, at least.

For the moment, nothing else moved. The Guardians below had stopped firing, having lost their targets, and all topside Guardians had been destroyed. There was no sound outside of the rushing of wind.

"Impressive moves back there," Revali said, suddenly appearing next to Link. "You'd be dead if it weren't for your friend there, though."

Teba looked up and around, eyes falling on Revali. His eyes widened. "You're—"

" _Quiet_ ," Link said, thrusting a hand out to silence both of them. His eyes watched control console. Malice trickled out of the Divine Beast, reaching towards the console like many jagged fingers. The Blight had come.

"Teba, stay back," Link said, stepping forward. He removed his bow and pulled one of the Ancient arrows from its quiver. He would try to end the fight quickly. Fire an arrow into it the moment it appeared, before it could raise its defenses. With any luck, it would be over before it even began.

The fingers of Malice stopped in front of the control console and rose into the air. There were dozens of them, all rising parallel to each other briefly before angling to join together with some of the others. Eventually, all of the lines joined and formed a growing sphere.

"So how many of these things have you faced?" Revali asked.

"Two."

" _Two_? You mean you saved me for _third_?"

Link glanced back towards Revali, and suddenly, he felt… amused by the Rito's outrage. They weren't friends. Not that Link could remember, anyway. But whatever had been between them was over one hundred years ago. Much too long to hold a grudge, indeed.

He smiled. "You're lucky I didn't save you _last_."

Oddly, Revali inclined his head with a smile of his own. An understanding, then. Perhaps not friends, but they could be allies.

Link turned back to face the creature growing from the mass of Malice. It had begun to take shape, elongating and developing the limbs that would become its arms, torso, and head. Its left arm formed first—long and slender with a clawed hand, just like the previous creatures that Link faced. Its other arm grew thicker and developed Sheikah armor in place of a hand. At the end of the armor, which was slightly cylindrical in shape, there were three pulsating blue orbs like Guardian eyes.

Its head developed with a flat plate in the front, just like the others, though this one was much more rounded than previously. The glowing blue eye appeared a moment later, with yellow Sheikah constellation designs spreading out from it. Like the previous ones, this creature also had a mane of red hair, though its hair spiked out in all directions. It had no legs, but more Sheikah armor covered its lower torso.

One thing that set this one apart from the others that Link had seen, however, was the addition of spike-like protrusions that stuck out from the creature's back. They were each clearly Sheikah in look and design, but Link couldn't tell if they were merely there for show, or if they were some other kind of weapon.

 _Revali said that it fights from long range_ , Link thought. _It will use that thing on its arm to fire Guardian blasts at me_. It was a daunting thought, but one that he felt better prepared for. Oddly, he had been more anxious to face the Guardians than this creature. But perhaps that fear had been misplaced as well.

Link stared up at the foul being and drew an Ancient arrow to his cheek, aiming and launching it. The creature remained where it floated, seemingly unconcerned with the arrow. Right before the arrow struck, a gust of wind caught it, sending it off course, arcing over the creature's shoulder.

Link swore and knelt, aiming again. Still, the creature didn't move, simply watching Link. He was down to two Ancient arrows remaining, so he had to make this one count. He launched another arrow at the creature. This time, the creature used its clawed hand to make an upward motion. A column of swirling air burst up from the ground in front of it, catching the arrow and causing it to spin wildly off guard, striking one of the pillars and exploding in a flash of blue light.

"No!" Revali cried, stepping up beside Link. "It's using my Gale!"

So that was it, then. The creatures had somehow stolen the Champions' powers, along with their lives. The last one had somehow acquired Daruk's shield, while this one had Revali's power over the winds. The only one that hadn't apparently taken any powers had been the first. Link had no time to think about that, however, as the creature raised its arm, aiming the trio of blue Guardian eyes at Link.

Link darted to the side, just barely avoiding the blasts that it sent his way. They were smaller and less explosive than Guardian blasts, but dangerous enough in their own right. As he ran, the creature continued firing at him until Link finally ducked behind one of the pillars.

"Link!" Teba said, peeking out from one of the other pillars. "We'll do it just like before. I'll get in the air and see if I can draw some of its fire." Link nodded to Teba and glanced around his pillar, noticing that the creature had begun floating to the side, circling so as to get a clear shot at Link.

Grimacing, Link circled around his pillar slowly, pulling another arrow from his quiver—an explosive arrow this time. He only had a single Ancient arrow left and couldn't waste it. After a brief three-count, he spun from around the pillar and shot the arrow towards the creature. Again, it protected itself with wind, sending the arrow off course, but Link followed it up with another arrow, adjusted for the wind. This one struck home, exploding against the creature's chest in a plume of fire.

The creature threw its head back, releasing a blood-curdling screech. It waved its hand forward, creating a swirling column of air that grew before it and then began moving across the ground towards Link. As the twister approached, the wind around Link picked up, quickly growing violent and filling the air with a sustained roar of sound.

Link turned and ran. As he did so, he heard the creature fire its cannon again and something struck his back with a force of a hammer blow, sending him sprawling onto his belly. His bow skittered away across the ground, coming to rest dangerously close to the edge of the wing.

 _So close?_ Link thought, slightly dazed by the blow. The roaring sound filled his ears and he felt a strong wind pulling him back _towards_ the twister. _Pay attention!_

He threw himself to his feet and continued running, hearing the creature fire several more times, though none hit. The wind, meanwhile, had grown deafening. He reached a wall and reached out, grasping it, just in time for the twister to reach him. It easily broke his tenuous grip on the wall, flinging him through the air. His back slammed into a stone column. Link cried out, falling to the ground in a heap.

"Get up!" A voice. Teba? No, Revali. Standing right next to him. "Get up, damn it!"

Link groaned, rolling onto his stomach. A shadow passed overhead. The creature, floating just above him, out of reach of his sword. He shoved himself to his feet and reached down to the pouch at his waist, pulling out the lizalfo boomerang that he picked up on Death Mountain.

Whirling, Link threw it right at the creature. It did not strike it in the eye, as he had hoped, but it spun past its right shoulder, leaving a deep gash that sprayed purple mist. The creature screeched in apparent pain, and its next series of blasts went wild, striking harmlessly around Link.

Link turned and ran, reaching back and wrenching his shield free of his back. He slid his arm into it, grasping the handle firmly in his right hand. As he heard the telltale sound of the creature's weapon about to fire again, he spun, holding the shield before him. Three blasts, each following the other, struck the shield. His feet slid back several inches under the force of the blows, but the attacks themselves ricocheted off in other directions.

The creature seemed even more enraged and fired several more times, each one striking the shield and ricocheting off. Then, just as it prepared to summon another twister, an explosive arrow flew through the air and exploded against its back. It flew forward, hitting the ground in front of Link in a heap. Overhead, Teba swooped by, yelling something indistinct to Link in the rushing wind.

 _Yes_! Link thought, quickly reaching to his belt and pulling the Ancient sword from its spot. He activated the sword and lunged forward. The creature moved at the last second, and the sword plunged deeply into the black armor surrounding its eye, but did not pierce the eye itself.

The creature roared, reaching out and grasping Link by the front of his tunic with its clawed hand. It rose into the air, and Link kicked ineffectually as he was lifted from the ground. The creature, its face armor leaking Malice, both in liquid and gaseous form, held Link far enough away to prevent him from stabbing towards his eye again.

Another arrow exploded against the creature's back, but it was ready this time. Though it shook with the impact, it was not flung to the ground as it had been last time. Instead, it spun, aiming its cannon at Teba as he swooped by. Teba flapped desperately, but it was too late. The cannon fired, and Teba was struck by a blast that knocked him out of the air and out of sight, over the edge of the wing.

"Teba!" Link cried. He brought his sword down on the creature's arm. It made a pained screech and released him. He rolled as he hit the ground and came back up, thrusting his sword up, directly into the Sheikah armor that covered the creature's bottom half. His sword pierced easily, and the creature screeched again, rising higher into the air.

Some of the Malice that sprayed out of the wound got onto Link's hand and clothing. Immediately, he felt a searing sensation on his exposed fingers and smoke rose from the sleeve of his shirt. He passed the sword from his left hand to his right and shook the hand that had been coated, trying to rid himself of the substance.

The creature rose high in the air above him now, looking down at him. Though he could see no expression, its posture indicated clear menace. The wind around them began to pick up, and Link felt the Divine Beast begin to rock. Whether it was because of wind or if the creature had begun to control Medoh again, he didn't know. Either way, his footing became much less solid.

Suddenly, the tops of the spikes on the creature's back—four in all—shot out into the air, glowing with the light of Sheikah technology. Like four diamonds, they began to twist in a circle above the creature's head, trailing phantom light behind them. One by one, they opened like flowers blooming, splitting apart and revealing their brightly-lit innards.

 _What is **that**? _Link thought, backing away slowly. A new weapon. Something he didn't know how to react to.

"Link!" Revali's voice behind him. He spun and saw that Revali had somehow retrieved his fallen bow. He seemed fainter now—anytime the spirits interacted with the living world, it clearly took a lot out of them. His eyes were determined, however.

Link grabbed up the bow, slinging it back over his shoulder. After a hesitant moment, he stowed the sword, as well, but kept the shield firmly attached to his arm.

Overhead, the creature aimed its cannon again, but not at Link. No, this time, it aimed it right at one of the floating spikes. It fired several times into it, and Link watched with awe as the bolts of energy were reflected into the other spikes. The energy began to bounce between them, growing faster and brighter. The bolts split. Multiplied. And then they began to rain down towards Link from four different directions at once.

Link swore and ran, keeping his shield up. The first volley struck the shield, nearly sending him to the ground. Another struck next to him while yet another struck the pillar in front of him, just over his head. There was a randomness to the fire, but there were so many of them that avoiding them was like running through a rain storm while attempting to stay dry.

One of the blasts struck him in the side, and he cried out, flung to the side. Before he even hit the ground, another slammed into his back, changing the direction of his fall again. He slammed into the ground face first. He tasted blood in his mouth.

But he was alive. And, damn it, he was _angry_.

Link threw himself to his feet, reaching up and wiping the blood from his nose and lips. His side and back both ached, as did his hand, where the Malice coated earlier. He looked up at the flying creature, already raising its cannon towards the flying spikes again, preparing another volley.

 _Enough_.

Link replaced the shield with his bow. The creature fired, and he watched as the blasts of energy ricocheted off the flying devices, multiplying as they did so. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for the moment.

They began to rain down towards him.

Link held his breath, focusing.

Time slowed.

It _did_ slow. There was no question in his mind as he focused, watching the dozen or so bolts of white energy as they approached him at a crawl. He could see each trajectory. Where each would land.

Link sidestepped and raised the bow, taking aim with an explosive arrow. He released the arrow and his breath at the same time.

The bolts of energy crashed down all around him, slamming into the pillars and ground with a great deal of force, yet none struck him. The creature was not so lucky. Though it did not fly as true as Link would have liked due to the gale-force winds around them, the creature clearly hadn't expected a counterattack as soon.

The arrow struck the creature's left shoulder and exploded. The arm bearing the clawed hand fell to the ground, dissolving into a puddle of Malice.

The creature shrieked in anger and pain, but Link ignored it, nocking another of the arrows. The wind around him had died down almost immediately once the creature's arm had been severed. Perhaps the power was contained in that hand, or perhaps its concentration had been broken. Either way, the time to act was now.

Link launched another arrow, this one exploding against the creature's exposed chest. It flew back some ten feet before righting itself, aiming its weapon at Link, ignoring the flying devices around its head. It launched another of the trio of blasts at Link, but he held his breath, focusing his mind as they came.

Just like before, they slowed in their flight. Link side-stepped and aimed again, releasing his breath. As the blasts crashed down where he had just been standing, his arrow exploded in a plume of fire against the creature's face. Its mask cracked. Shattered.

Beneath it was a gruesome visage. A single, blue eye surrounded by shifting Malice. A mouth with jagged teeth and a too-long tongue. Red hair that grew in odd patches and places. It was a creature of nightmares.

Link shot its eye with his last Ancient arrow.

The creature froze in mid-scream, remaining arm thrown out to the side, as the arrow's blue tip sank into the eye and released its energy. White shafts of energy briefly flared out from the creature's head, and then it was gone.

Link looked away as the creature began to break apart like the others. He could hear the creature's cannon fall to the ground behind him, but he chose not to watch. He had seen enough things that would haunt him in the night.

His eyes fell on the ghostly form of Revali, who watched the creature's death with an expression of shock that soon became satisfaction.

 _Teba_.

Link ran to the nearest edge of the wing, looking down with wide eyes. He saw nothing except the ground, far below. Nothing flew that he could see. Had Teba been able to recover from his fall?

The image of Teba lying broken on the ground caused Link's heart to clench. Would he have to tell Teba's wife of her husband's heroic death this day? He desperately hoped not.

Feeling sick in the pit of his stomach, Link turned just in time to see the creature, now little more than a cloud of dark mist, carried away by the wind. The air around them at once seemed fresher. Crisper. The sun felt warmer. Even the wind, ever present at this height, felt less oppressive.

He couldn't worry about Teba right now. Link hoped that he had made it down to the ground safely, but he could do little to help him now. He walked towards Revali, who stood where Link had left him, arms at his sides.

"It's gone," he said, softly.

Link stepped up beside him, slinging his bow. "It is."

Revali looked at him, hesitating. Finally, he said, "I was wrong about you."

"Maybe."

Revali remained silent for several seconds. "Well?"

Link glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "No, I was right about you, all along. You really _were_ an ass."

A look of confusion passed over Revali's face briefly, but when Link smiled, he did too. Finally, he laughed. "I'll be plucked—I never took you to be so… flippant."

Link shrugged. He still hadn't informed Revali of his memory loss, and he still wasn't sure if he wanted to or not. Did it truly matter?

"I suppose one hundred years is a long time," Link said.

"Indeed."

A memory flashed through Link's mind, so quick, yet clear as though he had just been there. The moment before the end, before Revali had flown off to retrieve his Divine Beast. The last moment he had seen Revali alive.

 _"Don't rush in there without me. You probably don't stand a chance if I'm not there to back you up."_

The words had been as arrogant as always, yet his expression… There had been worry there. Revali cared. Perhaps not about Link's safety, or even Princess Zelda's. But he cared about their mission. Their people. Their nation.

"Revali, thanks."

Revali looked at him. Finally, he nodded. Perhaps he understood what Link felt. "I have one question for you, though. It's something I've been meaning to ask you since the moment I saw you."

"What's that?"

"Your height." Revali frowned deeply as he looked at Link. "Is it possible that you have actually grown _shorter_ since I last saw you? And that _hair_. Please do not tell me that you lopped it all off with your sword!"

Perhaps not.

* * *

Link enjoyed the feeling of cool air lightly blowing around him as he made his way down to the upper levels of Rito Village. Overhead, Divine Beast Vah Medoh sat perched upon the peak of the spire, its mechanical talons wrapped around an overhang that seemed as though it could have been made especially for that purpose. Its wings were outstretched, and its beak was pointed in the direction of the distant Hyrule Castle.

The Rito were clearly in a state of confusion and panic when he gently touched down. Many had taken flight at Medoh's approach, while others hurried along the walkways, ushering children or the elderly along. They likely thought that Medoh was about to attack the city, as their Chieftain had warned might be a possibility.

 _Revali probably planned it that way,_ Link thought, glaring up towards the Divine Beast. No, Revali had not changed much in the last one hundred years. Their remaining time together had been little more than posturing and insults, but Link found that he didn't mind as much as he had in the past. Maybe he understood Revali better now. The pride. The jealousy. The desire for greatness. If their roles had been reversed, perhaps Link would have felt those same emotions.

"Link!"

The voice made him spin around. Relief flooded him as he saw Teba, leaning heavily against his wife, walking towards him, along with their young child next to him. Teba's entire left side looked scorched, but his wing appeared in good condition. He had been able to fly down, then, but the injury had likely prevented him from flying back up.

"Medoh, is it—"

"It's done," Link said. "The creature that was controlling it is dead. Revali's spirit controls it now. Everyone is safe."

Teba's eyes widened. "Skies above, you did it. You actually _did_ it. We need to tell Kaneli—everybody is panicking, but if we—" Saki placed a hand on his chest, and Teba paused, looking at her. Finally, he nodded.

"Link, if you wouldn't mind, could you help my husband back to our home? I will go speak with Elder Kaneli," Saki said. Link quickly moved forward, allowing her to drape Teba's wing around Link's shoulders. "Thank you. Tulin, you stay with your father. I'll be back in just a few minutes."

Saki hurried off to go inform the Elder, and Link turned, supporting Teba as they made their way back the short distance to their hut.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there until the end," Teba said when she was gone. "Getting hit like that took a lot out of me, and I lost my bow in the process. I wouldn't have been any use to you, even if I had been able to fly back."

"I couldn't have done it without your help. You saved me more than once up there."

Teba grunted but seemed to accept it. After a few more steps, he spoke again. "So that was really Revali up there. He… wasn't what I expected."

"Heroes rarely are," Link said.

"Hmm. And, if I understand things correctly, that thing up there is the thing that killed Revali all those years ago?"

"Right."

"Then I owe you an apology." Teba looked down at Link, meeting his eyes. "I used to think that Hylians weren't really good for anything but labor. Cutting down trees and constructing our homes. I've known few Hylian warriors, and even fewer that I would entrust my life to.

"The only reason I even agreed to let you come with me was because of your knowledge of the Divine Beasts and Kass' word. I didn't expect you to be any help up there."

Link found himself smiling. "It's not such a different reaction than I've received anywhere else I've been. The Gorons laughed when I told them I was going to solve their Divine Beast problem, and the Zora threatened to kill me. Why should the Rito be any different?"

"The fact that you persevered speaks much about you. Why have you continued, in spite of the adversity?"

"Why did you keep attacking Medoh, even when you were told not to?"

"To keep my people safe. To keep my family safe."

Link nodded slowly. "It's not so different for me. I don't remember a lot of it, but I come from a time when we all used to be united under one banner. I don't know if we'll ever return to that—not really. But I'll still try to protect the people of this land however I can. I'll give my life, if I must." He paused, considering. "And I have family that I need to save too." He thought of Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa. He thought of Princess Zelda.

"Then I was an idiot. I was ready to stand in your way if you didn't have anything to offer me."

Link smiled faintly and shrugged. "At least you didn't make me slaughter a lynel to prove my worth."

"What?"

"You'll have to ask Kass about that one. He was there, and he would probably be angry at me for telling the story. Would probably claim I told it too humbly."

Teba fell silent after that, though Link could tell that he had more questions. That was fine, and he would be happy to answer them eventually. For now, however, he was exhausted. His months of travel and life-threatening adventures weighed on him far heavier now than they had before he and Teba flew up to face Medoh. He wanted to rest, even if for only a short time.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

It was the first time the four Champions had been gathered together again since the ceremony. It felt to Link that a lifetime had passed since then. He'd learned much about himself in that time, as well as his charge.

King Rhoam had been the one to invite the Champions to the castle for the beginning of summer festivities. Publicly, it had been to celebrate the continued success of the mounting defense against Ganon's return. Each of the Champions had control of their Divine Beasts, and more Guardians were being exhumed daily. The Sheikah had been making breakthroughs in their control of the Guardians as well. Pretty soon, there was even talk that they would have them up and moving around, fully under control.

Link knew the truth, though. How could be not? Princess Zelda's attempts to unlock her sealing powers continued to fail. She was desperate, as was the king. Even the people had begun to whisper of her inability to fulfill her role.

"Her mother would have been able to do it," the servants whispered, when they didn't know Link was near. "If only fates hadn't been so cruel."

So, the king called for a celebration. A false celebration, perhaps, but the people didn't need to know it. As far as they were concerned, should Calamity Ganon return, he would be met by the combined might of Hyrule.

The evening's events had taken much out of them, Princess Zelda especially. She had gone up to her quarters as night fell, followed soon by Mipha, who usually preferred to be an early riser. Link had been tempted to follow Princess Zelda to check on her guards—after the Gerudo Desert, he saw shadows in every corner—but Urbosa suggested against doing so.

"Give her some space." Urbosa squeezed his arm, smiling knowingly. "She'll be all right."

So, the four of them—Link, Urbosa, Daruk, and Revali—found themselves sitting together in castle courtyard. Daruk had procured a cask of ale from somewhere, and together, they drank.

In truth, Link didn't dislike their presence—besides, perhaps, Revali's—but being here, with them, felt strange. He still wasn't sure how he fit in with this group. All had risen to prominence prior to being chosen to pilot their respective Divine Beasts, and most of them were leaders among their people. Urbosa was the Gerudo Chieftain, Mipha the Zora princess. Daruk was not the "boss" among Gorons, but he was highly respected and a leader among their warriors. Even Revali, for all his preening, was considered to be a hero among the Rito. Link was none of those things.

No, in fact, he had been little more than a nobody. Son of a royal knight, true, and heir to their meager holding. But his family was not considered an important noble family in Hylian high society. At least, they hadn't been before he drew the sword from the stone.

How did he fit in with princesses and rulers, generals and heroes?

"So, what's next for you and the princess?" Daruk asked, bringing Link back out of his thoughts. The Goron looked at him over his mug of ale—Link was almost positive that he'd seen Daruk adding some dirt to it—and smiling.

Link hesitated only a moment before Urbosa spoke. "I asked her about that earlier. I understand that the two of you will be embarking on another journey in the coming months."

He nodded. "She plans to visit Death Mountain again before we do, to figure out why Rudania's head won't close, but the priests think that we should travel a few ceremonial springs so she can pray there."

All three of the others were looking at him expectantly now. Link sighed inwardly, but he _had_ been trying to speak up more.

"They're important somehow. Tied to the three goddesses of creation."

Urbosa chuckled slightly. She was lounging upon a number of pillows—Link had no idea where she had gotten those, either. She lifted her own mug to her lips. "Legends say that the reincarnation of the goddess once walked the land of Hyrule, visiting each of the springs in order to pray for Hylia's blessing in order to awaken her abilities."

Link had heard the legends from Princess Zelda herself. The very first Zelda, from before there was even a kingdom or royalty, and the very first hero of legend—wielder of the Master Sword—whose name had been lost to time.

"So… what?" Revali said. Link looked up at him, frowning. "You're telling me that going around to each of these things is supposed to somehow awaken her powers?"

"Well, yes," Link said.

"That just sounds foolish."

" _Revali,_ " Urbosa said, exasperated.

"Isn't it? She either has the power, or she doesn't. The idea that some fabled quest is supposed to solve everything is something out of children's tales."

"Yes, much like ancient evil beings and magical swords. This is _all_ out of a storybook. Quite literally, in fact. But it doesn't change the reality of the situation, either."

Revali and Urbosa began to bicker back and forth while Daruk watched, smiling. Meanwhile, Link found himself wondering if Revali was right. Certainly, Princess Zelda hoped that this would work, yet it had an air of desperation to it. Was she going about it the wrong way? Perhaps the powers had nothing to do with prayers and rituals. Certainly, there had been no ritual when he drew the Master Sword.

Revali groaned dramatically, shaking his head. "I'm just _saying_ that if her abilities are going to surface, they'll do so when she's ready. I don't see how praying at a few mystical springs will help that."

"And maybe you're right. But I expect that she will not rest until they do." Urbosa glanced towards Link, giving him a meaningful look.

 _And I'll keep her safe throughout it all_ , he thought, nodding slightly.

Urbosa smirked and tipped him a wink, as if she could read his thoughts. Link's cheeks grew warm. He wished she wouldn't do that.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link opened his eyes to the early dawn light, gazing up at the wooden rafters of the Swallow's Roost inn.

 _What brought on that memory_? he thought as he sat up in his hammock, pulling down his blankets and exposing himself to the cool morning air. He thought of sitting with his former companions, and of the awkwardness he felt in their presence. _Why was I so unwilling to speak to them of my feelings? What held me back?_

The idea that he was less of a Champion than any of them seemed foolish to him now. In fact, the idea that any of this was anything less than his destiny seemed foolish. Princess Zelda had been right to send him on this mission. To free the Divine Beasts felt _right_ to him now.

A shadow passed by the open wall to his left, and he looked around to see a Rito form diving down to plunge into the lake below. Gathering fish, Link supposed. Other Rito were in the air as well. Flying between the main village and the outlying towns, visiting family and friends, or perhaps just stretching their wings after a period of being unable to do so.

Link smiled. It felt right, indeed, to save these people. He turned and looked to the east, in the direction of the castle. Though he couldn't see it from his vantage, he could _feel_ it out there. Waiting for him. _She_ waited for him.

His smile faded. It was time to get moving again. He carefully made his way off of the hammock—he'd fallen out of it more than once during his short stay at Rito Village following his victory upon Medoh.

In that time, Link had been treated well by the Rito, but he couldn't help but to notice that Teba was praised far more than he had been. The stories made Teba out to be the true hero, responsible for freeing Medoh. A new Revali.

Rito pride, it would seem, was alive and well, even one hundred years after the first Rito Champion perished. Link was more than willing to let Teba have it, though. _Let them gawk at him_ , he thought. Teba seemed to hate it, too—which made it even more fine to Link.

Elder Kaneli seemed to understand Link's true role in defeating the creature that had inhabited Medoh, however, and named him a friend to the Rito. He welcomed Link to stay in their village as long as needed. Even better, Link had been able to convince him to provide aid in other ways. Link's trip through Hyrule Field taught him just how bad it was in the central country. Kaneli agreed, with some insistence by Kass, to begin sending out patrols to harass the bands of bokoblins and moblins that roamed the land.

With the Zora to the east securing the waterways and the Rito to the west attacking from the sky, Link hoped that central Hyrule would soon become safer for travelers. The Guardians near the castle were still a concern, but those would hopefully fall with Ganon. And Ganon _would_ fall. Link was more confident in that than ever. His battles against the pieces of Ganon had been difficult, for sure, but victory was attainable. Perhaps even without the Master Sword.

He had been able to accomplish other things while at Rito Village. Fyson, the young Rito that Link met, was on the way across Hyrule Field to see if he would be able to establish a new merchant business in Tarry Town. Link's suggestion had been, perhaps, presumptuous and a little silly. He hadn't expected Fyson to even agree, but the Rito latched onto the idea joyously, leaving town two days later. Link supposed the worst that could happen would be that he had to fly back to Rito Village in the near future.

Link also had the chance to listen to the opening verses of the song that Kass had been working on since Zora's Domain. Hearing Kass sing of his victory with Sidon upon Ploymus Mountain had been strange, to say the least, but enjoyable all the same. At least he could _remember_ those events. At least, most of them. He was fairly certain that some of what Kass sang about hadn't actually happened, but who was he to instruct the master storyteller in his craft?

He dressed himself in his blue Champion's tunic and trousers, pinning the new cloak he'd received from the Rito over it. Though his old cloak and other possessions had been retrieved from the Flight Range by a couple of Rito, the new one was of much higher quality than the previous one. The cloak was made of a special fabric that they promised to be warm, even in the coldest environments, but also impervious to rain. It was heavier than his old cloak but was not so much bulkier as to slow him down. Emblazoned upon its back was the Rito crest—matching the one on his paraglider.

As he exited the inn, several of the Rito on the walkway waved to him before approaching the nearby landing, spreading their wings and flying off. Link turned and made his way up, rather than down, soon arriving at the hut belonging to Kass and his family.

Several of the children rushed out to greet him, and he smiled, patting their heads while inwardly reciting their names. He _thought_ that he got them all right this time, but didn't dare say them out loud, lest he get one wrong. The last time he'd done that, he had been thoroughly scolded by five shrill Rito voices before their mother stepped in to send them off, giggling.

Kass sat inside, tuning his concertina, while Amali prepared the morning meal in the adjacent hut. Link could smell fresh fish cooking over the fire. Kass looked up as Link entered, and he smiled warmly, nodding towards a pillow beside him. Link sat.

"Almost ready to go?" Kass asked.

Link nodded. "I should be back in a day or two."

The road to Gerudo Desert would be dangerous. The desert's location and surrounding highlands made for only a single way in and out through a narrow, winding mountain pass. Though they had not attacked since the first ambush, Link knew that the Yiga were still out there, likely searching for him even now, if not already lying in wait. There would almost certainly be an ambush waiting for him on the road to Gerudo.

So, after discussion with Kass and Teba, he decided that he shouldn't take the mountain pass at all. Instead, he would fly.

Revali had been the most difficult one to convince. Link hadn't even been sure he wanted to enlist the help of the Rito Champion, but Teba worried that the journey would be too far with Link on his back. Even with enlisting other Rito's help, the journey would be difficult. Flying aboard Medoh, on the other hand, would likely see Link there within a day. Eventually, Revali agreed, though he still lamented the thought of Medoh being treated "like a common pack mule".

By traveling between Kakariko Village and Rito Village with the use of the Sheikah Shrines—one of which he had just activated outside of Rito Village the day prior—Link hoped to further confuse his would-be assassins. With any luck, the Yiga wouldn't even realize that he'd bypassed them to enter the desert. He hoped that they didn't have a presence there—he didn't want to be distracted by their meddling any more than needed.

"I feel confident in my decision to stay," Kass said, thoughtfully. "But I do regret not being able to see you conclude your journey."

Kass had decided to remain in Rito Village with his family for a time, and Link agreed. Though he appreciated the companionship, now that Link knew Kass' family, he didn't think he would be able to justify putting Kass into further danger. And considering the events unfolding around them, Kass admitted that he felt a strong need to remain close to his family.

"The journey won't be over with Naboris." Link looked towards the east. "There will still be one more foe that I must defeat."

Kass nodded and played a gentle tone with his instrument, apparently satisfied with the tuning. "You will succeed, Link. I am confident in it."

"Thanks, Kass." Link hesitated before continuing. "You're a good friend."

Kass actually seemed a little embarrassed, but his expression was warm, nonetheless. "As are you, Link. When this all is finished, and you have freed the land, I hope that you will allow me to perform for you and the princess at the celebration."

"Celebration?"

"Did you think there wouldn't be one?" Kass asked.

"No, I just… I hadn't considered it. I suppose there would need to be one, though."

"Of course! Our land saved, your princess returned to you—Hyrule will have much to celebrate in the days to come."

"Think I'll have any chance to just… disappear into the crowd?" Link asked, smiling wryly.

"Not at all."

"Then I hope my hair will grow back some by then," Link said, ruefully running his hand through his shortened locks. He'd already shaved the beard—much to Revali's delight.

"Don't worry. I won't mention your beard in my songs—unless I come up with an _exceptionally_ good rhyme, that is."

" _Thanks_."

Kass laughed, reaching out and patting Link's knee. They remained there, together, for a short time before Amali announced that breakfast was ready, and Kass' five daughters all appeared in response to the summons. He ate with the family before saying his farewells and going off in search of Teba, who, strangely, wasn't in the village. His wife informed Link that Teba had left early that morning to the Flight Range, but that he would be back the following day.

Accepting this, Link made his way out of Rito Village and down to the stable, where Spirit awaited him. He had initially debated even just leaving for the desert immediately but decided, for Spirit's sake, that the trip back to Kakariko and Hateno was a necessity. He had already left Spirit in the care of strangers during his trip to Death Mountain, but now that he had the ability to transport them both, he intended to leave Spirit somewhere more comfortable. Besides, leaving his horse where he knew spies could report it back to the Yiga would hopefully sow even more confusion.

Link mounted Spirit just outside of the stable, thanking the stable hands, and started forward, away from the small logging village. He glanced back over his shoulder at the tall Rito spire and smiled at the sight of Medoh perched upon its peak.

 _Of course, Revali would choose to wait there,_ he thought as he rode out of view. As soon as he was certain no one could see him, he pulled out his Sheikah Slate and used it to teleport away.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Five

**So... does anyone want another bonus chapter? I know it's madness, posting two extra chapters this week. But we are _so_ close to the end of Part Two that I can't help wanting to get there! And I know that this chapter will be a memorable one. At least, it was for me when I wrote it! After this, the next chapter will come at the normal time on Wednesday, though. I can't get _too_ crazy.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: I debated using Medoh to transport Link so much. But, when it came down to it, it just made so much _sense_. The Yiga would, of course, be all over that canyon-the only way in or out of the desert. This way bypasses that risk entirely.**

 **echo009: Thank you! I try to make those battle scenes really intense and unique. I want each one to be different.**

 **lavenderblueleafs: Oh, Gerudo Town is coming... That's my favorite town in the game. There's a reason I left it for the last! Can't wait to share it with everyone.**

 **Now, please read and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Five**

It seemed to Link that summer arrived in the rest of Hyrule sometime on his journey to free Medoh. When he appeared in Kakariko Village, standing next to Spirit, he immediately noticed the humid heat of an oppressive sun overhead. It wasn't anything as bad as Death Mountain, but it made his brow break out in sweat almost immediately, nonetheless.

Below him, the village bustled as always. Farmers worked their fields, harvesting winter crops or continuing to tend their spring-planted ones, which Link thought seemed to have grown considerably since he was last here two weeks prior.

Link smiled at the peaceful nature of the village. As he made his way down from the shrine into the village proper, Sheikah began to call out to him, waving jovially and asking him how he was doing. He didn't know many of their names, yet they all knew him. Yet, despite his normal misgivings about people knowing him, it didn't bother him as much in Kakariko Village.

He made his way towards Impa's large home but hesitated when he saw someone that he didn't recognize. The man seemed simple enough—tall with a medium build, white Sheikah hair pulled into a high topknot, and clothes that left one arm and shoulder exposed, revealing a floral tattoo on his left shoulder. He was older than Link, certainly, but like with many Sheikah, it was difficult to tell how much older due to their hair color and long lifespan.

The man had his finger to his chin, looking down at an easel and canvas thoughtfully. He held in his other hand a narrow-tipped paintbrush. Beside him a small table had been set up with a multitude of paints of various colors and several other brushes.

Normally, Link likely wouldn't have paid the man a second thought, but with the Yiga threat in his recent memory, the man stood out. He was clearly studying Impa's home with a critical eye. Perhaps he was just creating a painting of the house, which was beautiful in its own right, but Link couldn't shake the nervous feeling that seeing the man gave him.

He watched the man for a time before approaching Dorian, who stood dutifully before the bridge that led up to Impa's home. Cado wasn't present, but Link thought he saw him tending his cuccos on the way into town. The Sheikah guard didn't notice him until he was nearly upon them—he, too, seemed to be watching the painter with keen interest.

"Link!" Dorian said, eyes widening. "You're back so soon?"

"I just came from Rito Village," Link said, patting the Sheikah Slate at his waist. "Would you see if someone could take Spirit to the stable for me? I don't know if I'll be staying the night in the village yet."

"Rito Village? Did you not say you were going to Gerudo Desert?"

Link hesitated, silently cursing himself. He had almost forgotten about his duplicity when leaving the town. "My plans changed shortly after leaving the village."

"Ahh, of course," Dorian said. He still looked confused, however. "I take this to mean that you will be going to the desert next?"

"Yes, but… actually, if you wouldn't mind keeping that to yourself, I would appreciate it. I'm trying to keep the progress of my journey quiet for now."

Dorian nodded. "Yes, I understand. I'm sure you do not wish to always have to answer questions about it."

"Something like that." Link hesitated—Dorian was Impa's guard. Surely that meant he was trustworthy, right? Impa would not have placed him into her service without reason to trust him. He glanced back over his shoulder at the painter. "Who is he?"

He looked back at Dorian to see his face darken slightly. "His name is Pikango. He only arrived in the village a few days after you left."

"You don't trust him?"

Dorian glanced down at Link. "I do not trust many outsiders. Especially those whose histories I cannot confirm."

"Do you think he might be a Yiga spy?"

Dorian started at the word, looking sharply at Link. "You know of the Yiga?"

"I have… encountered them on my travels." Dorian still looked confused, so Link lowered his voice and continued. "One of them tried to kill me on the way to Death Mountain. And a few more were waiting for me when I came back down the mountain."

Dorian's face paled noticeably. He looked horrified. "I… I didn't know. I hadn't heard that any of them found you."

"How could you have? I only told Impa and Paya. It's why I lied about my destination. I wanted to throw off any assassins that might have been waiting for me."

"I see."

"Listen, keep this to yourself. I don't know what my next steps are going to be yet, but with any luck, if there _are_ spies in Kakariko Village, they'll think I went to the desert and report that I'll be on my way to see the Rito next."

Dorian nodded slowly, though his face still remained almost as white as his hair. Sheikah truly were disturbed by the mention of their splinter clan.

"Is Impa in? I need to let her know of my progress."

"Yes, she's inside… Please, go on up." Link started up the bridge, but Dorian called back after him a moment later. He turned around to find Dorian looking up at him. "But you did it, didn't you? You freed another of the Divine Beasts."

"Yeah. There's only one left."

Dorian's lips upturned into a satisfied smile. He nodded to Link and turned back, waving down a passing Sheikah to take Spirit to the stable.

 _Hope_ , Link thought as he continued up towards Impa's home. _Every Divine Beast I defeat brings hope._

He gently rapped on the wood of the doorframe before sliding the door open and peering inside. "Impa? Paya?"

"Link!" Paya appeared a moment later in the doorway, looking slightly disheveled. Her cheeks were flushed. "Please, come in."

She opened the door wide and let him into the entry hall. All of the pillows had been stacked to the sides of the room, and Link noticed that some of the floor appeared to be damp. He glanced at Paya and saw that she held a wet towel in her hand.

"Cleaning again, huh?" Link said.

Paya held up the towel, looking slightly embarrassed. "I really do _more_ than just clean, you just… always seem to come around when I am." Her cheeks flushed a deeper red, which stood out on her normally pale skin.

"Paya?" Impa's voice called from one of the back rooms. "Who's here? Whoever it is, tell them to come back later! I'm _busy_."

"It's Link, Grandmother!"

There was a moment of silence that was then filled with the sounds of Impa's walking staff tapping the wood floor. She emerged from behind one of the staircases a moment later, eyes shining with excitement.

"You did it," she said.

"Medoh is free," Link said, returning her smile.

For a moment, Impa looked far younger than her years. She stood up straighter, and her grin grew even wider. Then her eyes flicked to the still-open door. Her smile faltered slightly. "Close the door, Paya."

Paya did as told, sliding the door shut. She then turned, going to the stacks of pillows and removing three.

"Leave those there. I'm not finished with my oatmeal yet." Impa smirked slightly as Paya dutifully put the pillows back. She met Link's eyes and winked. "Come on, you can tell me about it while I eat."

She led Link back into her small kitchen, which despite having been used recently, was as immaculately clean as the rest of the house. Paya followed quickly, her chores forgotten for the time being.

Impa walked over to the small, knee-high table, and settled herself down onto a small pillow. She motioned for Link to sit across from her, which he did.

"Want anything?" Impa asked, picking up her wooden spoon and taking a bite. Link shrugged but nodded. He had breakfast not long ago, but it would be good to eat something other than fish. "Paya, why don't you get Link a bowl?"

As Paya set about preparing a bowl of the oatmeal for Link, Impa fixed her stare back on Link. "Now, how are the Rito doing? I haven't been out that way for a hundred years, but the way that bard talked about them, it sounded like not much has changed for them from before the Calamity."

Link began to tell Impa of his experiences in Rito Village: the way they seemed to still be flourishing, despite the presence of Medoh and the food shortages; the Hylian logging community; and how they were doing now that the Divine Beast had been tamed.

A minute later, Paya approached, placing a wooden bowl of steaming oatmeal down in front of Link. "Would you like some sugar? It's pretty bland without it."

"Sure, thanks."

Paya smiled at him and rose, looking to the shelf. She frowned after a moment, however, and turned back to the table, scanning the items atop it. A moment later, she gasped and, to Link's surprise, glared at Impa.

"Grandmother!"

" _What_?" Impa said, suddenly defensive.

"You added sugar to your oatmeal. You know that you're not supposed to do that!"

" _You're_ the one who just said it's bland without it."

"To Link. _Link_ can handle a little extra sugar in his diet, I'm sure, but _you_ need to be more careful. You aren't as young as you used to be."

"Bah!"

Paya reached down, snatching up the small jar of sugar from the table, still shooting her grandmother a fierce glare. She spooned out some of it into Link's oatmeal, and then turned back to the shelf. She set it on the highest shelf, standing on her toes to do so—well outside of Impa's reach. She walked back over and sat down next to Link—likely so she could keep glaring at Impa.

Link grinned, and Impa shot him a dangerous look. "You'd best wipe that smile from your face, boy."

"It's just that I don't think I've ever quite seen this… side of you two before."

Paya looked at him, and her cheeks flushed again. But she still sat up straight. "Not many people get to see all that I do to keep Grandmother healthy."

"I'm healthy _enough_ ," Impa said, scowling, before returning to her bowl of oatmeal. "Honestly, girl, you make it out to be a terrible burden."

"It wouldn't be so terrible if you didn't keep sneaking sweets when I have my back turned. You told me to clean the audience room just to get me out of sight, didn't you?"

Impa looked at her with a sly smile. Paya sighed, shaking her head.

* * *

Link awoke suddenly, looking around the dark room that he was in. Moonlight streamed in through the window in his room at the inn, illuminating the sparse furniture in pale light. Nothing moved in the room, yet _something_ felt off to him. His instincts screamed that he was in danger. Under attack.

He threw the blankets off of him and stood up, looking around. He found his sword where he'd left it, sitting in its sheathe against his headboard, within reach, even when lying in bed. He unsheathed it, holding it firmly in his left hand, and went to the window, looking outside. Nothing moved.

The door to his room burst open, and he whirled, dropping into a defensive stance, ready to lunge or dodge as needed.

Paya stood in the doorway, dressed in her thin nightgown with a cloak draped over her shoulders. Her hair was down, and her face lacked the makeup that it normally bore. She looked at Link with terrified eyes.

Link lowered his sword, stepping forward. "Paya, what is it?"

"It's Grandmother," she said. Now that he was closer to her, he could see her trembling. "She's been taken."

"Taken? By who?"

Biting her lip, she glanced down to a round object held in her hands. Link followed her gaze. In her hand was a white mask, emblazoned with the upside eye of the Sheikah clan. Link stared at the mask, his heart thudding loudly in his head. They finally made their move, it would seem, but why this one? _Why Impa?_

He turned, snatching up his tunic and slipping it on over his head. "What happened? They ignored you?"

"No, one of them tried to take me as well."

Link straightened and looked around, suddenly worried that one of the Yiga might be ready to burst into the room, chasing her. But then he saw her expression. There was terror, there, yes, but a hardness that he hadn't seen before.

He looked at her more carefully, taking in her appearance. Her nightgown was largely covered by the cloak over her shoulders, but now that he studied her appearance, he could see the dark stains.

"Are you hurt?"

Paya shook her head.

"Good."

He turned back and put his legs into his trousers, pulling them up and cinching his belt on over the tunic. He strapped the sword on over his shoulder and placed the Ancient sword in his belt—he wouldn't be caught weaponless against these warriors again. He left the shield—it would only slow him down in this case, and he valued flexibility over defense in a fight such as this.

After strapping the Sheikah Slate to his waist, he looked back at Paya. "Do you know where they went?"

She nodded and turned, hurrying out. He followed but hesitated when out in the common room. Earlier in the night, he saw Pikango in the common area earlier and had caught a glimpse at the location of his room. He motioned for Paya to wait and walked to the door, reaching out hesitantly and slowly turning the doorknob. Unlocked.

Link pushed the door open and peered into the dark room. His eyes fell on the empty bed. He turned away, expression hardening. Together, he and Paya hurried out of the inn.

The village remained quiet. No alarms had been sounded. The strike on Impa's home had been surgical and silent. If Paya failed to fend off her attacker, then Link wouldn't have even known of the attack.

 _Then why kidnap them at all?_ he thought as they crossed the open square. _Why not just kill me in my sleep?_ He hadn't even barricaded his door last night—he felt safer in Kakariko Village than other places and hadn't even thought of it after the pleasant evening with Impa and Paya.

"Where are the guards?" Link asked when he saw that no guards were posted outside of the home.

"Dorian went after them when I came out. He said that he thought he saw movement up the hill towards the forest."

Link nodded and paused by the entrance to the home. He glanced back towards Paya, hesitating. "Paya, this is likely going to be a trap. You don't have to accompany, if you don't want. I'll get her back."

She looked at Link and shook her head. "I need to do my part, too."

He nodded towards their dark home. "Then go get dressed. You won't be able to fight very well in that."

Paya glanced towards the moonlit hill, hesitating, but then turned and hurried up the bridge and into her home. Link followed, eyes darting around for any movement. It was possible that the Yiga could still be close by.

Once inside, he saw the signs of the fight. Paya had already gone up to her room, but the body of the Yiga lay in the center of the audience chamber, face-down in a pool of dark blood. Grimacing, Link bent down and turned the body over, looking into the lifeless eyes of an unfamiliar man. He still had the knife in his chest.

Paya emerged a minute later, moving down the stairs with surprising silence. He looked up, and his eyes widened when he saw her.

She wore dark blue, tight-fitting clothing that covered her from neck all the way down to her toes. The Sheikah eye was emblazoned on her chest, but even this was a darker color than he normally saw it. Her neck was protected by a thick scarf, and a mask covered her nose and mouth, leaving only her eyes visible. Her hair had been pulled back in a tighter bun than she normally wore, ensuring it wouldn't get in her way. She had a curved Sheikah blade sheathed on her lower back, and he saw two thin daggers—one on her hip, and one under her left armpit.

"That is…" Link said, feeling a little stunned at her appearance. This was not the Paya he had come to know through quiet conversations on the balcony. He cleared his throat. "Are you ready?"

She nodded.

* * *

They moved as quietly as they could. Paya, with her outfit carefully tailored for stealth, made little noise at all. Link did what he could to emulate her posture, but they also didn't have time to waste on perfecting his stealth.

"How did they get past the guard?" Link asked as they climbed the hill, whispering so only Paya could hear.

"I don't know," she said. "They just appeared in our room in a puff of smoke. One grabbed Grandmother right away—she was in bed. The other one tried to get me, but we fought and fell down the stairs."

She didn't elaborate further, but Link could guess what happened after that. The fight in the audience chamber. The knife.

"It never occurred to me that you would know how to fight."

"Grandmother made sure I was trained in Sheikah fighting techniques, but…"

Link saw her shudder in the darkness. Yes, she knew how to fight—how to kill—but that did not make one a killer. Not like him.

"You did great. When we find them, focus on getting Impa to safety. I'll handle the Yiga."

 _Hopefully they won't care about Impa once I arrive,_ Link thought grimly. _The Yiga will spring their trap, and the two of them can escape._

He glanced down to the Sheikah Slate on his hip, positioning his fingers over the icons. The screen gave no indication by touch which rune he was pressing, but he was able to judge fairly well where each rune was located without looking at it. It would be a last result—he didn't want to start flinging explosives around with innocents nearby.

They reached the glowing shrine, looking around hesitantly. The nearby forest seemed dark this night, save for a handful of fireflies visible in the shadows.

Link glanced towards Paya, but she shook her head. Neither of them had any idea where the Yiga had gone from here, assuming they even came up this way. There was no sign of Dorian, either. While they found some tracks in the dirt on the way up, hoping to find clear tracks in the forest at night would be difficult, even for an experienced hunter.

"Stay behind me," Link said and then set out into the forest. He didn't set out on the path that led into the heart of the forest, choosing instead to remain in the shadows, carefully watching his steps.

 _No sticks on the ground_ , he thought as they made their way between the trees. He looked at the ground, looking for any sign of broken branches or twigs, but nothing but lush grass, plants, and flowers covered the ground. He recalled noticing that the first time he'd visited this forest as well.

Unfortunately, there was no mystical rabbit-like creature there tonight. The forest all around them was dark and surprisingly quiet. He could hear night insects chirping, but they seemed somehow muffled.

After a few minutes, Link stopped and held up a hand. He heard nothing behind him, so he looked over his shoulder. Paya was there, though barely visible in her dark clothing. _So quiet. She doesn't make a sound when she moves._ She may not have been a warrior by nature, but she clearly took instruction seriously.

He looked back around, squinting as he gazed around the dark forest. The canopy overhead had grown so thick that almost no moonlight shown down through it. Anyone could be out there, watching. Waiting.

Suddenly, a firefly burst into life just beyond a tree in front of Link. Its green light seemed too bright in the darkness, illuminating the dark bark of the tree. It faded after a few seconds, leaving a glowing afterimage in Link's sight. For a time, there was darkness again, and then another firefly began to glow. And another.

He slowly stepped forward, and as he did so, another several fireflies flickered to life. They seemed to form a line through the trees, as if they were leading them to a destination. He glanced back towards Paya and saw that her eyes were wide over her mask.

 _This is insane,_ Link thought as he followed the line of fireflies. Yet he felt a strong pull in his heart to do so. It was as if the forest itself wanted to lead him deeper. _The children called the forest magic. And I saw that creature here…_

They reached a place, much deeper in the forest, where the moonlight pierced the canopy, shining down onto a small clearing. Link hesitated at the border of trees, looking into the clearing with cautious eyes. He felt, rather than heard, Paya stop beside him.

Suddenly, fireflies all around them burst to life. Dozens, no, _hundreds_ of glowing green lights floated around them. In the trees, in the clearing, from within bushes and on flowers. Slowly Link stood up straighter, gazing around in awe as the forest was lit up around them.

Paya slowly lowered her mask, looking around with an expression of amazement. Link met her eyes and, despite the dire situated, smiled. She returned his smile, no hint of the normal anxiety she displayed around him in her expression. She was quite pretty.

That's when Link heard the voices.

The fireflies around them winked out all at once, plunging them back into darkness. Paya raised her mask back into place. Link silently unsheathed his sword. Together, they creeped through the trees towards the source of the sound.

"—don't need to do this. I'm here—let her go."

They made their way a short distance to another clearing, this one before a narrow brook that bisected the forest. Nearby, a small wooden bridge made from thick tree branches strapped together crossed the water. Across the bridge lay a meadow lit by the full moon overhead. Dorian stood there, his curved Sheikah sword held in his right hand.

Another figure stood in the center of the clearing. He was tall and broad-shouldered. His clothing the color of blood and his stark white mask identified him as Yiga, though he wore more armor than the first one Link had fought. He carried a wickedly long sword by his side, held in both hands.

"We warned you, Dorian. You _knew_ what would happen if you tried to leave the organization," the tall Yiga said.

Paya placed a hand on Link's shoulder, stepping up beside him. She leaned close, whispering into his ear.

"That's not the one that took Grandmother."

Link nodded, studying the edges of the clearing. Where was the other one? Where was Impa?

 _There_. He could just see a short form huddled against one of the trees. It was difficult to make out, but he thought that it must have been Impa. No sign of the other Yiga, though. How many were there?

"I know full _well_ the cost of leaving the organization," Dorian spat, adjusting his grip on his sword. "And I'm here to pay it. Just let her go. Let the others be."

The Yiga chuckled. "Oh, don't be _dumb_. Your life holds no worth to us now. It, alone, cannot cover the cost." He held his sword out, inspecting its shining blade in the moonlight. "No, much more blood than yours must flow tonight to repay us for your transgression. Only after you have watched your children perish will I allow you to die."

"I _won't_ let you harm them." Dorian lowered himself into a warrior's stance. "You'll never harm someone I care about again."

Behind Dorian, stepping out silently from behind a tree, another Yiga member appeared. This one was of a much smaller, lither build, much like Delilah had been. He crouched low as he approached Dorian from behind.

Link stiffened. This wasn't a trap for _him_. It was a trap for a member of their own clan. It was a trap for Dorian.

"Dorian, behind you!" Link said, running out from behind the tree.

Dorian whirled, slashing his sword towards the smaller Yiga, who leapt back and disappeared in a flash of smoke and light.

" _What_?" the taller Yiga said, looking at Link. "You!"

Link ran across the bridge to stand next to Dorian, who looked at him with a shocked expression. He didn't hear Paya run up behind him, and he hoped that she would be on her way to free Impa and get her to safety. He couldn't do anything to signal to her now, however—he didn't dare let the Yiga know that she was there.

"You didn't tell us that this one had returned," the Yiga said, looking back to Dorian. Dorian looked away from Link and looked defiantly up towards the Yiga. "How fortunate, then, that you led him into our trap anyway. The Calamity truly smiles down upon us this night!"

 _Enough of this_ , Link thought. He lunged toward the tall Yiga, thrusting his sword for his heart. The Yiga stepped back, bringing his own sword to bear.

"Cover my back!" Link said, thinking of the way the other Yiga had approached.

Dorian said nothing but took up a position behind Link.

Link and the Yiga began to dance. The Yiga had the advantage of reach—his sword was easily twice as long as Link's—but Link struck out in quick blows that the heavier sword had trouble keeping up with.

The Yiga swung his sword wide, and Link rolled under the blade, thrusting his sword up towards his opponent's gut. Its tip tasted blood, but the Yiga backed up before it could any significant damage.

He swore in a language that Link didn't understand, placing a hand over the bloody spot on his stomach, and then looked at Link. And then, in a puff of smoke, he disappeared.

"Above you!" Dorian cried.

Link leaped forward as the Yiga reappeared, swinging his sword down in a chopping motion, separating him from Dorian. Dorian attempted to attack the Yiga, but the Yiga backhanded him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The Yiga wrenched his sword's tip out from where it had embedded in the ground and thrust it at Link's heart. Link parried it with his sword and reached forward, grabbing the larger man's wrist with his right hand. He heaved the Yiga over his shoulder, flipping him and slamming him to the ground.

In a clean motion, Link reversed his grip on his sword and plunged it down towards the stunned Yiga's heart. Suddenly, a sickle caught Link's blade like a hook, pulling him off-balance and sending the sword's tip into the ground beside the Yiga.

He leaped back, putting some space between him and the now _three_ Yiga. Two more had joined the fight—each wielding their curved sickles. The taller one rolled to his feet and held his sword out to the front, staring at Link.

Dorian stepped up beside Link again, holding his sword in a defensive stance. The standoff continued for another moment, and then the two smaller Yiga began to flank to the sides, seeking to surround them.

 _Should have brought the shield_ , Link thought, wryly.

He pulled his Ancient sword free of its place on his belt and ignited it in his right hand. Its blue blade shone in the night, and the Yiga paused for just a moment. And then they attacked.

One of the Yiga leaped in with her sickle, aiming its tip for Link's throat. He knocked it aside with his blade, but the taller Yiga's blade followed a moment later. Link blocked this with the Ancient sword, which crackled with energy when the blades met. It didn't cut through the long sword, but that was likely only because the Yiga pulled the sword back almost immediately. Link could see a deep cut in the blade, the edges of which glowed with red heat.

The third Yiga attacked Dorian behind Link, but he couldn't spare them a glance for the moment. The taller Yiga seemed stunned by what had happened to his sword, but the second Yiga attacked again, lashing out with the same grace that Delilah had.

She fought viciously, striking with blindingly fast strikes. Link was not defenseless this time, however. He caught her blade with his own and then stabbed forward with the Ancient sword, but she slapped his wrist to the side—and then attempted to grab his left arm.

 _Trying to use my own move against me!_ He twisted his arm out of her grip. He kicked her back with his boot and dodged as the large Yiga's blade almost split his head in two.

Link tried slicing the Yiga's arm, but he moved with quickness that belied his size. Before Link could follow, the other Yiga was upon him again, her sickle passing by his arm close enough to create a small gash in the fabric of his tunic.

He held his breath, focusing on the moment. Everything around him slowed. He looked into the white mask of the Yiga woman, who had overextended in her attempt to catch him off-guard. And then he thrust his sword into her heart.

Everything began to move around him again, and Link wrenched his sword free, crashing it against the taller Yiga's blade, which snapped where his Ancient sword had cut. The half that spun free left a cut in Link's arm as it passed before sinking, tip-first, into the ground.

Link went in for the kill, his face a mask of rage. _Never again_ , he thought as he stabbed out towards the Yiga. _You'll never harm those who I'm sworn to protect again!_ The Yiga parried him, but barely, backing away. _Not Impa!_ Link swung, and the Yiga blocked. _Not Paya!_ Link tried to stab the Yiga's arm with his Ancient sword, but the Yiga leaped back and then lunged forward, swinging. _Not Zelda!_

All around him, battle raged. Dorian fought the Yiga, but he fared poorly, sporting several shallow cuts on his arms and chest. Paya fought as well, engaged in a battle against a fourth Yiga who wielded a pair of circular blades with spiked edges. The Yiga Link stabbed lay dying on the ground.

And, in his mind's eye, Link could see three other Yiga closing in on Princess Zelda, who ran for her life.

The tall Yiga's sword swung for Link's side, but he parried it, spinning into the Yiga's guard. He reversed the grip on his Ancient sword and plunging it into the Yiga's neck. He wrenched the crackling blade free and deactivated it, shoving it into his belt.

He ran for Dorian. The Yiga that he fought noticed Link and leaped back, disappearing suddenly in a puff of smoke. He reappeared in the air several feet away and hovered there just long enough to fling a set of throwing knives towards Link. One lodged into Link's right shoulder, but he barely felt it at the moment.

When the Yiga fell to the ground, Link was there. The Yiga desperately tried to defend himself, hastily pulling out his sickle to block, but Link knocked it free with a powerful two-handed chop that broke the Yiga's wrist. The Yiga's life ended a split-second later.

"Link!" Impa's voice. Link whirled and saw the last Yiga score a hit on Paya's shoulder, one of the spike's digging deep. Paya gasped and backed away, holding her bleeding shoulder.

Something awoke inside of Link. A primal rage unlike anything else he had felt since waking, but one that he was keenly familiar with all the same. He sprinted forward, crossing the distance with more speed than seemed possible. As the Yiga prepared to strike Paya down, Link reached her, placing a hand on Paya's shoulder and shoving her back. He caught the circular blade between two of its spikes with his sword and twisted, breaking the Yiga's grip.

He was the only thing that stood between this foul being and those he would protect. Nothing would befall them while he was there.

Link struck. The Yiga tried to fend him off with his remaining blade, but such a weapon was not made for direct confrontation with a sword. Link sank his blade into the Yiga's chest, ending the last assassin's life a moment later.

He trembled slightly as he turned, looking at those around him. Dorian, who looked at him with abstract horror. Impa, who watched him with a keen eye, satisfied. Zelda, who looked upon him with utter shock from her place on the ground…

 _No_.

It wasn't Zelda, it was Paya, so why…

And then Link remembered.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

 _That damn princess._

Link tried. He _tried_ , damn it! Despite their differences, despite her animosity towards him, Link kept his temper. He kept silent, refusing to say what he _really_ thought of her attitude towards him. He had even been willing to forgive her " _brash words, spoken in misdirected anger_ " after she apologized for the incident by the Sheikah Shrine.

He had hoped that things would change after that. And, perhaps, they had even begun to. She certainly seemed kinder after her apology for a few days on their way to Gerudo desert. But eventually, she grew surly again, often sighing to herself when she looked at him. And, of course, then they reached the desert, and she tried to leave him behind again.

Succeeded, in fact, much to Link's frustration. Urbosa had attempted to help him reconnect with her in a number of ways, but her most recent ploy had backfired. She had likely embarrassed Princess Zelda too much with her practical joke the night before, which led to this.

A missing princess.

Urbosa sent a team of Gerudo out on both horseback and sled to search the area around Gerudo Town. She, herself, went straight for the Divine Beast, thinking that the princess had, perhaps, decided to get some time to herself for further study. Link, horseless and without a clue, chose to check the bazaar, thinking that she could have disguised herself. After all, a disguise could work to get into the city—why couldn't it work to get out?

Every cloaked figure could be her, and he surreptitiously tried to verify the identity of each one, which proved difficult. Out in the desert heat, cloaks could be as much a lifesaver as they were in the frigid Hebra mountains.

He glanced up towards the sun overhead. It was approaching midday, and the temperature still climbed. The wind had picked up as well, blowing dust and grit against his face. _What if she's caught out in a sandstorm?_ he thought and inwardly grimaced. He should have just tried harder to talk to her last night. She asked him to speak, to tell her what he really thought of her, and he'd just… stayed _silent_.

She assumed that he hated her. Which, as Link leaned against a palm tree in the small oasis, wasn't true. No, in fact, he actually found her presence to be quite pleasant, when she wasn't scowling at him. Those times when she seemed to forget her dislike of him, when she'd start speaking about her research and her hopes of what discoveries they might find… And he didn't think she was ever more beautiful than she was with her sleeves rolled up, working on some kind of internal component of a Divine Beast or digging in the dirt with Purah.

 _Goddess,_ he thought. _What am I even thinking?_

He was fond of his princess, despite her prickly edges. Oh, he didn't like her temper—not when it was directed at him, anyway. And he was hurt by her seemingly irrational dislike of him, though he'd long since realized that such feelings were very difficult for her to control. And then, of course, there was what Urbosa had told him the night before.

 _"She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny."_

It wasn't his fault that he'd drawn the Master Sword. He hadn't _expected_ anything to even happen! It was… an _accident_. But, then, that was the real problem, wasn't it?

 _"She's put in more than enough time. Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication…"_

Link had seen them. Every day, at dawn and dusk. Often before she even knew he was awake, or when she thought he had stepped away for a time. When she could, she would do it kneeling in a body of water, though he didn't fully understand why. She prayed every day for the blessing that seemed as though it would never come. To think that he'd thought her impatient.

 _"She really is quite… special."_

Urbosa had spoken of her with such fondness, such love. Watching the way she brushed the hair away from Princess Zelda's face, Link saw a mother's love in her eyes and tone. A mother, like the one that the princess barely even remembered.

And, suddenly, Link understood. He understood _everything_. Why she acted the way she did, why she grew so angry at him, and why he had been so unable to find common ground with her. It wasn't _all_ his fault, no—the princess still had quite the temper, and he felt that her anger was misplaced and irrational—but he also hadn't helped things. He'd been silent when she wanted him to speak. He'd been aloof when she needed a friend. He'd crowded her when she needed space. He'd stood behind her when, in fact, perhaps he should have been standing beside her.

Why hadn't he seen it before? Urbosa claimed that he wasn't to blame for any of it but was that really true? Had he not doggedly pursued the qualities of a noble knight, even when it was clear that such behavior did nothing to _help_? Perhaps his father had been right about a knight's duty, especially in the presence of royalty, but did Princess Zelda attempt to _act_ like royalty when out of the castle?

He had been a fool. And now—

Screaming.

Link pushed himself off of the tree. A cloaked figure from within the bazaar suddenly ran out of it. The figure ran, and as she did so, her hood blew back, revealing a familiar blonde braid. Princess Zelda ran.

And she was pursued.

One figure, at first. Cloaked, but his hood fell back as well, revealing another hood and white mask. And then he was joined by another, this one a woman. He saw her just briefly as she whirled, throwing her cloak to the ground. She donned a white mask and sprinted after the pair. And then, to his horror, a _third_ Yiga clan member joined the chase, coming from the other direction, seeking to cut off the princess's escape.

 _"You be sure to protect her with your life."_

He sprang into motion, dropping his cloak and unsheathing the Master Sword from his back. He had to move, to run harder than he'd ever run before. He had to _protect_ her!

Zelda's cloak fell from her shoulders, finally discarded to aid her flight, yet it was too little. The Yiga easily gained on her, wearing shoes better designed for sand. Link's own boots sank into the sand too easily. While he and Zelda kicked up clouds of sand with every step, the Yiga seemed to barely leave footprints.

He would never catch them in time. He could never _save_ her in time.

Link yelled, trying to get the Yiga's attention. Trying to do _anything_ to stop what he knew would befall his princess. Yet they were single-minded in their pursuit, spreading out. Surrounding her.

She came up short, hand to her breast, looking around in terror as she realized that her escape route was blocked by the third Yiga. She spun, trying to find another way, but the Yiga from earlier closed the gap. She whirled, only to stumble backwards and fall as her first pursuer shed his cloak, stepping forward and wielding a wicked sickle.

The Yiga spun his sickle in his fingers casually and then raised it above his head, preparing to end her life.

" _No!_ "

The Yiga's blade fell. The Master Sword rose. The Yiga's blade spun away through the air. Link swept the sword down again in a two-handed cleave, cutting deep into the assassin from collar to rib.

As the Yiga fell, Link turned, breathing heavily and looking at the remaining two would-be killers with a primal rage that he'd never felt before. They would _not_ have his princess.

The two Yiga backed up a step, glancing at each other. Fear showed in their posture. They looked back at Link and took another step backward. Suddenly, with a puff of smoke and flame, they both disappeared into thin air.

Link stayed there for a time, his chest heaving, waiting for a counterattack. Waiting for the assassins to make another move. They did not return, however, and Link became aware of a new sound.

Sobbing.

He turned the Master Sword over, driving it point first down into the sand, and knelt beside Princess Zelda, who had buried her face in her hands. "Princess," he said. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head, though her body continued to shake with her cries. Hesitantly, Link reached out with an open palm, unsure of what he should do. What was appropriate? She decided that for him a second later, however.

Princess Zelda looked up and saw his hand, just inches from her shoulder, and then she met his eyes. And then, in a rush of motion, she threw her arms around him, knocking him onto his backside, and clung to him, trembling with renewed sobs.

Slowly, carefully, Link wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her in his lap as she cried.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"No!" Link cried, stumbling back from Impa and Paya. He shook violently, looking around with wide eyes at the dark forest. This wasn't right. This wasn't where he _needed to be!_

"Link—" Paya said, but Link didn't hear her.

He whirled. He saw the bodies of the Yiga. The assassins that had tried to murder his princess. He ended them, yet where was she? Where was Zelda?

 _The castle. She's in the castle_.

He needed to protect her. He needed to _save_ her!

Link removed the Sheikah Slate from his belt with trembling hands. The map. The _map_. Where was— _there!_

"Link, what are you doing?" Impa's voice. He ignored it, instead staring down at the blue icon that indicated the Sheikah Shrine that he had activated just outside of Castle Town.

He would protect his princess.

Link pressed the icon, and his body broke apart into thousands of blue strands of light as he teleported away from the forest.

To Hyrule Castle.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Six

**I can't even express how happy I am to finally be able to share this chapter with you all. This-the final chapter of Part Two. I've been planning this since the beginning, and I am thrilled with how it turned out. I am sorry for the cliffhanger, though! That was a tad bit mean-spirited of me. But the reaction I got in the comments was great. I think that was not only my most commented chapter, but I also got more hits on Sunday than any single day prior.**

 **Now, before I talk any comments, I'm going to make a quick announcement for the way forward from here. On Saturday, I will post the next Side Quests chapter, aptly named Side Quests II. After that, I'm going to take that next Wednesday off and then I'll post the first chapter of Part Three that Saturday. That's all I'll say for now, but there may be more announcements to come. The good news, however, is that I can definitely guarantee you beyond all question that this novel will be finished...**

 **Klynnw: It was tough to hold off on that memory for so long! It's one of my favorites, and one thing that I haven't discussed yet is the fact that I write as I go. Some people do things like write the ending first or write major scenes. I don't do that. So I wrote that memory when I finally reached Chapter 35. There was a lot of excitement when I finally wrote it! And then I had to wait to share it, since I got it written a couple months ago... Glad to finally be able to share it now, and I can't _wait_ to share some of the other stuff I have coming up.**

 **iCards: I love the Heirloom quest so much, and I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow. I'm glad this all worked out in such a way that I was able to do so. Also, it was a blast exploring the Sheikah shadow side of Paya. That wasn't in the game, I will fully admit, but I felt it wasn't too much of a stretch to give her that training. And it took me a while to figure out how to do that memory _without_ taking Link to the desert. When I originally planned _this_ chapter's sequence, I actually had Link remembering while in the Gerudo Desert, because I planned to save the Rito sequence for last. It wasn't until after I finished writing the Goron sequence that I felt I needed to swap between the Gerudo and Rito (fun fact: in the original conversation with Yunobo, Link told him he was going to the desert next, and I _almost_ missed changing it for posting).**

 **Michy: I love Skyward Sword's story and the dynamic between Link and Zelda. And I love that Zelda has her own quest in that game that isn't dependent on Link! That game has definitely been an inspiration for me in writing their dynamic in this novel. I'm actually about to start another playthrough of that game here pretty soon.**

 **All right, no more replies. On with the chapter! I'll talk to you all again on Saturday-I'm sure there will be some... reactions. Please read and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Six**

Somewhere, deep within Link's being, he knew that he wasn't in his right mind. He'd gone mad. No Divine Beasts. No Master Sword. No plan. No hope. But none of that mattered anymore. The primal beast that had been suppressed by his lack of memory would not be held captive again.

Red lightning forked overhead, and even the full moon seemed to shine with an eerie red cast this close to the castle. The feeling of Malice was far stronger here. What he experienced in the Divine Beasts had only been but a taste of what Ganon's consolidated power was truly like. Here, so close to the creature of rage and destruction, the air grew red with haze, and the oppressive feeling of his presence was far more palpable.

Even without a plan, however, he knew what he was going to do. Where he would go. The castle's front entrance swarmed with Guardians, as did the ruins of the city that once stood before the gates. As mad as he was, Link knew he could not storm the gates and hope to survive.

But there were other ways into the castle. Others still entered the castle through secret means, from what Boldon told him. And coming here had sparked a memory in his mind of one of them.

He glanced up, hiding under the overhang of one of the massive stone columns that had erupted around the castle when Ganon emerged, waiting for the flying Guardian to pass, its eye seeking out targets. The thing terrified Link, but the thought of his princess forced to remain in this place even a moment longer terrified him more.

Once it passed, he leaped from the short ledge and into the murky water below. The moat's current immediately began to try to push him downstream, but he swam with it, using techniques that Mipha taught him so many years ago. His time was short—if he were still in the water when the Guardian returned, he would be defenseless.

He reached the opposite bank quickly and pulled himself up, crouching low behind large rock as the Guardian passed once again. He could hear its propellers spinning and the whir of its eye as it gazed around.

When it was gone, Link stood up straighter, looking around in the dark for what he knew was there—assuming it hadn't collapsed in the intervening years.

 _"Father, why would the castle have secret entrances? Wouldn't that make it easier for assassins and thieves to get in?"_

 _"Only if we don't know about them, Link. However, if we know about them, they can become powerful tools—even better if those assassins and thieves don't know that we know."_

Memories flashed through his mind as he felt along the wall. How old had he been when his father brought him here? Only a boy, to be certain. Likely not even yet a squire. Did he live in the castle then? Or had he been visiting from his family's lands around Hateno Village?

The darkness pressed all around him as he searched. Here, under the shadow of Hyrule Castle, he couldn't even see the moon any longer. The stars were obscured by the red haze, which seemed to absorb light while giving off no light of its own. Finally, he felt it. The crack in the wall. Too small for a large man, but Link thought that he could still fit.

He removed the sword and sheathe from his back, holding it out to the side so as not to catch on the rock. Then he began to ease himself into the small crevice. It was a tight fit. He couldn't duck down because of how narrow it was, but his head barely even squeezed through turned to the side. When he finally emerged on the other side, his arms and face were both scraped bloody.

The other side was pitch-black. No lights shone in the chamber beyond, which only heightened Link's sense of foreboding. He slipped the sheathe back onto his back and pulled the Ancient sword from his belt, activating it. Its blue glow revealed a small cave within the rock, and a passage that led deeper into the rock foundations of the castle.

Hyrule Castle had long ago been built upon a mountain. Rather than transport stone from other locations throughout the nation, its builders had, instead, used the very stone of the mountain to build the castle. Like many mountains, the one upon which the castle had been built had a small network of caves running throughout it. Most had been intentionally collapsed, but some—like this one—were either left intentionally or were not discovered until centuries later.

Link pressed forward through the darkness, holding his shining sword over his head. It illuminated bare stone walls for a time, but as he moved further into the darkness, he began to see patches of dark ooze coating parts of the walls and floor. Malice.

 _What kind of creatures inhabit this place?_ he wondered as he stared at one patch of Malice that stretched from the ceiling to the floor in a web of dark strands. _I have no more arrows. I don't even have a bow_.

Yet he pressed on. He couldn't turn back—not when he was so close to his princess. He would _save_ her.

In time, the passage began to slope upwards. He passed several other branches in the cave, but he ignored them. He had no memory of this place, but his heart seemed to know the right direction to take.

Link entered a larger chamber. Part of the floor was full of water that gave off a haze of steam—a natural spring of sorts. The path looped around the spring, forming a ramp that led up to another passage twenty feet or so above the water. He began towards that, but then stopped, looking at the opposite wall. The stone on it seemed different somehow.

 _What?_

Link approached, holding his sword high to provide light. His sword's light soon illuminated a smooth, rounded section of the wall. Sheikah patterns stood out on it. It looked like…

Link gasped, stumbling back. There, in the wall, was the partially buried form of a Guardian. Only a small portion of it had been uncovered, yet its design was unmistakable. He hesitantly reached out, placing his hand against the smooth curvature of its rotating head. It was not alive, as the ones above the surface were.

He removed his hand and walked along the wall, spotting more partially-uncovered Guardians. From the gouges and cracks in the wall, he suspected that these had still been in the process of being exhumed when the Calamity befell the castle.

Shuddering, Link turned his back on the machines and continued up the slope to the higher level. Here, the passage changed. Though the walls were still rock, wooden beams stood to the sides and overhead to provide additional support and prevent tunnel collapses. He continued further, trying to ignore the growing amount of Malice that coated much of the tunnel's surface.

The end of the passage arrived suddenly. As he continued on, his sword's light suddenly fell on the remains of a brick wall that had long since collapsed. The wall had once been a secret doorway—Link could still see the ancient tracks that it had once swung in on.

Now that Link saw it, he remembered what could have been a fatal flaw in his use of this passage. This fake wall was only supposed to open from the inside, swinging out into the cave, in order to prevent it being used to sneak into the castle. However, the wall was little more than a pile of old bricks on the floor of the castle now.

Link wondered what had eventually broken into the castle through this passage. Had it been the treasure hunters and adventurers that Boldon told Link about, or was it something worse?

Pushing such worries aside, he continued in through the broken wall, setting foot inside Hyrule Castle for the first time in over one hundred years.

He slowly waved his sword, casting its light around him. Nearby, hanging off a brick wall, the rusted remains of an old chain glinted in the blue light. He inspected the chain, finding a pair of iron shackles at either end. Frowning, Link crept forward until his light revealed the iron bars of a prison cell. The secret passage, it would seem, led into Hyrule Castle's dungeon.

Link continued on. The dungeon was extensive, containing multiple cells on either side. There were other rooms as well—rooms with broken doors and dark interiors. Link ignored those. Most of them were likely just guard chambers, while others were interrogation rooms.

As he made his way through the dungeon, he soon found that not all of the cells were empty. Some contained sets of old bones, a few still hanging from chains on the walls, the skeletons held together by the barest remains of old sinew. Others had piles of filthy rags, in which their former occupants had likely huddled as they waited for the slow death of dehydration.

Link did his best to ignore such things, pressing forward, but one such bundle of rags eventually caught his eye. After all, it was _moving_.

He paused by the cell, looking in horror as a huddled figure shifted under the brown rags. Though the smell given off by Malice nearly overwhelmed his senses by now, now that he focused on it, he could smell the unmistakable scent of rot and filth.

 _How could anyone still be alive down here? How long has he been in this prison? Did someone lock him up recently?_

The figure slowly lifted its head, but the sword's light did little to pierce the darkness beneath its hood. The light glinted off a pair of dark eyes, however.

Slowly, the person inside rose. The rags fell away, revealing a naked body underneath, far thinner and more desiccated than Link thought a living person could have. The prisoner shuffled forward, and Link could do little else but watch as he slowly approached the beacon of light.

Link's confusion gave way to horror as the figure finally entered the light fully. Its face was a mask of sunken flesh that stretched tight over its skull. It had no lips, revealing brown teeth and a tongue-less mouth. The skin on its body was papery thin and simply not there in places, revealing rotten muscle and bone underneath. It lacked several fingers, and the fingers that it did have had no fingernails. One of its legs ended in a stump, giving it an unsteady hobble as it approached him.

The creature inside the cell groaned, reaching one of its rotten hands forward. One of its fingers ended in bone, the flesh long since eaten away. It reached through the bars of the cell for him, and Link stepped back, eyes widening. The creature opened its mouth and released a shriek unlike any other that Link had ever heard.

Every nerve in Link's body fired, every muscle tensed, and every thought in his head was replaced by that of purest terror. He couldn't move. He couldn't _think_. He could only watch as the terrible creature, once man, but now something far less, tried to reach for him, its fingers only inches from his tunic.

Somewhere down the hall, from where Link had just come, he heard another creature moan. And then another. To Link's horror, through one of the cells that had a broken door, a shuffling creature just like the one in the cell in front of him stepped out.

The creature before him stretched out its hand, moaning, desperately clawing the air for Link. Its soulless eyes were black, reflecting the light of his sword. The tip of one of its bony fingers just barely brushed his tunic.

Link yelled and swung his sword down, slicing right through the arm with no resistance whatsoever. The appendage fell to the ground with a sickening sound, yet the creature was not even phased. It reached its other arm through, trying again to grasp Link, despite only having two fingers remaining on this hand.

The other shambling corpse made its way down the hall towards Link, hands outstretched, mouth open wide. It lacked part of its side, revealing its rib cage.

Feeling nothing but terror, Link turned and ran. He passed other undead corpses, all of which seemed to have awakened with the first one's scream. As one stumbled out of a cell, opening its mouth wide to release its terrible shriek, he swung his sword, decapitating it. The body collapsed.

He heard more of the shrieks behind him and glanced back, horrified to see at least half a dozen of the creatures in the hall now, not counting the one he dispatched. He had passed so many of them on the way through the dungeon!

Finally, as he rounded another corner, he found a doorway that led up to a staircase. The old door remained, though it hung pitifully on a single rusty hinge. Link closed the door, wincing at the awful metallic screech it made as he did so. He found the old wooden bar used to secure the door lying next to it, and he slid the rotten wood into place, hoping that would stop the creatures from following him.

He turned and hurried up the stairs, emerging out of an old building onto a patch of grass inside the castle's outer walls, very low on the mountain that the castle had been built upon. The castle towers rose far above him, their peaks shadowy in the night sky. Red haze settled down around him like a thin fog, leaving the air feeling hot and unpleasant to his lungs. The color seemed to have been drained of everything around him. The grass was ashen grey and the trees looked petrified, devoid of all leaves.

 _Everything is dead._

Setting his jaw and sparing one more glance for the shadowy door beneath, Link slunk out onto the castle grounds, casting wary glances about for Guardians.

* * *

She became aware of his presence at the same time that the Calamity grew curious of the new being to enter the castle. It was not the first time a stranger made his way into the castle, and the Calamity was usually content to let them be. Looters did not concern him. But something about this new person intrigued him.

She was curious, too. She knew his presence. She knew this man. She… she knew that _he_ _shouldn't be here_.

Like a drowning woman coming up for air, Zelda was suddenly aware of who she was again. She watched with horror as Link crossed the castle grounds, narrowly avoiding detection by one of the roaming Guardians that patrolled the outer walls. She watched as he pressed his back to the wall as the Guardian walked above him, its cylindrical head spinning this way and that. She watched as he continued on once it passed, soon finding an entrance into the castle itself.

And she watched as Ganon grew close, his curiosity growing. She could feel his thoughts. His wonder. _Who is this boy_ , he wondered, _that seems so familiar_? He reminded him of…

Zelda _slammed_ her power against Ganon, pushing him down. He raged against her, forgetting about the intruder as he pushed back. So strong. When had he become so _strong_? It was nearly enough to overwhelm her power—so much so that she had to pull her awareness away from everywhere else around her. She could no longer look at Link or even hope to speak to him, to warn him away—it took everything she had to form the seal of power that kept Ganon at bay. That kept him _blinded_.

He mustn't know. He _can't_ find out.

* * *

Link slipped inside the dark corridor, pressing his back to the wall as he sidestepped the dark, reflective mass of Malice on the floor by his feet. He used his Ancient sword to push it back some—it reacted much like the Malice had on Medoh, pulling back slightly from the sword, though it did so more sluggishly. Once past this past, Link sighed with relief and raised his sword, illuminating the corridor.

A thick coating of dust covered the entire floor, undisturbed for years. Perhaps this entrance was never used by the treasure hunters that Link heard about. Ancient sconces lined the walls, their torches having long since been put out. The wall was made of unadorned stone.

 _Servant's entrance,_ he thought, frowning. So close to the dungeons, perhaps even a soldier's entrance. Continuing further down, he found that his second guess was right. He soon came to the ramshackle remains of an old soldier's practice hall. It appeared to have been untouched for one hundred years, other than for the Malice that coated much of things.

Link stepped into the hall, and suddenly, he was back in the past. Sparring against other squires had been a popular way of releasing tension and settling arguments. He always won. No squire had been a match for Link's skill with the sword, spear, or quarterstaff. Though some of the larger ones were quite adept at beating him in wrestling.

Those squires had been his friends once, though many of them refused to even speak to him after he pulled the Master Sword. Too intimidated, perhaps, or jealous of his sudden meteoric rise to importance.

 _I never wanted to be so important_ , he thought, frowning. _Not truly_.

It didn't matter now, of course. That was over a century ago. He became important. Destined. The Hero.

Link pressed on into the bowels of the castle. Malice only grew thicker as he continued. In places, it dripped from the ceiling in large globs or formed solid black pillars. He found entire hallways blocked off by large masses. He brushed against it multiple times, and each encounter left his exposed flesh red and angry.

The castle was like a maze, and despite his limited memories, he found himself getting turned around in its winding halls. Several sections were either so completely covered by Malice or outright collapsed that he had to find alternate paths. His Sheikah Slate provided him no help either—it showed that he was in the castle, but nothing else.

He found a series of rooms that had been ransacked. These must have been servants' quarters—they had no windows and were small. He found dressers with the drawers pulled out, all clothing removed. Chests that had been broken open. This part of the castle had been visited by the treasure hunters looking for valuables, so there must have been another entrance nearby—he didn't think that they had come in the same way he did.

He stepped into another hallway and came face to face with a Guardian Scout.

Swearing, Link ducked back around the corner just as it fired off a shot that would have taken him in the face. He waited for it to approach, its legs making clicking sounds on the stone floor. When it reached him, he thrust out his sword, plunging its blue blade into its eye.

The effect was instantaneous. Its red lights began to flicker, and Link could have sworn that he saw a cloud of Malice erupt out of its body. He ran back down the hall, knowing what would come next. Behind him, the diminutive Guardian exploded, sending shrapnel flying in every direction.

The castle rumbled under his feet. Link pressed his hand to the wall to steady himself as the ground shook. Ganon. Echoing down the halls, he thought that he could hear a distant roar.

The shaking subsided. The roar faded. The hall grew silent again, save for the soft humming of his sword. Link stepped forward, looking down at the remains of the Guardian, similar to those he had encountered in the shrines. It had glowed red, corrupted by Ganon's power, just as Robbie said.

 _I shouldn't be here_ , he thought, nudging one of the Guardian's legs with his foot. _This was a mistake_. Yet…

Link pushed aside his doubts and set his jaw. He had to save her.

* * *

Ganon roared, and Zelda fought. _Hylia, give me strength!_ Though her power was immense, Ganon's power was, in many ways, her equal. Her power was that of a goddess—eternal and unchanging. Ganon's was one formed of rage and malice, and it grew in strength as his hatred grew.

And Zelda was tired. She was so _tired_. Her power had been once far greater, but her spirit had been flayed after a century of battle against this creature of Demise. Her mind, a tattered shadow of what it once was. How often had she thought of giving up? How many times had she nearly accepted death at this creature's hands?

 _No._

No, she would not give in now. Not after so long. Not now that they were so _close_!

Ganon pressed against her, his power like a thousand knives that stabbed at her very soul. Zelda screamed, but she did not give in. She did _not_ give up. She was the incarnation of a goddess. No, she _was_ a goddess. She was Hylia. She pressed Ganon's power down, into the depths beneath the mountain. She silenced his roared. She broke the threads that would allow him to see into the castle. She blinded him. She rendered him powerless. And she prayed. She _prayed_ that Link would leave. For not even a goddess could hold out forever.

* * *

Link ran his sword into the black eye that watched him, and it died, shriveling and puffing away. As it did, some of the Malice that obscured the hallway retreated, leaving Link a path through. He stepped through, entering into a grand dining hall. Many of the tables were broken, their legs collapsing due to the rotting brought on by Malice.

The walls were covered with the tattered remains of old tapestries. Reliefs had been carved into the walls—depictions of the Goddess Hylia, of heroic battles, and royal victories. Yet even the stone seemed more worn down than it should have been after one hundred years.

He could remember what the hall had once looked like, though. Beautiful banners, noblemen and women seated at the tables, and the royal family seated at the head table. Link sat there with them the night that he saved Princess Zelda's life from the Guardian. After that, he more often stood behind the princess as she ate.

 _She didn't often eat here, though_ , Link thought, reaching out and placing a hand against the remains of the head table. _She avoided it when she could. Preferred to have servants bring her meals to her chambers._

He could remember. Her father hadn't objected to her desire to remain out of sight.

Link turned, preparing to leave the dining hall, when something new caught his eye. Upon the wall behind the royal table, between reliefs of the goddesses, was a shield. Painted blue and bearing the royal sigil of a red bird with outstretched wings beneath a golden trio of triangles forming a larger triangle, it stood out. It appeared to be the only object in the room untouched by Ganon's corruptive influence.

Carefully, Link climbed atop the massive hearth and reached up to the shield. It came free easily, its wooden mounting having rotted. He climbed back down and turned the shield over in his hands.

 _Untainted. No rust. Other metal I've seen has been rusted over—why is this any different?_

The leather strap on its back bore the signs of age, but it was still functional as Link slipped it on over his right arm. He moved his arm around and found that he liked the feel of the shield. It was light-weight, despite its size, and fit Link's arm without any adjustments to the strap needed. Link left the dining hall with the shield a comfortable weight on his arm.

The hall he emerged into bore the remains of an old, red carpet. Old paintings lined the walls, each too faded or destroyed to make out its contents. It was… familiar to him. If he closed his eyes to the destruction and pools of Malice, he could almost see what the hall once looked like, resplendent in its beauty.

As the castle rumbled around him again, he was brought back out of his reverie. The memories were hard to ignore here, but he had no choice. This was far more dangerous than even the Divine Beasts. _Ganon_ was here.

He continued, making his way down the hall. As he did so, he passed by several rooms, though they were larger and more widely spread out here than they were in the servants' hallways. Windows lined the opposite walls, their glass having long broken. A glance outside sent shivers down Link's spine. Guardians, of both the walking and flying varieties, patrolled all over the castle grounds just outside of this hall, barely visible save for their red lights and glowing blue eyes. If any one of them saw him, he would die.

Once more, he wondered if he should just leave—use the Sheikah Slate to teleport away—but he dismissed it. That was the coward's way out. He had a duty, and he would see it complete. Even if it meant facing the cold fingers of death once again.

He moved away from the windows and deactivated his sword, fearing that its light would give him away. This plunged the hall into darkness, and Link waited, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness before continuing.

As he continued through the dark hall, he soon came to another chamber, easily as large, if not larger, than the dining hall. Link stepped through the large doorway, out onto a balcony. He was on the third level of a massive room with an arched ceiling and what appeared to be shelves lining the walls.

Looking warily around first for any threats, Link reactivated his sword and carefully made his way down to the second level, walking towards the shelves. He lifted his sword, using its light to illuminate their contents.

Books. Rows and _rows_ of books. Many of them were destroyed beyond recognition, their spines crumbling, yet others remained, still standing upright, despite the century of neglect.

It was a library. A royal library, full of thousands of texts. Full of history, science, philosophy, religion, and wonder. Link reached up, gently running his finger along the spine of one particularly thick tome. He couldn't read the letters on the spine.

"Such a wealth of knowledge, and yet nothing of use."

He turned and saw her. Princess Zelda. Staring at a tall shelf with her hands on her hips, glaring at the bookshelf, as if daring it to produce for her the exact tome needed. It was late. Far past the time that it would have been particularly appropriate for them to be in the library, but she didn't care. She hadn't been able to sleep.

So she insisted he come with her to the library. He didn't really know why. She didn't carry a torch, nor did she even have her Sheikah Slate, which she used for light some nights when out in the wild with him. Moonlight streamed into the library through several windows, but it was hardly appropriate to read by. Perhaps she wanted to find a book and take it back to her room?

"Princess?"

She reached out, taking a book and opening to its first page. She bent low, squinting at the words upon it. Finally, she snapped it back closed and carefully placed it back on the shelf. Her hand lingered upon it for a time.

"I fear that there is no book in existence that will help me with my powers." She didn't look at him as she spoke, still staring at the shadowy books. "It seems absurd, doesn't it? Millions—perhaps _billions_ —of books have been written throughout history. Surely _one_ of them was written to detail the process of awakening the royal families' abilities. Did they truly expect all princesses to just… understand?"

He frowned. Of course, he should not have been surprised that the summer festivities would cause such dark thoughts. He wondered what he could say—what kind of comfort could he offer?

"Perhaps… perhaps they all understood that the powers would awaken only when the time was right?"

She looked at him then, her expression difficult to read in the darkness. "My mother had the power. She didn't… _need_ it, yet she had it. As did her grandmother. Yet I…"

She stepped back from the bookshelf until she leaned back against the banister, looking up towards the windows overhead. "When you pulled the Master Sword, did you… know? Did you know that it would come free?"

"No."

"Then why did you even try?"

"I…"

She faded. The moonlight faded. Malice covered most of the windows, except for one spot further down into the room where part of the roof had collapsed. He removed his hand from the spine of the book, shuddering. Then he grabbed the book off the shelf, turning and throwing it. It fell to the first level, landing with a heavy thud.

Link's hands dropped to his side, and he lowered his head. "What am I doing here?"

It was futile. He couldn't defeat Ganon. Not _now_. Not without the sword. Not without the final Divine Beast. He couldn't _save_ her. She would remain trapped in this castle with the beast with no way out.

"Princess, can you hear me?"

He received no answer. Even this close, she still would not or could not answer him. He wished he could speak to her again, just to hear her voice. Just to know that she was all right.

* * *

 _Please go, Link_ , Zelda silently begged. Her power strained, stretched to its limit. And she knew that Ganon had been able to catch glimpses of Link. He didn't know yet—he didn't recognize the man. Perhaps he wouldn't, without the Master Sword upon Link's back.

But Ganon was suspicious. Why did she fight against him so strong now? Why did she work so hard to ensure his Guardians did not venture close to this stranger? Why did she seek to blind him so completely?

The Calamity was no longer a creature of reason and rational. His mind had long since broken far more completely than Zelda's. Yet even he occasionally had moments of clarity, just as she did. If he realized who he was, the result could be disastrous.

She needed to tell him to leave, but she knew that the moment she did, Ganon would know. He would see Link for who he truly was. She feared that his rage would be so great, that even Hylia would be powerless to stop him.

Ganon pressed again, and she countered. He attacked, and she blocked. She enfolded him within her power, trying her best to shut him out, yet he constantly pierced her, trying to escape. Trying to see.

 _Who is he?_ Ganon rumbled. She slammed him back down with her power, trying rend his mind. But this time, Ganon did not roar. He wondered. And Zelda feared that it would soon be too late.

* * *

Link found the hallway that he had hoped to find. Ever since he'd caught glimpses of memory—of walking a darkened hall behind the princess in the direction of the library. The trek deeper into Hyrule Castle took him up more flights of stairs, higher and higher. He knew that he was just a short distance away from the sanctum now, where the Champion's ceremony had been held in his memory.

Somehow, he knew what he would find there.

But that wasn't what he searched for now. Not yet. Instead, he made his way around the back of the castle, using more servants' passages. The main hall was destroyed, forcing Link to find an alternate route. But he eventually came out into another carpeted hall.

He made his way through the hall, keeping an eye out for any signs of the smaller Guardian Scouts. He had encountered more than one on his trip through the castle, each dispatched as the first had been. Nothing moved in this hall, however, except for the slightly pulsating Malice.

Link found the door not long after emerging into this hall. It was the opposite side of the castle from the library, not actually that far from where he originally entered the castle, though far higher up.

One of the thick double doors to Princess Zelda's room lay on the ground, coated with dust and a fair amount of Malice. The other hung by a single rusty hinge, ready to fall at any time. Link hesitated as he looked into the dark room. Would she be in there?

He gripped his sword tightly and stepped into the princess's room.

* * *

Zelda screamed. She screamed, and she fought. She could no longer completely blind him, so she tried to redirect him. To give him the ability to see other things, but not Link. Anything but _Link_.

But the Calamity knew that she was hiding something important from him. He knew, and he suspected. The Calamity pushed again. Pierced her. Her power weakened.

* * *

Memories blossomed in Link's mind as he shined his sword around the room. Her bed—a massive four-poster bed draped with white curtains—lay broken and collapsed, its hangings long since removed. Her small table was broken, and the chair's upholstery had been cut away—he could remember her sitting in that chair at that table, drinking a cup of tea. Her dresser drawers had been opened, their contents removed. Her dressing curtain lay on its side, trampled upon and broken. Her mirror was gone. Her desk, always so neat, was in a state of disarray, loose pages strewn about and shredded.

Treasure hunters had found this room, and they had destroyed it.

Link's throat tightened as he gazed around, taking in the pitiful sight. It broke his heart to see the room so completely destroyed. It felt like a far greater crime than anything else that he had seen since entering.

 _She deserves better_. _All the other inhabitants of the castle are dead, but not her. She's still alive._

He stepped through the room and approached the opposite side, where a stone staircase rounded a pillar up to the upper level. Feeling a strange apprehension, Link hesitantly climbed the stairs. He emerged in another, smaller room with a hole in its center to accommodate the staircase.

On one side of the room was a door that appeared to once have led back into the castle, but now the hall beyond lay collapsed. The other side also held a door—this one led outside onto a bridge that crossed to a stone tower.

He knew that bridge. He knew that tower. He knew this place.

Link stepped outside onto the bridge, looking warily for Guardians. He could see one of the fliers nearby, but it was flying away from him. As he crossed the bridge, he looked around, recognizing where he was even better. He could see the courtyard below—the courtyard where he'd saved the princess from the Guardian and where he'd spoken to Daruk following the Champion's ceremony. But more importantly, the tower.

The door to the tower was open, and Link could already tell that the room within had been ransacked. Yet while the room was in disarray, he didn't think much had actually been taken. What interest did treasure hunters have in a scientist's notes and sketches?

Princess Zelda's study was a testament to the woman's passions. A large desk sat on one side of the hexagonal room, covered in scattered pages and several books. Every wall but the one with the entrance had multiple shelves.

While much of the shelves' contents had been disturbed, much remained. More sketches, more books, as well as models made with painstaking detail. Pieces of Guardians. Pieces of Sheikah tech. Other things too—one shelf contained a board with several different types of butterflies preserved upon it. Another had a telescope just like the ones that Purah and Robbie had, only miniature.

He could remember this room from before. He could remember leaning against a wall, smiling slightly as the princess spoke excitedly about a new discovery she'd made, or a theory that Purah told her about. Elsewhere, she was burdened by her future, but here, she was happy. She found joy in her study, in inspecting the Sheikah Slate, in researching ancient Sheikah texts to learn more about the Divine Beasts.

 _She knew everything about them,_ Link thought as he looked up at an expertly sketched depiction of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. She must have coated it with some kind of sealing agent, because the sketch remained clear, even one hundred years later.

As he looked around the room in wonder, his eyes fell on something out of place. Something that he _didn't_ recognize from before. A flower.

A simple, yet beautiful flower. Five petals, each blue nearer the stem, but white at their edges. It sat on the floor, surrounded by dirt. It looked as though it had once been in a pot, but the pot had been smashed. Somehow, the flower survived, though, growing tall from the mound of dirt left behind.

Link knelt by the simple flower, setting his shield down and reaching out, gently touching its soft petal. It seemed so familiar to him. He knew this flower, yet… he couldn't place it. He couldn't remember it.

 _How did it grow here?_ Link thought. _Everything else around the castle is dead. The grass, the plants, the trees. This shouldn't have been able to survive, yet… it has._

The ground rumbled underneath him again, and Link stood up. His time was short. He turned to the desk, looking over it. He didn't know why, but…

He saw it. A small book, bound in leather. It bore no title upon the spine. He pulled the leather cover back and saw a name written on the first page in neat, swooping hand-writing. Zelda Bosphoramus. He turned to a page within, seeing more of her handwriting.

" _Today, I met with Impa of the Sheikah tribe and began my research into the ancient technology in earnest._ "

He didn't read it all, flipping several pages.

" _We did it. We were finally able to restore some functionality to the Sheikah Slate. We have discovered that this stone slate is capable of producing...images. Perfect likenesses of the things you point it at. Unlike normal pictures drawn by hand, this requires no artist to capture anything in perfect detail._ "

Smiling, Link thought of how excited she must have been to make such a discovery. She'd certainly taken a lot of photographs with the Sheikah Slate after doing so. He flipped to another page, and his smile faded.

" _I spoke with Purah about the Shrine of Resurrection we discovered earlier. As we speculated, this particular shrine is, in fact, a medical facility with the power to heal. It also has a long-term stasis function that can be activated and maintained until healing is complete. In the war against the Calamity ten thousand years ago, were the injuries so great as to necessitate such a facility? If so, I will remain uneasy until we have made all adjustments necessary to restore it to full working order. I can only pray that even if Calamity Ganon returns, our battle will not require the Shrine of Resurrection's power._ "

Link let the journal close, exhaling slowly. "I wish we didn't have to learn just how necessary it would be," he said, softly. After another moment's hesitation, he picked up the journal and tucked it into his pocket. He was about to turn when another, similar book caught his eye.

This one had been in a drawer, which now sat open. The book had clearly been rifled through but was ultimately left by whomever had been here before. Several of its pages were loose, scattered in the drawer. He shined his sword over the book, reaching to grab it, when a word on one of the pages caught his eye. His name.

He picked up the page, holding it up to his light to read.

" _His name is Link. He's the son of Arn, my father's guard. I've seen him around before, of course, but I cannot ever recall speaking to him before yesterday. But now, what can I do? He has the sword. It's just as the prophecy said—the signs of Calamity Ganon's return are becoming clearer and clearer and now the Master Sword has been drawn. I have dreaded this day for my entire life. Does he even know what events he has set into motion? Does he know the burden upon his back? Will he be crushed be it, as I often feel it crushes me? Likely not. He, after all, has already completed the first step of his calling. He probably thinks that the rest of his destiny will be as easy as drawing the Master Sword was. Father has already spoken of knighting him._

" _Meanwhile, I continue to seek my destiny. Father insisted I increase the amount of time I devote to prayer—as if I don't already spend more time in prayer than any priest I have ever known! He is right, of course, though I loath such an admission. I have to awaken my sealing power before it is too late._ "

* * *

 _Why do you hide him so?_ Ganon said to her. Zelda tried to ignore his vile voice. He rarely spoke to her—his mind was far too fragile for conscious thought more often than not. Yet now, at the worst of times, he seemed to be lucid and aware of his surroundings.

She slammed him with her power again, but he retaliated with a spear of Malice, opening a window out into the world from which he could peer. She tried to close it, to blind him again.

 _He seems so familiar,_ Ganon mused. _Why is that?_

 _Please go,_ Zelda begged, though she didn't know if it was directed towards Link or the Calamity. She was tired. She was so tired. The Calamity must have been as well, she knew, but he had the advantage. Zelda spread her power so thin to prevent him from engaging with anything outside of this realm, but he could gather himself and consolidate his power in one place.

 _No… This is not an ordinary person, is it?_ Zelda felt something building. She could feel him gathering his power, preparing another assault. And then it happened—pain flared through her mind and soul, nearly tearing her mind to shreds and leaving her with nothing but the power. She barely maintained self-awareness, but she could not stop Ganon from seeing.

And this time, he understood.

* * *

The castle shook _violently_ beneath Link's feet, and he stumbled, grasping the desk for support. Overhead, he heard a roar—a terrible sound that penetrated his very being and left him cold inside. The Calamity. He grabbed the second book, shoving it into his pocket, and ran to the door, looking up.

Outside, the haze gathered and formed a great, shadowy figure in the sky above the castle. Calamity Ganon rose, nearly as large as the castle itself, into the sky, circling. Two eyes shone yellow above his terrible maw. And those eyes looked down upon Link. They saw Link. Ganon roared again and flew down, opening his maw. The tower trembled and parts of the stone bridge fell away. He held his sword and shield, yet what could he do? They seemed such pitiful weapons against such an entity.

And suddenly, with a burst of white light, _she_ was there.

Resplendent in her white dress and shining with the light of day, Princess Zelda stood before him. She raised a hand to the beast, fixing her eyes upon it with an expression of determination. The beast roared in fury, yet it stopped, its form breaking apart once again., the red haze sinking back down to the castle.

But though it was gone, the castle still shook. He could still hear its terrible roar echoing through its halls. Link knew that it was far from over.

"What do I do?" he asked, looking at the princess. She looked more like a goddess than a real person, even though he recognized the white dress she wore as the same one from the Spring of Power.

She turned to him. He saw pain in her eyes. And fury. "You _fool_! Why did you come here? Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Link stumbled back, eyes widening at the outburst. Even the princess seemed surprised, as her expression showed a hint of regret. When she spoke, it was quieter, though her words still held hardness. "He knows that you're alive. Don't you understand? All this time, he thought you were dead, but now he knows. He's already so close to breaking free—I fear what this knowledge will do to his resolve."

"Princess, I…" Link faltered, staring into her eyes. What could he say? "I came to free you. As I have the other Champions and Divine Beasts. I thought that I…" He trailed off. What a fool he had been. Overwhelmed by the emotions of his memories, he'd acted so brazenly. _Stupidly_. He didn't have a plan or backup. He hadn't even told Impa where he was going!

"Free me? Free _me_?" She had a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Oh, Link. I am not a prisoner in this place. _He_ is. I hold _him_ captive, just as I have done for the last one hundred years."

Link's heart sank. Even his intentions had been backwards. He'd thought to save her, yet she didn't need saving. She just needed him to complete his mission. And he had been so _close_ to doing just that.

She looked at him, and he saw pity there, yet there was something else. Compassion. "I know." She stepped forward and reached out, placing one of her hands against his cheek. He could feel the palm of her hand, warm and soft, as real as any other. Not a spirit. "You could never bear to think of me in danger. Even after everything that has happened, you haven't changed."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought that I could somehow… get you out of this place. That we could complete this together."

"We _are_ ," she said, pulling her hand away and stepping back. "And we will. But, Link, you need to go. Ganon's Guardians—they're coming. I couldn't keep him from taking control of them again—it's all I can do to even keep him at breaking completely free now. You need to _leave_."

"Princess—"

"Zelda. There are no titles between us."

"Zelda."

A faint smile passed over her lips, and she nodded. Then she turned, and the golden halo of light around her increased in intensity.

"Go, Link. I will do what I can, but he is… His rage is very great. You are not supposed to be alive—your being here means that he can still be defeated, and he knows it." She looked at him, and her forehead was creased in concentration. "You must free Urbosa—all four Divine Beasts will be needed in the coming battle. And get the Master Sword."

Link began to move, leaving the tower and walking out onto the bridge to stand beside the princess. Zelda. "Where is the sword?"

She looked at him, confused. And then a look of understanding passed over her face. "Where it has always been, Link. Where you pulled it free the first time—to the north, in the heart of the forest."

A Guardian climbed into view beneath them and rose up on its legs, looking up at them with its pulsating blue eye. It fired, and Zelda reached out her hand. The lance of energy splashed against a barrier of light, dissipating harmlessly. Link saw her flinch, however.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

"I know you will." She looked at him one last time, meeting his eyes.

Link turned and ran.

Down the spiral staircase, into Zelda's old room. Out into the hall. Overhead, Ganon roared in fury, and dust and pieces of stone rained down on Link's head as he sprinted down the hall.

One of the smaller Guardians stepped into view, and Link raised his shield just in time. The Guardian's blast ricocheted off of the shield, striking the wall and leaving a small crater. Link thrust his sword into its eye as he passed.

As he ran down the hall, he heard sounds from outside. Sounds of Guardian fire striking the castle and of multi-legged machines crawling around the side of the castle. Link passed by a window and saw a blue eye peering in at him. It fired, and the hallway behind Link burst into flame.

He turned down another hall, away from the exterior windows of the castle, so that the only light came from his sword as he ran. He stepped into a puddle of Malice, which sucked at his boot and nearly sent him sprawling onto the floor. He was able to rip the boot free of the pool, however, but the hall was filled with an acrid, burnt smell. His boot felt strange, as if the Malice had eaten through part of its sole.

Link turned down another hallway, only to find it blocked by a collapsed section. He turned and ran down another length of hall, finding a staircase that led him down. Behind him, he heard the sounds of skittering legs—more of the Guardian Scouts searching for him.

He burst into a large room with a massive vaulted ceiling overhead. The library! He was on the ground floor. And he wasn't alone. Three of the Guardian Scouts were in the room, each wielding a different weapon.

Link swore and leaped back as the first of the Guardians charged at him, thrusting a spear at his heart. The next came at him from the side with an axe, which he deflected with his shield. Before he could retaliate, however, the third Guardian's eye flashed. Link was forced to run as it fired small lances of energy at him. He threw himself behind an overturned table. The table burst into flames when struck.

The second Guardian came again, swinging its axe in wide motions, but Link deflected it and thrust his sword in, scoring a direct hit. And then he felt the spear cut his side, searing the flesh under his tunic. He cried out in pain.

He spun, slamming his sword into the spear haft, knocking it to the ground. He saw the third Guardian preparing to fire again and lunged forward, ducking behind the Guardian in front of him. The blasts struck it just as the axe-wielding Guardian exploded.

The explosion blew Link back, and he struck the floor, rolling. The light of his sword went out as part of it snapped off. He stood back up and threw the broken sword away, getting his shield out in front of him just in time to deflect another of the lances of energy, which shot off to the side.

The Guardian prepared to fire again, and Link waited. The eye flashed white, and he swung his shield. This time, he struck the blast just as it reached him, sending it back towards it source. It struck the Guardian Scout right in the eye, causing its lights to flicker madly before it burst, leaving him in darkness.

Link breathed heavily, reaching a hand down to his side, where the spear had cut him. He was bleeding, but it wasn't too bad. He needed to keep going, but without his sword, he had no light source. Maybe one of the fallen Guardians' weapons—

Suddenly, pieces of wood and debris began to fall from above. He looked up to see the hole in the roof had grown in size as two massive Guardian arms peeled the wood back. His eyes widened, and he ran. Behind him, he heard a crash as the Guardian fell into the library. It fired at him a second later, and the blast passed just overhead, slamming into the stairway that led up to the exit. Part of the stone stairwell collapsed, but Link leaped over the broken section, taking the stairs three at a time.

The Guardian advanced through the library, its claws ripping up the tile flooring as it crossed towards him. Its blue eye followed Link as he climbed the stairs, preparing another blast of energy. It fired again as he reached the top floor, striking the balcony. The explosion sent him careening into the hallway beyond. He rolled to his feet and continued into the darkness.

Without the light of his sword, Link could do little more than run with his hands outstretched. He cried out in pain each time his hands plunged into a pool of Malice, but he continued.

More Guardian Scouts emerged into the hall in front of him, their lights suddenly bright in the dark hallway. At least four of them piled out into the hallway. Link kept running and vaulted over them, just as two of them fired. One of the blasts hit his shoulder, slamming him into the wall, but he didn't stop running.

He turned down another side passage, and suddenly, there was no floor beneath him. He fell down the staircase, landing at the bottom in a heap. Link's vision swam, and he groaned, looking up as the Guardians filled the narrow passage. The narrow confines and the stairs slowed them, but they were coming.

Link heaved himself back to his feet and stumbled down the hall, feeling dazed. He must have hit his head when falling down the stairs. One of his ankles hurt terribly too—twisted. But adrenaline kept him moving until, finally, he burst out onto the castle grounds through a hole in a wall.

The moon shone overhead, and everything was bathed in a red hue. Malice haze swirled around Link as he stumbled forward towards… where? He was near the back of the castle—there was no way down from here. Just a sheer cliff into the moat, far below.

He turned and saw the Guardians coming. _Dozens_ of them. They poured out of the castle through windows and doorways, they flew through the air, and they climbed over spires and walls. Blue eyes, all focused on Link, preparing to fire.

He wavered, vision fuzzing, as he stared at his doom. And then a thought occurred to him. Why hadn't he thought of it before? In the haste and confusion, he hadn't even considered it. With trembling hands, Link pulled the Sheikah Slate from his belt, activating the map and finding the nearest Sheikah Shrine. He looked up at the oncoming Guardians as they prepared to fire, their eyes flashing.

Nothing happened.

 _No!_ He stared down at the Sheikah Slate with disbelieving eyes. He pressed it again, but still nothing happened. He couldn't teleport away. He was trapped.

Link looked up again and raised his shield, but it was too late. The nearest Guardian's lance of energy took him in the chest, sending him over the edge of the cliff. The Sheikah Slate spun away from him. He watched it disappear into the night with despair, even as he felt his own death approaching. He crashed down into the river below the castle.

Everything went black.

 **END OF PART TWO**


	39. Side Quests II

**Changed my mind about waiting until Saturday. Felt a little bad for the back-to-back cliffhangers! So I also won't be taking all of next week off from editing! Instead, I'm posting this now, and I will post again on Wednesday with the first chapter of Part Three, which I think will be a fun one. And then, the week after that... I'm making a change to my posting schedule! You'll like it, though. Because the story has progressed so far now, I'm going to bump my weekly chapters from two to _three_ chapters a week. Probably on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I am only about three chapters away from finishing the entire novel now, and then all I will need to do is edit as I post, so I can increase the number of chapters I'm spitting out. So hopefully that will make up for having to wait until Wednesday to get the next piece of the story. Things will be moving very quickly from here on out, but Part Three is a long one. The longest part, full of quite a few twists and turns... and memories. So many memories.**

 **Lord Halcyon: Raiding the castle for that memory is exactly what inspired the last chapter. I did the same thing, around roughly the same time as Link did in the novel, after beating a few Divine Beasts and collecting a great deal of memories in the process. I remember the excitement and fear of actually progressing through that area with Guardians all around. The music, the atmosphere-it really is the best dungeon in the game.**

 **lavenderblueleafs: Everyone in the game keeps telling Link to save Zelda, which makes me laugh when Zelda is the one that saved all of _them_. At no point in her story does it ever state that she's trapped with Ganon, so why does everyone ask Link to save her? It was a fun misunderstanding to write.**

 **Thanks for all the other comments, but I won't keep you from the chapter for long. Had fun with this Side Quests chapter. A lot of you have been speculating about certain plot threads I've been building towards, and this will confirm some of those! Please read and enjoy!**

* * *

 **Side Quests II**

 **I**

Sidon swam through the river west of Zora's Domain, the Lightscale trident held tightly in his hand. His scouts informed him that the lizalfos had definitely swam this way following the most recent clash between them, continuing west instead of south into the Hylia River, as they usually did. Another tribe of lizalfos, then? Or had they relocated their primary base of operations?

"Sidon, how much further are you wanting to go?" Bazz asked, swimming up beside him.

Sidon paused in the water, looking around. It was beginning to grow fouler here, tainted by the bad air and ground around Hyrule Castle. Though the water was safe enough to swim through, it tasted wrong and remaining too long near the castle would result in illness.

"I want to find out where they are attacking us from," Sidon said. He kicked his feet and rose to the surface, looking at the position of the sun. It was getting late, but there were still another few hours of daylight. "Another hour, and we'll head back."

Gaddison's head emerged from the depths, her lavender skin distinct as always. She looked between Sidon and Bazz and made a face. "The water tastes like the lizalfos all decided to take a pi—"

Rivan burst out of the water, sending a spray of water into Gaddison's face, who spluttered and glared at him. "We're getting kind of far from the others, aren't we?"

"We'll be all right," Sidon said, grinning. "It's just a few lizalfos. Come on!"

He dove back under the water, and the rest of his guard followed, swimming in a diamond formation with their prince at its head. As they approached the castle moat, the water grew murkier and fouler. When they passed the dark shape of a long-submerged Guardian, covered in algae, Sidon swam up to the surface again.

His head broke the surface, and he looked around for any signs of the lizalfos on the nearby bank. The other Zora in his company emerged as well, spreading out and looking for any indication of their quarry.

"I don't know, Sid," Gaddison said, swimming up to him. "I think we lost them today. Maybe the scouts were wrong. We haven't even see as much as a scale since the rivers split."

Sidon sighed and nodded. "I think you might be right. If they did come this way, then they're further up the river than I want to go today."

"Hey, is that normal?" Rivan asked, pointing.

Sidon turned around, looking up at the tall Hyrule Castle. Guardians swarmed over the castle like a knot of freshly hatched tadpoles, angrily firing their strange energy blasts off into the air or at structures around the castle grounds. As Sidon watched, several of the Guardians destroyed a section of wall, sending ancient bricks down into the moat not that far from where Sidon and his three guards swam.

One of the flying Guardians came around castle, flying over the moat in their direction. Sidon motioned, and all four of the Zora sank beneath the surface as the Guardian passed overhead, shining a red light on the surface of the water. It paused overhead for a few seconds and then continued on.

"Maybe we should get back," Bazz suggested, but Sidon shook his head.

"In a few minutes. Come on, I want to observe some more."

Sidon ignored the exasperated looks his friends exchanged, swimming closer to the castle. The Guardians _were_ acting strange. True, Sidon didn't often swim this close to the castle, but when he'd been here before, they always seemed more passive than this. He'd certainly never seen them attacking the remaining structures before.

Sidon swam closer, carefully emerging from the water again when he thought that none of the Guardians would see him. They were agitated, for sure. And they weren't confined to just the castle, either. Some of the flying Guardians were on the other side of the river, flying over the steep inclines and groves of trees.

"They're looking for something," he said, after a few more minutes of observation. "I wonder what?"

Rivan emerged from the water next to him. "Sidon, look at this."

Sidon glanced over, and his eyes widened. He reached out and snatched the object from Rivan's hands, turning the small rectangular device over in his hands. The Sheikah Slate. Just like the one that Link had.

Worry burrowed its way into Sidon's thoughts. Why would Link's Sheikah Slate be here, in the moat surrounding the castle? And why were the Guardians so agitated? What were they searching for?

"Underwater, now. Look for anything else out of the ordinary."

They searched for another hour, scouring the bottom of the river and circling most of the castle, trying to find any other clues for what happened here. Ultimately, they came up with nothing.

"What should we do now?" Bazz asked, swimming up to Sidon.

Sidon gazed down at the Sheikah Slate. Could there be another Sheikah Slate just like Link's? It was certainly possible, but he worried for his friend. Finally, he looked up at Bazz. "Come on. Let's get back. I think something terrible has happened."

* * *

 **II**

Death Mountain rumbled dangerously, causing a number of boulders to break free of the volcano and sending them rolling down its slope. Yunobo watched as the boulders fell out of sight into one of the many streams of magma around the mountain's base.

"Hmm," Daruk said, looking up at the peak. "Reminds me of just before Ganon appeared the first time."

Yunobo looked at his grandfather, who stood on Rudania's back, shining with ghostly green light. "What do you think it means?"

"Might be nothing." Daruk looked down at Yunobo. "Sometimes the mountain just makes some noise. But after erupting for so long because of Rudania, you'd think that he'd be ready to sleep for a while."

"Yeah, it's kind of weird," Yunobo said thoughtfully. "Death Mountain has been quiet since Link left."

Daruk nodded slowly and then looked back towards Rudania's head. The damage caused by Link's attack had been mostly fixed. At least the fin had been moved back into place, though the stone and metal there still bore the cracks from their battle. It worked, however, and that was the most important thing.

"I get the feelin' that the end is coming up pretty quick, Yunobo." Daruk looked back at him. "You got to make sure you're ready. Me and Rudania, we're going to do what we can to take on Ganon, but you've gotta protect everyone else that you can."

Hearing that sent a thrill of fear through Yunobo's heart, but he stood tall. He'd been getting better at facing his fears lately—he even beat up a moblin that wandered too close to him the other day. Granted, he did so by throwing stones at it until it ran away, but it was a start, at least.

"So, what brought you up here today?" Daruk asked after a few more moments of silence. Death Mountain calmed now, silent once again.

"Well, I came to tell you that I was going to be leaving Goron City for a while."

"Oh yeah?"

"Well, you know how Link came by a few weeks ago and asked the Boss if he could send some Gorons to help build up some defenses around that Hylian town?"

"Yep."

"Well, we were waiting for the wild dodongo thing to get under control before sending anyone. But now that they've been all rounded up, the Boss is getting around to sending some Gorons. I, uh… I told him that I would go, too."

Daruk raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "But aren't there a lot of monsters there?"

"Well, _yeah_ ," Yunobo said, his pitch rising slightly. "But I don't think we're going to be fighting them. Besides, I figure… if Link thought it was important enough to come here and ask for help, then I should help… You know?"

Daruk laughed and brought his hand forward to slap Yunobo on the back, though the hand ended up just passing through Yunobo's back and out his chest, leaving a line of cold in its wake.

"Whoops, sorry," Daruk said, looking embarrassed. "But that's great, big guy!"

Yunobo grinned shyly at the praise. "I just thought about what you would do. I knew you wouldn't let him down, and that I shouldn't either."

Daruk's expression grew warm, and he placed his hand on Yunobo's shoulder—it felt almost solid this time. "You're doing great, son. I'm proud of you."

Yunobo's heart swelled as he met Daruk's eyes.

* * *

 **III**

 _The damn idiot,_ Teba thought as he flew above Hyrule Castle, his keen eyes searching the land around it. It had been five days since the Sheikah man showed up to inform them that Link had gone missing. Two days since the man showed up again to tell them that his Sheikah Slate had been found near the castle.

Seven days in total since Link disappeared.

 _Why did he go to the castle like that? Without any backup, too!_

But Teba knew. Deep down, Teba knew exactly why Link went to the castle, even without Kass' lofty speculations. He did it for the same reason that Teba was ready to fly back into battle with Medoh, regardless of the likelihood of his success. Link wanted to protect his family.

Since finding out about Link's absence, both Teba and Kass searched for Link, often taking turns flying out to the castle and surrounding areas and searching for any sign of him. Teba recruited a few other Rito to stretch their patrols out further to the north and south. So far, even after several days of searching, they hadn't even found as much as a footprint.

The Guardians were searching too. Far below him, one of the six-legged beasts tromped through a grove of trees, knocking over several of them as it looked for its prey. _That's good_ , Teba thought. _If they're searching too, then it means that they haven't found him. He might still be alive._

That hope, however, was tenuous at best. There were only so many places that Link could have escaped from, assuming he fell into the river. True, he might have been swept further downriver, but both Rito and Zora searched in that direction as well without any success. It was like the man just disappeared into thin air.

 _Or, more likely, he's just lying dead somewhere. Maybe he floated down the river._

It was an uncomfortable thought. Kass reprimanded him when he first brought it up, but Teba could tell that Kass was worried, too. With things at the castle getting seemingly worse, the Sheikah Slate found at the bottom of the river, and Link still missing, despite nearly constant searching, the possibility that he had been killed was all too real.

Kass still insisted that they hope for the best, however. He insisted that Link had faced worse in the past, and that he would likely turn up soon, having accomplished something else spectacular. And Teba supposed that he agreed with Kass to a degree. Link was far more capable than Teba initially gave him credit for.

Below, Teba saw one of the Guardians firing at someone that had wandered too close to the search area. He focused, straining his eyes to see who the person was. It wasn't Link, however, but another man. The man seemed capable enough, avoiding the Guardian fire while firing back with arrows that didn't seem to do much damage.

Teba watched for a time, admiring the man's tenacity, but it was clear that he was outmatched and unprepared to face the Guardian. Sighing, Teba angled himself into a dive and folded his wings against his body. He still had some explosive-tipped arrows—might as well put them to good use.

* * *

 **IV**

Makeela Riju stood atop a tall sand dune, looking out across the desert with a spyglass, observing the distant sandstorm. Lightning flashed within the swirling wall of dust and debris, briefly silhouetting the great four-legged beast within. It was far enough away that she didn't feel the effects of the sandstorm, but that could change at any time.

The Divine Beast had been raging for weeks now. While it had always been out there, secluded somewhere deep in the desert, it never bothered the Gerudo people. In truth, its presence was little more than the stuff of legend—wandering tribes would occasionally claim to have seen the great mechanical beast, but never could figure out how to get back to it. Anyone who got too close claimed that they were rebuffed by a sandstorm.

Riju always thought that the tales were just that—tales spread about by the nomadic desert tribes. They had plenty of them, after all. Stories of great skeletons shading a beautiful oasis, of an enormous stone maze with no way to its center, and of an eighth heroine statue somewhere to the north. Perhaps some of them were true, but she had her doubts, just as she'd doubted that the Divine Beast Vah Naboris still inhabited her desert somewhere.

Now, however, she found proof for at least one of their stories. Naboris had awakened and began ravaging the land almost immediately. A dozen of the small tribes had encountered her, forced to flee before her sandstorms and lightning. How many more had been unable to get away at all?

It bothered Riju. She was not the desert nomads' chieftain. No, they chose to live apart from the Gerudo, adopting their own laws and practices. Some of them even accepted voe into their ranks, treating them with the same respect as their vai—a _ridiculous_ notion. But though she was not their chief, she was still the chieftain of the Gerudo people and, by extension, the desert. This was _her_ land.

And her land had, in its heart, a cancer that would destroy everything if something didn't change.

So, completely defying what Buliara would have wanted her to do, Riju decided that she would at least try to understand it. She walked over to the small sled nearby and picked up Patricia's reins, smiling down at her beautiful sand seal.

"Let's see how bad this storm really is. Come on, Patricia!"

The sand seal broke into motion, pulling her down the sand dune with haste. Riju grinned and reached up, replacing her veil over her mouth as they sped towards the storm. She wouldn't get too close today—she just wanted to see how bad it truly was. Their city had weathered countless storms before, and few of them caused any lasting damage. Perhaps this would be the same, if it came too close.

As they flew across the sands, Riju glanced back in the direction of Gerudo Town, but it had long since disappeared from view, hidden by countless sand dunes. Buliara probably realized that she'd snuck out by now. She might have even figured out where Riju was going—she was always far too good at figuring out what Riju was up to. No matter, though. Even if she sped towards Riju now, she could never hope to catch up—Patricia could outpace any other sand seal in the desert with ease.

She turned back forward, watching as the sandstorm grew in size. The wind had picked up, too. So far out from the sand wall? It didn't bode well for the nomads, at the very least.

She continued through the dark desert, cold in the pre-dawn light. Her skirts flared out behind her, exposing her dark-skinned legs to the morning's chill. As she approached, the wind's strength continued to grow, whipping up sand that stung her arms and face.

Finally, she pulled Patricia to a halt, staring up at the sand wall with a grimace beneath her veil. Wind pulled at her braid and fluttered her skirts. Even Patricia seemed anxious, shifting her weight back and forth and looking around. Lightning forked down from within the sand storm, again briefly illuminating the incredible four-legged beast at its heart.

"This isn't good, Patricia," she said, stepping off the sled and walking up to stand beside her sand seal. She ran her fingers along the seal's dorsal fin.

From her estimation, the nomads were right. The storm appeared terribly destructive—more so than any normal sandstorm in recent memory. The wind would be strong enough to rip up canvas tents and other structures not made permanent materials. The lightning would be worse, though. It flashed frequently, originating from somewhere around the Divine Beast and arcing down to the ground. The nomads carried stories of that lightning shattering stone.

Naboris wasn't turned in the direction of Gerudo Town, which was a relief, but she feared that it could make that turn at any time. If it came to her home, with its terrible winds and lightning, then her people would be powerless to defend themselves. Without the Thunder Helm…

Biting her lip in anxiety—a nervous habit of hers that Buliara scolded her for every time that she saw it—Riju looked back towards Gerudo Town. It would be safe for now, but something had to be done. Naboris' wandering would undoubtedly one day bring it towards the city. They needed to get the Thunder Helm back, find a way to get aboard the Divine Beast, and shut it down.

Riju sighed, flinching as a gust of wind sent grit into her face. She turned and went back to her sled, picking up Patricia's reins. "Come on, Patricia. We'd better get home."

She turned her sand seal and began back in the direction of Gerudo Town. She would need to meet with Captain Teake again and see if any progress had been made in the search for the thieves. Maybe the thieves left the desert, or perhaps they traveled west to the barrens. Maybe they were—

Something moved in the sands to her left.

Riju gasped as a camouflaged lizalfo suddenly burst from the sand, leaping into the air and flailing its rudimentary sword at the sand seal. Patricia barked in terror, swerving away from the lizalfo and yanking her reins free of Riju's hands.

She only remained on the sled because of the cord that attached her to the sled at her waist, but she lost all control of her sand seal. Another lizalfo leaped out from behind cover, but they were moving too quickly now. Directly towards the sandstorm.

Riju desperately tried to grab the reins, yelling for Patricia to slow down, but her voice was lost to the gusting wind and Patricia's own terrified barks. The wind grew even stronger, and the morning light dimmed as sand filled the air.

The reins flapped through the air, just inches from her fingers. Riju stretched her arms, gritting her teeth as the sand blinded her. Her fingers touched the leather cord once, twice, but each time the cord whipped away before she could grasp it.

 _Please, Patricia, stop!_

With a supreme effort, she leaned forward, her feet unsteady as the cord at her waist pulled both her and her sled forward. The reins brushed her fingertips, and she caught it between her index and middle finger. She grabbed the cord with her other hand. She pulled hard on the rein, and Patricia began to slow.

 _That's it! That's—_

She didn't even see the rock as it flew through the air. It struck her in the side of the head. Stars burst into Riju's vision before everything went dark around her.

* * *

 **V**

"I'm afraid that we need to accept the fact that he might be gone," Impa said, looking around the table.

Purah was there, looking uncharacteristically solemn, as was Robbie. They were joined by Jerrin and Symin. Impa left Paya in Kakariko Village—the girl had been nearly inconsolable since Link disappeared.

The poor child—she had never known loss such as this. Her parents both died so young to the Telta plague. Perhaps Impa should have done more to prepare Paya for the pain of loss, but her hope, despite the state of the world, brought such joy to Impa's life. How could she snuff that out?

"We don't know that!" Purah said, growing angry. "If he was separated from his Sheikah Slate, then he wouldn't be able to teleport back quickly. That doesn't mean he's _dead_."

Purah was another one that seemed capable of holding onto hope, despite evidence to the contrary. Perhaps it was because of her child body and the level of maturity that it seemed to have brought with it, or maybe it was because Purah had always been an optimist. She never had been willing to accept their fate.

"No, it doesn't, but we must face the facts," Robbie said, laying a hand on Purah's shoulder. "We know he went to the castle—it's where his Sheikah Slate was found. And we know that Calamity Ganon is growing in strength. Perhaps the boy made it out, but if so, why hasn't he been found on the road or near the river?"

Robbie had been more of an optimist once, too, though age and experience had driven some of that from him. He understood regret, perhaps better than either of the other Sheikah elders.

Purah shook her head. "I don't _know_ , but I'm not going to give up on him yet. We waited for a hundred _years_ for him to return last time—why are we giving up on him now only after a couple weeks?"

"Because we may not _have_ another hundred years to wait for him, Purah," Impa said. "Ganon's strength is growing. The signs are as clear now as they were one hundred years ago. His armies are uniting as well, or have you forgotten about the monsters laying siege to your town?"

Purah wilted, looking down silently. Impa sighed. She had always been the realist between the two of them. Purah always looked to a hopeful future, while Impa buried herself in the often-despondent past.

"So, what do you suggest, Impa?" Robbie asked. "Link defeated three of the Divine Beasts. Do you think that will be enough?"

"Even one is more than we had when Ganon first rose. Perhaps three will be enough to weaken him. Make him vulnerable."

"But who will _defeat_ him? Without Link, we have no Champion."

Impa snorted. "I have witnessed many heroes in my life other than that boy. Perhaps none of them will wield the Master Sword, but I would hazard a guess that there are many in this world that would be willing to fight to save this land."

"And how are we going to find this hero?" Purah asked, her voice bitter. "If we have so little time, how are we supposed to search the land for someone willing to face Ganon?"

"We've _found_ this hero, Purah," Impa said. "We've found many. Or, I should say, Link did. All along his journey, he has found and worked alongside heroes and leaders of the different Hyrulean races. He managed to unite the Zora, Gorons, and Rito in their desire to see their lands return to peace. I believe that we can take that further—finish what Link started."

"You mean to raise an army." Robbie looked thoughtful, tapping his chin. "Yes, I see the logic behind that. An army consisting of Zora, Goron, Rito, Hylian, and Sheikah warriors. Backed by the Divine Beasts."

"We would need weapons," Impa said, meeting Robbie's eyes. "And armor."

"I have some already stockpiled—I have been salvaging as much material from the Guardians I have access to, but I'm going to need more."

"I will set my people to salvaging from the Guardians in the Blatchery Plains. There are hundreds there."

"Hmm, yes, that would be excellent. But if we have as little time as you fear, Impa, you must know that I won't have enough time to make weapons and armor for an army."

"No, but you could make enough to arm the primary fighting force. The ones that will clash with the Guardians at the beginning."

"It'll give them a chance."

"Exactly."

Purah watched their exchange, her expression still morose as it had been. Finally, she spoke up. "And what am I supposed to do? I can't make a bunch of new Sheikah Slates for everybody."

"No, but you have two in your possession now. With their ability to teleport groups, they will be invaluable in transporting equipment for Robbie."

"There is something else that she might be able to help me with," Robbie said. Both Purah and Impa looked at him, and Robbie leaned low, speaking conspiratorially. "The Sheikah Slates are the means by which we can interact with ancient Sheikah technology."

"Yes, we know that," Purah said, and then added, "Obviously."

"I've been theorizing a way to take back control of the Guardians. As you well know, our control on them was tenuous, even before the Calamity struck. We never did fully know how to control _all_ of them at once. It always felt as if we were missing an important piece to the puzzle. Something that hadn't been discovered yet."

"Snap, get to the point!"

Robbie scowled at Purah briefly but continued. "Impa, you still have the mural depicting the battle against Calamity ages ago, don't you?"

Impa frowned. "Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"

"There was always something on that mural that stumped us. Something that we didn't have one hundred years ago. Can you think of what it is?"

Impa thought for a time. She could picture the mural in her mind with perfect clarity—she had studied it for well over a hundred years, after all. She could see the two heroes in the center, on either side of the Calamity. She saw the Guardians surrounding them all. She saw the four Divine Beasts. And she saw…

She looked up, her eyes widening. "The towers."

"The _towers_. Why were those on the mural? What purpose did they serve? Thus far, they appear to be doing nothing, but they must be important. When Link activated one, others rose throughout the land. One even appeared in the middle of the Citadel—it must have been buried in the mountain all along. Perhaps the mountain itself formed around it in the last ten thousand years."

"Click, snap!" Purah slapped her hands on the table. "You think they're control devices!"

"It's merely a theory that I have been—"

"The Sheikah Slate _mentions_ them in its code. I didn't think anything of it when I saw it—I was working on Link's runes at the time, but…"

Purah hopped off her stool, landing on the floor of her laboratory. She began to pace, snapping her fingers as she did so. "If the towers can control the Guardians, then they must act like antennae. Perhaps there are so many of them because they have a limited range, or the more of them are activated, the stronger their signal."

"Hopefully we don't need to activate each of them. That would take more time than I fear we have," Impa said. "And several of them are in precarious positions, from my understanding."

"Yeah, the one near Hateno is surrounded by an army of monsters."

"And the one in Akkala still swarms with Guardians," Robbie said. "But that is all beside the point right now. Purah, I need you to research this. Study the towers, if you can, and try to learn how to use them. Perhaps we can wrest control of the Guardians back away from Ganon."

"Right. I…" She looked down at herself, thoughtfully. "Snap, I think I need to grow up some if I'm going to going back out into the field."

"Oh, thank heavens," Symin said from his place nearby.

"I don't have to put up with you, you know!" Purah snapped.

Impa found that she was smiling. Yes, this was good. Perhaps, even now, some hope remained. _Please be alive, Link,_ she thought. _Prove me wrong once again._

* * *

 **VI**

 _"Tonight, I spent the evening in the company of Link. With my Grandmother, of course. Already, he has freed three of the Divine Beasts. It is so incredible to think that so much has changed in a mere two months! And he seemed so much happier tonight than he's been before. He smiled and laughed and asked questions of Grandmother about his past. He asked a lot of questions about Princess Zelda and their journey together. Grandmother said that they used to laugh together a lot together, and that it always gave her hope that they were able to smile, despite the dire circumstances that brought them together._

 _"I wonder if Link is in love with Princess Zelda... If so, I think they suit each other quite splendidly. If they became a couple, I'd give that pairing my full support. Though just the thought of that makes my heart hurt... Is this what it means to love? If so, it hurts far greater than I ever knew it would. Yet seeing him smile tonight made me feel so happy, even if the smiles weren't for me."_

A tear dropped onto the page, smudging the ink, and Paya reached down with a trembling finger, trying to wipe the moisture away. It was no good, though—she just made it worse. Reaching up to her eyes, she wiped them quickly, yet it did little to stop the tears.

 _It hurts_ , she thought. _It hurts so much_.

She had written the entry the night of the Yiga attack. It was why she was still awake when they appeared—she hadn't been able to sleep after writing it, the implications of her own admission swirling through her mind.

How little she had known. The pain she felt then was nothing compared to the pain of not knowing where he had gone. If he even still lived.

It was the last entry in her diary. Though she had tried to write again since that awful night, she just couldn't get the words out any longer. No matter how many times she tried, she _couldn't_ write.

Two weeks. _Two weeks_ , he had been gone. And a week ago, his Sheikah Slate had been returned, found at the bottom of a river outside of Hyrule Castle.

Paya drew her legs up to her chest and pressed her forehead to her knees, body shaking as the sobs overtook her once again. Her grandmother was still gone but would return soon, she knew. For now, however, she was alone, and she mourned.

She wanted desperately to believe he was alive. That night, though she had been so terrified—for herself, for her grandmother, and even for their people—being with him had filled her with such strength. He never wavered. Though he was surely walking into a trap, he stood tall and fought with such ferocity to save the ones he cared for. She didn't know if she would have been able to fight back the way she had if it hadn't been for his strength.

Grandmother always spoke about how he gave her hope, but Paya felt it was far more than that. Link inspired her to be _better_. He fought, no matter what. Even when everything collapsed around him, he never gave up. Never lost sight of his ultimate goal. He was a true _hero_ …

That was why she fought that night, even though she had been terrified. Even though she had never drawn blood before falling down the steps with the Yiga assassin and catching him by surprise.

But now? What hope did she _have_? Link was, very likely, gone. For good, this time. Dead or dying. It no longer mattered if he loved her or Princess Zelda. It no longer mattered if he was handsome and courageous and kind. It no longer mattered if he smiled for her.

But…

It did matter than his sacrifice not be made in vain.

Paya slowly lifted her head, still sniffling, still trembling. She looked down at the page, blurry with her tears. She lowered her legs and moved her chair closer to her desk, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands.

She reached a hand out and pulled her inkpot closer before taking a quill and dipping it in the ink. Then she turned the page to the next blank one and began, finally, to write.

 _"I pray that Link somehow survived. I hope that, one day, he's just going to appear in our doorway again, just like he has before. I want to see him smile again. But if he doesn't, I have to go on. There is more that must be done. I don't yet know what my part will be in all of this, but I have to be ready to do all I can to ensure that his dreams become a reality._

 _"Tomorrow, I will ask Dorian to train me further in combat. He is a former Yiga, which I know still makes Grandmother uncomfortable, but he is our most skilled warrior and likely knows many techniques not even known to the Sheikah. If we are to continue to fight Calamity Ganon, then I wish to contribute in any way that I can, even if it means taking up the sword, as Link did…"_


	40. PART THREE: Chapter Thirty-Seven

**Well, it's Wednesday where I am, currently.**

 **I'm back! I appreciate everyone's patience with me as I prepped myself to start posting on _Part Three-_ the final part-of this story. The responses I got from the last few chapters have been _amazing_ , and I can't thank you all enough for your support. I truly think that the short wait will have been worth it, however. The next three chapters remain as some of my favorites, and I can honestly say I really think this part gets even better as it goes on. Of course, I won't be spoiling what happens, but I'm so excited to be able to finally share some of it with you. **

**And don't worry about this being the last part-there is a _LOT_ of story left. Part Three is the longest part of the three by quite the margin. Two was twenty chapters long-three is at least twenty-five, plus a few bonuses. How did I pull out that much story with only a single Divine Beast? You'll just have to find out.**

 **And you will be finding out soon enough! Since I have (about) finished writing the novel's draft, I have every intention on upping my weekly posting count. I will start posting three times a week, beginning next week. So the next chapter will come on Saturday, and then after that, I will start posting every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I fully expect the novel to be completely posted around October. I can't post it all at once, as I still have some rewrites I want to do in a few places, as well as I want to make absolutely certain that nothing else needs to be added.**

 **Onto some comments!**

 **Luke the Guest: I greatly appreciate your compliments about Link. I knew I needed to nail him to make this story work, and I'm so glad that you feel I did so. I'm also happy to say that his character arc is still far from complete... And I think you raise an extremely valid point about Zelda appearing to him. To be completely truthful, I hadn't even considered that's what the game designers were going for until just before you posted this, but I think you are spot on. The Masterworks art book actually says something along these lines (at least, I think it did, based on my Google Translation of the text) in that it mentions that Zelda sealed Ganon from the inside. It says nothing about what power preserved her life, but it very well could be as you said. Of course, by the time I discovered this bit of lore, I was _well_ past having written that scene, as well as had even just posted it. Figures! However, I do still think that Zelda is one with Ganon, in a way. Certainly, their minds have been connected. My story may not line up perfectly with the official lore (as stated in a book that only came out in Japan so far...), but I'm all right with that due to some of the other stuff I explore later on.**

 **iCards: No spoilers, but what I'm doing with Riju is actually explained in the game-or at least, the DLC. At least that part was. What I do with her in the future, however... Well, that remains to be seen. And regarding Symin, I've often wondered what life must be like with Purah. She's the very definition of an eccentric scientist, and he seems so... calm and collected. I imagine they butt heads quite often.**

 **xmana033: One week, I wrote the rough equivalent of _six_ full-sized chapters. I think that about tapped me out for writing speed. It came out to just over 43,000 words in that single 7-day period. But, seriously, no more hiatuses from me. This train isn't stopping again until it reaches its conclusion.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: I'm glad I can help! And don't worry-Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju all still have a role to play in the story. And, finally, one quick spoiler to be nice: I didn't kill Link.**

 **Now, I've stalled too much. Please, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **PART THREE**

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Link should have counted himself as honored for being allowed to attend the meeting deep in the Great Hyrule Forest. The forest dwellers were a private folk, and the opportunity to visit them was very rare. Most of the knights in attendance left their attendants behind, save for only the most needed. His knight, however—Sir Russell of Kasuto—wished to bring his squire along, stating that it was only a matter of time before Link became a knight himself. It would be good for him to be seen by the king.

Sir Russell also likely thought that it would be a good way to take Link's mind off all that had happened recently.

 _No,_ Link thought, briefly squeezing his eyes shut. _Don't think about that._

His father wasn't there. That was a noticeable absence, considering that the king was present with his daughter, both riding near the front of the line. No, his father had been forced to take an extended leave of absence from his duties on the royal guard to deal with things back home.

 _Stop_.

He forced himself to look up and around them as they rode through the dark forest. They had finally passed through the deepest portion of the forest—the place known as the Lost Woods for its mysterious way of causing travelers to lose their way. They likely wouldn't have ever made it through without their guide.

Now, however, the canopy overhead lightened enough to allow thin shafts of light to pierce the gloom. The trees changed too—they were thick and verdant with taller trunks and branches far overhead. He could see movement in them—squirrels, birds, and possibly even some of the forest folk themselves.

Link looked ahead. The line of horses was relatively small and he, even near the rear of the line, could still see the royal family at the line's front. His eyes found the princess. She sat upright in a deep blue riding dress, her hair mostly hanging down, save for the braid that wrapped around her head like a crown. She was a couple years Link's junior, and he wasn't sure if he could start calling her pretty yet or not. She had the hints of future beauty, to be sure, but she was also only fifteen and had much to grow.

His eyes traveled over the royal family's attendants until he found the one he was looking for. One of Princess Zelda's maids—a few years older than Link. Now _she_ was pretty. Attractive brown hair and eyes, a woman's figure, and a smile that captivated many a squire's heart. He wondered if he would have a chance to speak with her on this trip. He was certain that she'd seen him at the tourney that spring.

Link looked away from the woman, sighing. Even seeing the attractive woman could do little to improve his dire mood as of late. Maybe he should ask Sir Russell for more time away from the court, to go home and help his father or see how Aryll was doing.

The tree canopy overhead trembled, the leaves whispering softly, distracting Link from his thoughts. He glanced up, frowning, and finally spotted one of the forest folk—the first he'd seen other than their diminutive guide.

The forest folk—Koroks as they called themselves—were a race of fey-like beings. They appeared to be made entirely of wood, though their bodies were flexible like normal flesh. They had small arms and legs, and often stood no more than a foot and a half tall, though some grew to twice that height. They always wore masks made of large leaves, usually pierced by their long noses.

The Korok above Link giggled softly, making a soft sound like a rattle, and then it disappeared back up into the leafy canopy. He could see others peering down now as well, each seemingly just waiting to be seen before disappearing again. The leaves overhead shivered almost constantly now.

They had arrived at the center of the Great Hyrule Forest.

The column of Hylians rode into the large clearing at the forest's heart. There, stood the largest tree that Link had ever seen. It was the largest tree in the world, as far as anyone knew. The Great Deku Tree, with a trunk as wide around as several of the homes in Castle Town and a canopy taller than any of the castle's towers, gazed down at them with a benevolent expression.

It was also the only _living_ tree that anyone knew about.

Branches formed long eyebrows over a pair of strangely expression depressions in the wood that stood in for its eyes. It had a nose, formed from bark, and beard and whiskers made from roots. It had a huge mouth as well, which opened as the royals approached.

"Greetings, King Rhoam," the Deku Tree said. Welcome to my home. And greetings to you as well, Princess Zelda. You have grown in beauty since I last saw you."

As the king and princess exchanged pleasantries with the ancient tree spirit, Link and the others around him dismounted from their horses. Several of the older servants had begun speaking to some of the Koroks nearby to find out where they would be able to set up for the night. After such a long, arduous journey, Link would welcome the chance to rest, as he was sure the others would.

He gently ran his palm along Epona's nose, smiling at his faithful horse and fished an apple from his pack to offer her, which she gladly took. She was one of the few horses who had not acted skittish while traveling through the Lost Woods—a fact that he was quite proud of.

After seeing to his horse, Link turned to see where some of the men and women were taking their things—he would be expected to carry Sir Russell's gear and set up his tent. As he did so, something caught his eye.

He frowned, shifting slightly to be able to catch a glimpse of what he'd seen. The princess and king stood on a slightly raised made from white stone. From his vantage, Link could see between the two royals, and he could just see a sword's blade glinting in the afternoon sunlight. The sword had been placed, point-down, into a raised section of stone at the center of the dais.

Link knew what the sword was, though he never actually knew for sure that it was even real. The Sword that Seals the Darkness. The ancient Blade of Evil's Bane. The Master Sword. It was the sword of legends from ages past—an old, powerful weapon that could only be pulled from the stone by a mythical hero.

It was a sword spoken of by young squires around the meal tables, who imagined themselves pulling the sword and becoming powerful knights, saving the world, and falling in love with the princess. Foolish dreams of youth, Link knew, yet his heartbeat quickened at the sight of it. He had since given up such dreams, favoring reality now that he had grown into manhood, but to see the legendary blade itself… It brought up images in his head of drawing the sword and being praised for his valor.

The princess shifted her weight and blocked the sword from view, breaking Link of the spell. He shook his head, exhaling slowly, and looked around for some direction. He saw that some of the other knights and attendants had started to remove saddlebags and equipment, and Link quickly followed suit, finding Sir Russell's horse and removing his gear.

Link chose a suitable location for Sir Russell and erected the pair of small tents that he and his knight would sleep in that night. Though setting up the camp did not take very long, it was still getting late by the time everything was complete. Small oil lanterns were used to light the insides of the tents, but the forest clearing itself was lit by strange plants that hung from vines, giving off a soft, even glow.

Koroks were all around them, though few came down from the trees to talk. Several of the men and women in their contingent seemed to be nervous around the forest folk, but Link didn't mind them. They had a habit of popping up in places and times one least expected to find them, admittedly—such as when venturing into the trees to relieve oneself—but their innocent demeanor made him smile.

After finishing camp and eating a small meal with the few other squires in attendance, Link found himself released from his duties as Sir Russell turned in for the night. Many others went to sleep as well, and he knew that he should follow suit. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for several hours, however. Sleep had been difficult to come by, as of late.

So, instead, he chose to wander about some. He wasn't the only one still up, so he was not so out of place. He stuck to the paths around the Deku Tree, not wishing to venture out so far as to end up back in the Lost Woods.

The forest was beautiful at night. Dappled moonlight broke through the leaves, bathing everything around him in its pale light. The night was warm and pleasant, and the forest seemed alive with the sounds of nocturnal insects and animals. A number of fireflies appeared, adding their yellow-green light to that of the moon. He could even swear to have seen a small, colorful fairy with long, gossamer wings flitting about. It was peaceful.

Link wished that he could feel the same way.

He closed his eyes, but he could not so easily banish the memories that threatened to overwhelm him. His mother, lying in bed, skin pale and waxy, dark circles around her sunken eyes. Her voice, which had always been so beautiful and musical, hoarse and rasping. Her hands holding Link's in their weak grip.

His mother, lying motionless and unseeing.

His mother, shrouded in a burial cloth.

The sudden pain threatened to overwhelm Link, and he reached out a hand to steady himself on a tree. His left hand clenched tightly into a fist as he tried to banish the tears that threatened to spill over. It had already been three months—shouldn't he be _past_ this by now?

His father wasn't past it yet either. No, Link could still see the haunted look in his father's eyes as he spoke of his duty to their house. Arn didn't yet know what he would do for their land holdings in the Necluda region. Aryll was, of course, still far too young to run the household, but Link's father also had an important role in the royal guard. In all likelihood, Arn would appoint someone to manage his holdings in the meantime, until he could find another suitable wife. A… replacement.

"Are you all right?" said a soft, feminine voice behind him.

Link stiffened, suddenly standing upright. He reached up quickly to wipe his wet eyes and turned. Princess Zelda stood directly behind him.

"Your highness!" he said, voice cracking.

"Shh…!" Princess Zelda waved her hands, shushing him.

Link tried hard to compose himself, but his heart was racing. Of all the people to sneak up on him in the middle of the evening, _Princess Zelda_ was the last one he expected or even wanted. After all, if he eventually became a knight in the royal guard—as he intended—he would likely have to guard _her_ , as his father guarded the king. Would she even want such an emotional man in the guard?

"Princess, I apologize. You… startled me," he said, lowering his voice. He glanced behind her, and at the notable lack of guards. He'd wandered a fair distance away from the camp, around the back side of the Deku Tree. "But… what are you doing out here?"

Princess Zelda rolled her eyes, the motion visible in the shaft of moonlight that illuminated her face. Link felt his face flush. Perhaps demanding to know what she was doing was the wrong thing to ask. He couldn't remember ever actually _speaking_ to the princess before this. Should he bow?

"I expect that I am out here for the same reason you are," she said after a moment. "I could not sleep."

"Do you…" Link hesitated. He had no idea what to do in this situation. Should he tell someone that the princess was wandering around in the dark? Should he accompany her? The center of the forest was said to be safe, but Link had heard plenty of legends of the creatures that inhabited the Lost Woods. "Do you wish me to fetch one of your guards? I'm not sure how safe—"

"I'm quite all right, thank you. This area is protected from monsters by the Deku Tree's magic—it is safe."

"Ahh, yes, of course." Link paused and took in the princess' appearance. He'd first assumed that she was wearing a nightgown, but now that he looked at her more closely, he saw that she wore a flowing white dress with embroidery around the waist and sleeves. He had seen her wear it during their journey, usually in the evening and morning, before and after the day's ride, but never understood its significance.

Princess Zelda looked at him for a time, considering. Finally, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Link. Son of—"

"Arn, right?"

He nodded.

The princess' expression softened. "I am very sorry for your loss, then. I… am familiar with the pain of losing one's mother."

Link's throat tightened at the princess' words. This was far from a conversation that he wished to have with the princess, of all people.

"I met her a few times," Princess Zelda said, thoughtfully. "In the court and once when visiting your lands in the east. She always seemed to be a very strong, capable woman. A good match for your father."

"Yes," Link said, haltingly.

Princess Zelda looked back at up him. In the moonlight, she didn't look as young as she was. The dress and the expression on her face made her look older.

"You are the squire to Sir Russell, are you not?" she asked, after a moment of silence. Link nodded, not quite trusting his voice yet. "Then perhaps you would be willing to accompany me on my walk? I have heard talk of your skill with the sword. Surely there would be no problem with my being out with a capable squire by my side?"

Link felt immediately bolstered by the comment. He was already well-known for his skill among the knights, but for the princess to have heard… But would the royal guard find his presence to be acceptable? He met Princess Zelda's eyes, and he saw a slight spark of defiance there—she would not wait here for him to fetch someone, if he refused.

"Yes, your highness," he said.

"Good." She began walking around the base of the Deku Tree, and Link dutifully followed.

They walked together in silence for a time. The princess appeared to be content in looking at the trees and foliage, occasionally crouching down to run her fingers along a leaf or flower. She seemed to be studying the fauna.

He watched as she plucked a leaf from a tree, turning it over in her hand curiously. After a few moments, she glanced at him and looked slightly surprised, as if she'd forgotten that he was even there.

"Did you know that this wasn't the original location of the Great Hyrule Forest?" she asked, turning back to inspect her leaf.

"No, I've never heard that," Link said.

"Ancient texts and maps place the Deku Tree and the forest far to the south, near the Great Plateau. But no one knows how or why it moved."

"Why not ask the Deku Tree?"

She looked back up at him, cocking one eyebrow. "Well, it's not the _same_ Deku Tree."

"Oh."

"The Deku Tree has an extremely long life, of course, but even it has not been alive for so long. Every few thousand years or so, the Deku Tree apparently plants a seedling that will eventually grow into a new Deku Tree in the place of the old one, which passes away shortly thereafter."

"I'd never heard that."

"That isn't surprising. It is a more scholarly matter than anything. The Deku Tree _does_ appear to retain at least some memories from its previous generations, but it rarely speaks of them. As far as I know, it has never spoken of the previous location of the forest. Perhaps it doesn't even remember."

Princess Zelda let the leaf fall as she looked up the large, imposing trunk of the Deku Tree. "In all likelihood, the old location of the forest became untenable for some reason so the Deku Tree at that time sent its seedling to this location, where a new forest grew up around it. There are other theories, though."

Link had no idea why the princess was even talking to him about this, but she seemed excited for some reason. He, however, could not particular share in her excitement. It was little more than a forest to him.

"I think the most interesting thing is the Lost Woods," Princess Zelda said, looking back at Link. "I understand how the Deku Tree could have moved, but ancient lore speaks of the Lost Woods as well. If the new forest grew around the Deku Tree, then that suggests that the Lost Woods are directly tied to _its_ power. The Deku Tree somehow creates the Lost Woods, but why?"

"For protection?" he said.

"Most likely. The Deku Tree's bark is quite valuable. But if that were the case, why not plant the Deku Tree somewhere hidden or harder to reach? Why create a magical forest to keep people out and then make guides to help people through it?"

"I… I'm not sure."

She glanced at him again, and he thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. Had he said the wrong thing? After a moment, she turned and began to walk again. He quickly followed.

The silence stretched for a long moment before Link spoke again. "Maybe… maybe the Lost Woods are a kind of trial."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "What makes you think that?"

Link thought of the Master Sword, sitting in its pedestal at the center of the forest. "Well, the Lost Woods wouldn't be that protective, ultimately. Even if they are difficult to navigate, they could be burned down easily enough by attackers. But someone on a special quest could be required to pass through the woods to reach the heart of the forest."

Princess Zelda nodded thoughtfully. "That is a popular theory among scholars. The Lost Woods is often thought to be a trial for those seeking wisdom or knowledge from the Deku Tree. And then there is the Master Sword, of course."

Link's heart sank slightly. Of course, scholars had already discussed such things at length. Did he really think that his idea would have been original in any way?

"Another popular theory on the origins of this forest is that the entire forest somehow actually _moved_ from the south. That it isn't a new forest, in relative terms, but that it physically relocated somehow."

"How would it do that?" Link asked.

"I am truly not certain. But ancient technology and magic were able to accomplish incredible feats in the past. It is certainly another possibility. That's why I have been studying the fauna—I was curious if I would find any evidence of plants from the south."

 _Wouldn't someone else have already discovered that by now?_ Link thought, though he kept such things to himself. "Did you find anything?"

"No. While there _are_ plants native to either north and south Hyrule, our country is not so large as to have too many major differences in its ecology. At least not in its heartland, where the climate is largely similar between the north and south. The same cannot be said for the surrounding regions, of course, such as the Faron rainforest or the Hebra mountains."

Princess Zelda paused by the stone dais. They had already made their way around the Deku Tree to its front again. Link could see the Master Sword glinting in a shaft of moonlight that shone down on it from above. The princess looked at the sword thoughtfully.

"Ahh, princess. You are out late this evening."

She gasped and looked up at the deep voice. Link did the same, gazing up at the large face belonging to the Deku Tree. It smiled at them.

"Oh, Deku Tree, I apologize if we disturbed your slumber," Princess Zelda said.

"It is quite all right. And who is this with you?" The Deku Tree gazed down at Link, and its smile grew. "Ahh, yes. The man named Link."

Link froze, confused. Why did the Deku Tree know his name? Did someone tell the tree about him? Princess Zelda looked as confused as he felt, looking over at Link with a curious expression.

"Do not look so surprised," the Deku Tree said. "I take the time to learn about everyone who steps into my realm. And what do you think, young Link? This is your first time visiting my forest."

Link hesitantly stepped up onto the dais, feeling embarrassed. "It's… quite beautiful, uh… Deku Tree."

"I am sure that a moonlit stroll with a beautiful young woman is nice as well."

Link felt his face grow warm, and he spared a glance towards the princess, who had adopted a very controlled expression. He thought that her cheeks seemed redder, though.

"Tell me, you two, what do you know of the sword that sits there?"

Link glanced down towards the sword. The Master Sword had a magnificently crafted purple hilt, with green wrapping around the grip. The cross-guard was shaped like a pair of outstretched wings, upturned towards the blade. The blade, itself, was without blemish. Link could see some ancient markings on it, including the three triangles found in the royal sigil. It was a beautiful blade. For a moment, Link's thoughts took him back to just a few years prior, when he and the other squires boasted about the legendary sword that none of them had even seen.

What would they say if they knew he was here, looking down at the Master Sword, Princess Zelda by his side? It seemed like a scene lifted right out of their boastful fantasies.

"It is the Master Sword," Princess Zelda said. "The blade wielded by the ancient hero in battle against the Calamity Ganon."

 _Calamity Ganon?_ Link thought, tearing his eyes away from the Master Sword. He had never heard the phrase before. Something about it felt… familiar to him, though. As if he had heard it once in a dream.

"Yes, indeed," the Deku Tree said. "It is an ancient blade, created by the Goddess Hylia before Hyrule was even a nation. Created to face her ancient foe, Demise."

Princess Zelda nodded slowly, taking a small step forward. "It has been used many times throughout history, always by a chosen hero who is called in times of great need."

"Yes, and only the chosen hero can answer its call. Though many others have tried to pull it free of the stone, none have been able to for ten thousand years."

 _Ten thousand years._ Link shifted uncomfortably as the Deku Tree and princess spoke, eyes traveling back to the Master Sword. It was a beautiful blade. He stepped closer to the blade, looking down at it curiously. Why did this feel so familiar? Why was he so… drawn to the sword?

Link slowly reached out, touching the sword's pommel with a tentative finger.

 _Hello, Master._

He gasped, pulling his hand back. The voice in his head—it had spoken so clearly. So _audibly_. Had anyone else heard it? He looked at the princess, but she was still speaking with the Deku Tree. He couldn't hear what they were saying anymore, though—not with that voice still whispering in the back of his mind.

"Did… you hear that?"

Zelda looked back at him, frowning. But then the Deku Tree said something, and she looked back at it, Link apparently forgotten.

He looked back at the sword and licked his lips. Had he imagined it? He hesitantly reached out again, wrapping the fingers of his left hand around the grip. He heard no voices, but when his skin came in contact with it, he felt something stir within him. Something _called_ him.

It urged him on. To… _try_. He'd seen several of the knights do so, after all. It appeared to be something of a tradition—even, perhaps, a competition—among them, as well as an enjoyable show for the Koroks, who encouraged them.

He placed both hands on the sword's grip, shifting so that his feet were planted slightly more than shoulder-width apart. And then, without fully understanding why, he pulled.

He hadn't participated in the game earlier. As a squire, he hadn't wanted to inject himself into the activity that was clearly a tradition among the knights. But none of them had been able to pull the sword free of the stone. The sword hadn't even budged, no matter how hard they pulled, and several of the knights appeared to have been wearied by the experience.

It did not exhaust Link. He did not strain, grunting and face turning red. He didn't flex, making a show of his efforts. He just… pulled.

And the Master Sword slid smoothly from the stone.

The conversation between Princess Zelda and the Deku Tree stopped as the metal rang out. The princess turned to look at Link, a look of shock on her face. Her lips formed words, but nothing came out.

Link stared down at the sword, its pointed tip hovering just a few inches above the empty slot in the ground. He had pulled the sword free.

 _He had pulled the Master Sword free._

How was that possible? It _shouldn't_ have come free. Link watched a dozen men try to pull it free that day, and not one of them had been able to do so! Why did it do so for him? Why _him_?

"Ahh…" The Deku Tree smiled benevolently as he gazed down towards Link. "Yes, I thought you might be the one. The child of destiny."

Princess Zelda, looking suddenly little more than a child, gazed between Link and the Deku Tree, eyes wide. "Do you mean…"

"Yes, my dear." The tree's voice grew grave. A breeze blew through the leaves of the forest, adding their hushed whispers to the moment. "The time has come for the hero to rise again."

"No," she whispered.

Link slowly raised the sword, marveling at the way it felt in his hand. The breeze grew stronger, swirling around him. He'd drawn the Master Sword. The first in ten thousand years. The Deku Tree had called him the child of destiny. He'd done so with the princess by his side—just like in his fantasies of old.

He looked at her. And he saw Princess Zelda's expression— _really_ saw it. Her horror. The fantasy popped like a bubble in his mind. And he suddenly knew that this was not a day that would be celebrated. Not by her. And not by others who knew the truth.

The time had come for the hero to rise again.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link sat by his small fire, which he'd lit underneath a small rock overhang. It did little to shield him from view, but that was less important now. He was pretty sure that he'd left the Guardians' search radius by now. He hadn't seen one of the mechanical beasts for days.

Around him were his meager possessions. The shield that he recovered from the castle, his Zora sword, a crude wooden bow and arrows that he managed to steal out of a bokoblin encampment while they slept. He didn't have his Ancient sword any longer—it had broken in the castle—nor the Sheikah Slate.

It was the Sheikah Slate that hurt the most to lose. It had been one of his best modes of transportation, after all, and an incredibly useful tool in his travels. Without it, he had no way of letting his friends know that he survived his trip into the castle. They likely still had no idea what happened to him, or even where he'd gone.

But Link regretted its loss for more than its utility. It held memories as well. Hundreds of photographs taken by Princess Zelda— _Zelda_ —on their travels together one hundred years in the past. He'd stopped paying as much attention to those in the recent weeks, prior to his defeat at Hyrule Castle, largely because of his growing resentment towards the princess. Now, however, he missed it terribly.

He'd been such a _fool_.

The castle was miles away now, hidden by trees and the rising and falling of the hills around him, but he could still place exactly where it _should_ be on the horizon. He hadn't seen Calamity Ganon rising today, which was a hopeful sign. The monster appeared, flying around the castle's towers, far more often than it did when Link first woke. Zelda still appeared to be in control, however, always appearing in the form of a beacon of light that pulled the creature back down into its prison.

 _She's so strong,_ he told himself as he poked at his fire. He was in awe. She was far more than he'd even realized from his limited memories.

He could tell that Ganon grew stronger, though. The earth trembled often, and Link saw evidence of new eruptions on Death Mountain when he crossed the ridge north of Hyrule Castle. There were also the Guardians, which seemed far more active now, patrolling back and forth.

Looking for him.

The time that followed his defeat at the castle had been harrowing. The Guardians searched for him relentlessly, never growing tired or complacent. Link, without a weapon with which to face them effectively, had been forced to hide and flee, sticking to the trees that dotted the ridge north of the castle, where he eventually washed up on shore.

Thoughts of his last moments in the castle brought back painful memories, and Link reached up, absently touching the place where the Guardian shot him. The skin there had healed after a few days—Mipha's influence, no doubt—but the flesh remained scarred. A new scar to match the identical one on his back, which he assumed he sustained in his fight against the Guardians one hundred years prior.

His Champion's tunic, of course, was ruined, and Link was forced to rid himself of it. Its color still stood out, despite the burns and blood stains. Only within the last couple of days did he finally replace the tunic with one tunic that may have once been another color, though it was more of a muted grey now. He'd found it in the remains of an old military training camp along the edge of the ridge. He had been forced to kill several lizalfos that had taken up residence in the camp.

The progress following his defeat had been slow. Zelda told him where to find the Master Sword—a weapon that he now understood to be of utmost importance—and so he decided to make his way north to the Great Forest, which he could see from atop the ridge. Getting there, however, was more difficult than he hoped it would be.

The forest was on an island surrounded by several miles of water. At the time, Link hadn't even been able to see a way to cross onto the forested island, which itself stretched for miles and miles. He almost started traveling north, but ultimately chose to travel east, thinking that he could remember seeing a road in that direction on his Sheikah Slate. After a few days of slow travel, being forced to evade detection from the Guardians, he eventually saw the land bridge that connected the forest to the surrounding region.

It took him two weeks to finally reach his location now, just outside of the Great Hyrule Forest's entrance. Two weeks to cross a distance that, by his estimation, was close to the same distance he and Kass crossed when going through Hyrule Field. And during the entire trip, he'd feared that Calamity Ganon could break free at any moment and lay waste to the land.

Food and water had been scarce early on during his trek—the forest moat was at the bottom of a deep basin, too steep for Link to safely climb down, and he didn't dare approach the castle's moat. Instead, he subsisted off of rain water, plants, and berries for the first week, until he finally came across the bokoblin camp and stole the bow. He could have killed the monsters but chose not to. The Guardians were still close at that time, and he feared the noise would attract them.

All of his travels led to this, however. He looked down at the enormous forest and knew what he would find at its center. And now, he could remember finding it before—the Master Sword. Seeing the forest brought the memory of that fateful day flooding back into him. The confusion, excitement, and fear. The painful loss of his mother, whose name he still didn't know. The vague knowledge of his sister, Aryll.

And Zelda. So young, yet already burdened with the fate of the world. The Master Sword sealed her fate just as much as it sealed his. That was why she looked so scared. He only partially understood it at the time, not having yet seen her pain, frustration, and perseverance. The sword joined them together in a way that neither of them had known. To think that he once thought that he would one day join the royal guard.

He had been right, in a way.

Link closed his eyes, calling to mind his newfound memories of that night. The surprising peace he felt when walking beside her. Her detailed analysis of everything around her. Everything was a matter of study. He saw only a tree, but she saw _history_.

It was nearly enough to send him charging into the castle again. But no. That had been a foolish mistake that nearly cost them everything. In fact, it still very well could. There was no telling how much longer Zelda could keep Ganon imprisoned. If he broke free before they were ready, then everything could be lost.

He opened his eyes again, looking down at the darkening forest. _Tomorrow_. He would enter it and begin his trek through. He had vague recollections of the first journey he made—the place of shadow that he would first have to pass through. The trial, as he put it in his memory. He would find his way to the forest's heart, however. He would retrieve the Master Sword.

For the time had come for the hero to rise again.


	41. Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Oh boy, I'm excited to share this one with you all. This chapter and the next are two of my absolute favorite chapters in the entire novel. I know I've said that once or twice, but still. Such a blast to write. Also, I'm glad that the last chapter-and the memory of Link's retrieval of the Master Sword-went over so well! That was a scene that I agonized over. I knew I had to get it right.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Past Link-especially pre-Master Sword-is fun to write. He has an entirely different set of inner conflicts and motivations, and it's great being able to explore that. The funny thing is that I think his personality is a little like future Link, though a little bit more relaxed. That probably doesn't come through in this memory as much, considering its more serious, somber tone, but I tried showing that in the earlier memory on Death Mountain. He's got a slight mischievous streak.**

 **iCards: You're right! Usually in Zelda stories, Link draws the Master Sword in the midst of the conflict-often after a defeat of sorts. That's one of the reasons I find Breath of the Wild's story so interesting, considering Link had it _before_ everything went down. It's like even the sword wanted to prepare for the coming of Ganon, just like everyone else was trying to do. But that's also why I wanted it to just happen. No fanfare. No big ritual or even a trial. It just happens, which fuels Zelda's resentment of him, of course. And regarding his Champion's tunic... It is addressed. I'll leave it at that.**

 **echo009: Well, their first meeting that they can remember, anyway... _Hmm..._**

 **Saphura: Here's another early morning chapter, if you're having another sleepless night! Not... entirely sure if this chapter will actually help with that, though.**

 **Also, as a reminder, I'm now going to three updates a week. Next one will come on Tuesday! Now, please read, enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Eight**

Link stared into the trees of the Great Hyrule Forest uncertainly. They seemed harmless enough, yet his memory of the Master Sword suggested otherwise. As far as he could see, they looked normal, if not thicker than other forests he'd been through near here. Dappled sunlight streamed down, illuminating pollen swirling in the air with the breeze. Birds chirped merrily. Were these truly the ominous Lost Woods spoken of by Zelda in his memory?

He glanced up towards the sun. It had only just creeped up over the slopes of Death Mountain from his vantage. He would be able to use it and Death Mountain itself to guide him, though he would likely need to start climbing trees as he got deeper within the forest.

Finally, feeling foolish for having hesitated, Link stepped forward into the tree-line… and it felt like stepping into a forest. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The grass was, perhaps, lusher than it should have been, due to the heavy tree canopy, but it was also the beginning of summer, before the heat and lack of rain would harm most plants.

As he walked, his feet crunched on fallen twigs, and he stumbled over a protruding tree root. Nothing out of the ordinary. Feeling bolstered, Link pressed on quicker, eager to reach the forest's center. By his estimation, it would be almost an entire day's walk.

"I didn't know you were there with me when I pulled the Master Sword," he spoke aloud. "I didn't really understand the horror in your expression at the time. I think I felt it too, but I was also… confused."

He had no idea if Zelda could hear him now. He knew that she watched but also that she wasn't always fully aware of her surroundings. It pained him to think of her fighting against Ganon without any understanding of what she fought for.

So he spoke to her. Maybe she heard him or maybe not. Maybe it helped her or maybe not. It felt good to speak such things, regardless.

"Of course, I didn't know about your prayers then, either. I didn't know of the pressure you felt. I found out about that sometime later, before the Champion's ceremony…"

Link frowned, focusing his mind. It was there, the memory. He could vaguely picture a scene in his head. The king. And…

 _"Link, now that you've been chosen by the Master Sword, you are part of this now."_

King Rhoam, his face solemn. And he wasn't alone. Zelda was there, sitting in a chair and looking as though she wished she could be anywhere else. Rhoam was behind a desk. Link stood before the desk.

 _"I assume that you know of our efforts to unearth the Divine Beasts and prepare them for Calamity Ganon's eventual return. That has been going on for longer than you've been at the castle. What you may not know is why that all began."_

Link had heard rumors, of course. They all had. But the rumors were only spoken of in hushed whispers and never confirmed.

 _"Many years ago, a fortune teller prophesied of Calamity Ganon's eventual return. She also spoke of ancient Sheikah relics buried throughout the nation. We didn't believe it at first, but then when the relics began to be unearthed… Well, it was a sign that we must begin preparations."_

How small Zelda had looked in the chair. Fifteen and only two years younger than Link himself, who had just been knighted—the youngest in Hyrule's history—yet she looked like a child. She sat straight up in her chair but refused to look at Link, looking somewhere off over his head. Her feet were crossed at her ankles, and she tapped her toe anxiously.

 _"My daughter, like you, has an important role to fill in the coming conflict. Her sealing power will be necessary when the Calamity eventually comes again, but despite pursing it since childhood, it has not yet manifested. I hope that your retrieval of the Master Sword is a sign that her power may soon do so."_

Even then, Link wondered at the way King Rhoam had brought Zelda into the conference. She was obviously uncomfortable, and even more so when he spoke about her lack of abilities. She didn't at all look like the curious young woman he met in the forest the night he pulled the Master Sword.

 _"I tell you this not to cause you fear, my boy. I have… faith that you both shall rise to the occasion, as your predecessors did ten thousand years ago. But understand that the burden you now carry on your back will set you apart. You have a far higher calling than any other knight in the land, and I expect you to treat it with the gravitas it deserves."_

Did the king know how that simple statement would change the way Link approached his interactions with others? He didn't think that he was particularly outgoing prior, but this simple meeting effectively silenced him. He stopped making new friends after that moment and pulled away from most of his old ones.

"Did your father place such pressure on you as well?" he asked the air, expecting no response. "It's no wonder you resented me at first. I… forgive you for that, by the way. I don't remember how we eventually became friends, but I remember us being cold to each other. I'm sorry, too. For being absorbed by my own burdens. I was conscious of yours at the beginning, but somewhere along the way, I think I lost sight of them."

He paused, looking up at the sunlight streaming down. He wished he could talk to her as he had in Tarry Town. There was so much that he wanted to know. That he _needed_ to know. What happened after the Yiga attack? He thought that might have been the catalyst to their friendship, based on some of the other memories he had, but who opened up first? Who took the first step?

He started walking again. "This is probably how you felt early on, isn't it? I didn't talk much. I even stopped talking to Mipha, and I've known her since childhood. Daruk could still get me to talk, though."

Link laughed suddenly, smiling. "Did you know that I helped Daruk control his Divine Beast out of spite? You'd been trying for so long, and I think I just wanted to do it to see your expression when you found out. We were pretty childish at times. But just… know that I felt it, too. The burden. I wasn't ready for it any more than you probably felt you were. If I could go back now, I… I think I would tell you that. That I was scared, too. I still am.

"Of course, we probably had this conversation a hundred years ago, so you're probably not hearing anything new. Still, though, it's good to say it. It's good to be honest."

Link fell silent and noticed that the forest had grown silent as well. He stopped walking, frowning as he looked around. The sound of birds had faded, as had many of the other sounds. Sunlight still streamed down through gaps in the canopy, but the leaves overhead had grown thicker, leaving fewer openings for the sunlight to break through.

He found the silence to be eerie. Was this it, then? The Lost Woods? "Say, I don't suppose you can tell me what to expect in here, can you? Because my memory conveniently left that out." He paused. "You might say that I have a very _selective_ memory."

No response. No sound at all. Even his voice seemed quieter, as if the sound was snatched out of the air right after it left his lips. Ahead, he could see that the forest grew more shadowy.

Pursing his lips, Link continued on. So it was a dark forest—what did that even matter? If that was the worst of it, then what did he have to be worried about?

* * *

The forest grew far darker.

In time, the canopy overhead grew so thick that it blocked out the sun completely, leaving the woods around him in shadow. Furthermore, a thin mist seemed to rise up from the ground, obscuring his vision even further. The trees changed, too, growing more gnarled, with long limbs that hung low. Link's sword hilt caught on the branches more than once.

His footfalls were the only sound among the dark trees. Leaves and twigs crunched under him, now sounding too loud in the deep wood. The grass underfoot seemed dry, as if it hadn't gotten enough rain. His path was further impeded by bushes, weeds, and roots that appeared to exist for no other reason than to trip him.

"Well, I can see why this is called the Lost Woods," he said. "Hard to make out what direction I'm even going in."

He stopped walking, finally, and accepted that he needed to check his surroundings. Looking around, he found a tree that looked promising. It had several low-hanging branches but seemed tall enough that it likely reached up to the canopy overhead. He walked to it.

A twig cracked, and Link spun around, reaching back to his sword. He scanned the forest, but nothing moved but the shifting, swirling mists. "Hello?" he said. No response.

"Is anyone there?" Still nothing.

Link narrowed his eyes, trying to pierce the darkness and fog. If it got any darker, though, he would need to light a torch, which would, unfortunately, make it even harder to see into the distance. Finally satisfied that he was alone, he turned around and scanned the tree.

What he saw didn't encourage him. Now that he was here, he could see the low hanging branches just fine, but the handholds after that grew scarce. He wished that he had a length of rope—climbing would be simple with it.

He gazed around at other trees around, but so little that would be helpful. Many of the trunks had grown much thicker, too, with even fewer obvious handholds. This was his best option.

Sighing, Link grasped the nearest branch and pulled himself up. He climbed the first ten feet or so this way, using the thickest branches to climb easily. After that, however, the branches grew thinner. He was forced to find grooves in the bark to grip with his fingers, squeezing the trunk with his boots to steady himself.

His progress continued, albeit slowly. Eventually, however, he was able to see the leaves of the canopy overhead. The trunk grew thinner, but he found more branches overhead that he was able to use to pull himself higher.

Higher and higher he went. How tall were these trees? They didn't even seem that tall from the ground. The canopy seemed so much closer on the ground.

He climbed up through a thick spider web, grimacing as the gossamer strands stuck to his face and hair. Yet he continued to climb until, finally, he reached the leaves. He pushed on further, climbing up through the thick foliage. The darkness lightened and then, suddenly, his head was above the ceiling, bathed in light that seemed far too bright.

Squinting, Link looked around, finding Death Mountain… and swore out loud. It was in the _wrong_ direction. Somewhere along the way, he had turned south. He reoriented himself so that the mountain was to his right and took a breath. The climb down would, in all likelihood, be worse. And he would have to keep in mind which direction he was facing.

He began to climb down. The ground was difficult to make out through the mist, but he thought that he had a clear enough picture of it. Still, he used a small knife that he found when fighting the lizalfos on his travels to cut a gash in the tree to indicate the right direction. He made other similar cuts periodically on his way down.

When he finally reached the ground, he looked up. He couldn't see the canopy overhead, but he could see several of the cuts lower to the ground. It would do. Making one final trio of cuts in the shape of an arrow to indicate his direction of travel, he turned and continued forward.

Somehow, the forest grew even denser around him. Link was forced to make more cuts in the trees to keep track of where he'd been, and he greatly wished that he had some other way of keep track of his direction.

"Hard to follow a straight line in here," he said. His voice sounded muffled. Stifled.

Something cracked behind him, and Link spun, eyes darting. Nothing was there, however. Nothing moved but the mist. Clenching his left hand into a fist, he turned and continued on.

* * *

The forest grew too dark, and Link was finally forced to light a torch as the day wore on. It was a feeble thing, and one that he had to constantly tend to and relight, using resin from the pine trees that he occasionally came across.

He grew increasingly certain that he was not alone. Though little else moved, save the occasional animal that he came across, he felt as if eyes were constantly watching him, just out of sight. Hiding in the shadows.

The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he thought about it, and he gripped his torch tighter, making another mark on a tree. It had been a while since he last made his way up to the top of the canopy—the trees were growing increasingly more difficult to climb. They were taller now with fewer branches to climb. Even the bark seemed too difficult to grasp.

Another thing worried him, as well. When he last climbed to the top and looked back, not only had he veered off course again, but he also didn't seem to be nearly as deep into the forest as he expected. He could see Death Mountain to the east, but it didn't seem nearly as far away as it should have been. Had he looped?

Link finally sat down to rest some time later, sighing and looking up towards the shadowy ceiling overhead. He didn't feel much like speaking aloud anymore.

There was definitely something… eerie about the forest. Its silence didn't feel natural. Its darkness even less so. The mist had only grown thicker the further he progressed, at times growing so opaque that Link couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him. He understood now why he recalled having a guide when he traveled through it in the king's retinue.

How he wished he had one now.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the tree. What did Impa think about his disappearance? Did they think him dead? What about Kass and Teba, both of whom had been waiting for him to return? Even Revali had expected him back before too long. Revali would probably assume that he got too scared to return. At least, that's what he would say to anyone who asked. Deep down, though, he might fear that Link somehow perished.

Another, uncomfortable thought occurred to him. He had certainly thought it before, and it often returned in times such as this. He assumed that the Yiga threat had been properly dealt with when he left Impa and Paya in the forest, but did he really know that for sure? _There was at least one more Yiga,_ he thought. _Dorian was the spy all along._

But Dorian had been fighting with them against the Yiga. He had turned his back on them… Right? Link hated the nagging doubt. Had he run off and left Impa and Paya to whatever Yiga remained in the forest? How he wished that he hadn't lost the Sheikah Slate.

Something made a noise, and Link's eyes snapped open. Something definitely moved in the shadows.

He leaped to his feet and unsheathed his sword, watching the darkness warily. His torch burned fitfully by his feet—he had made a hole in the ground with his sword to keep it upright. He watched. Waited.

But nothing was there. He _had_ seen something, hadn't he? A shadow figure with unnaturally long limbs, darting through the branches. A rustling in the leaves. Had it just been the mist forming shapes and playing tricks on his mind?

Link continued to scan the shadows until his eyes lighted upon a tree with a familiar marking. _Oh no._ He hurried forward to inspect the marking, heart sinking further with each step. On the first tree he climbed, he carved a full arrow pointed northwest, but after that he started making simpler T-shapes in the trunks for convenience.

This tree had an arrow.

He glanced around, feeling dread seeping into his heart. Yes, he could see it now. The large tree nearby that looked almost like it had a face, due to the rotten section in the middle of the trunk. The way a pair of branches hung down with smaller appendances like fingers that his sword got caught on.

He had, despite several checks along the way, circled all the way around back to where the wood had gotten thicker. He had been walking for hours—how had he made his way all the way back here? Back to _this_ point? It was—

Something moved above him.

Leaping to the side, Link just barely avoided a pair of long, black appendages that reached down towards him. He followed the long legs up to find they were attached to an _enormous_ spider. It didn't climb down the tree, but instead, hung suspended from a long web that extended all the way back up to the canopy of trees overhead.

Its abdomen was colored strangely. A mixture of whites and blacks that seemed to form a familiar shape, though it took Link a moment to see it amidst the rush of adrenaline. The coloring on its back formed the rough shape of a skull.

The spider dropped to the ground and approached Link, its twin jaws raised towards him. He could see its sharp fangs, which dripped with a dark, viscous fluid. He stepped back further, pulling out his sword and wishing he'd brought his torch, which still sat a short distance behind him. It was growing dim, anyway.

The spider lunged, and he slapped one of its legs aside away with his sword, following up with a thrust towards the spider's face. It reared back, avoiding the thrust. It moved with a speed that belied its size, skittering around him on the ground with its eight legs. He slowly took a step back, keeping his sword out in front in a defensive stance.

The spider advanced, and Link swung downwards, striking it with his sword on top of its head. The blow did nothing to harm the spider, the sword's sharp edge merely bouncing off its thick carapace. The spider kept walking forward, and he gasped as some of the hairs on its jaws brushed his arm. He backed up rapidly, trying to get out of its range, but his heel got caught on a protruding root.

Link fell, and the spider was on top of him, its sharp fangs plunging towards his face. He managed to roll out of the way of the first strike, but the spider pinned him to the ground, its weight on top of him. Grunting with effort, he wrenched his sword arm free and brought the blade around to strike at the spider's side. Again, it deflected off of its thick, skull-patterned back, harmless to the enormous creature.

The spider lunged again, this time catching Link just below his right shoulder with one of his fangs. He cried out as the fiery pain immediately spread through his right side, but then set his jaw against the pain, rotating his sword in his left hand. He thrust and, this time, caught the spider's underbelly.

The spider screeched and leaped off of him, backing away, black ichor oozing from the stab wound. Link rolled over but found that his right arm did not respond to his commands. It was numb and lifeless. The pain he'd felt earlier was gone as well.

He pushed himself up to his knees with his left hand, his back to the spider, but couldn't get to his feet before the spider rushed towards him again. He swept out with his sword, catching and slicing through two of the spider's legs. It fell to the ground, fangs mere inches from Link's calves.

Desperately, Link got to his feet, stumbling as his right leg grew weak. _The venom_ , he thought. _Have to end this_.

He turned back to the face the spider, which rose laboriously now that it was missing two of its left legs. Once it was up, though, it reared up on the rear four legs, hissing.

Link lunged forward, thrusting his sword at the spider's underbelly just as it came down on top of him. He felt the weight fall on him as his sword pierced the soft flesh, and he collapsed under the spider. The spider thrashed on top of him, and he braced for the pain of another bite in his exposed legs, but none came. Instead, the spider twitched violently, only causing Link's sword to open the wound in its abdomen further, spilling more of its black ichor onto Link's arms and face.

And then, finally, it stopped. Its legs twitched once, twice more, and then all was still.

Groaning and with great effort, Link pushed the spider up just enough to roll out from under it and lie on the ground next to it, breathing deeply. He couldn't feel his right side at all anymore.

The mist overhead swirled and danced, taking various shapes. He saw… people in the mist. Faces—some that he recognized and some that he didn't. Other things too. Darker shapes. Creatures that peered at him. Creatures that hated him. Monsters.

Gritting his teeth, Link used his sword to push himself to his feet unsteadily. His right leg couldn't support his weight any longer, so he hobbled in a direction at random, thoughts fuzzy. The venom was spreading now. He could vaguely feel it within his body. The fingers on his left hand tingled.

 _Keep going,_ he told himself. _Don't stop…_

More faces. More people. He saw his father. He saw Mipha. He saw a young girl with blonde hair holding a model ship in her arms. She had mischievous blue eyes and a wide smile.

"Don't… you shouldn't be here, Ary…" Link held out a hand to her, but she disappeared with the swirling mists. "No… That isn't…"

Another face. A woman's face. She, too, had blue eyes. The same eyes as the little girl.

"Mother…?" he said, voice rasping.

The woman's face contorted. Her skin paled and then became ashen. Her face thinned, her high cheekbones protruding. Her eyes sank down into their sockets, growing unfocused. Dead. The face changed further, hair falling out and skin flaking away, revealing a white skull underneath.

" _No…!_ "

Link reached, but his hands only found the gnarled trunk of a tree. His hand was empty, the sword dropped… somewhere. He couldn't remember. He could barely even feel the rough bark beneath his fingers.

He turned and pressed his back to the tree as more faces appeared. Men and women that he didn't know, all dying. Some wasted away in sickness, and some grew old and frail. Others burned.

He slowly slid down the trunk of the tree until he sat on the ground. He wept. Sobs racked his body as more shadowy figures appeared and then died. He could hear laughing. A high-pitched cackle that reverberated through the trees, coming from all directions at once.

And then Zelda was there, dressed in her white dress. She looked down at Link, her expression accusatory. Angry. Full of hatred and spite. And then she, too, died, consumed by Malice.

Then there was Ganon, the pig-like face appearing in the mists, yellow eyes glowing with menace. The great creature opened its maw, and Link saw only blackness and death within. Ganon rushed forward, and he was helpless before the death it brought.

Darkness overtook Link, and his head slumped to the side, surrounded by nothing else but a silent forest and swirling mists.

* * *

Link awoke.

He gasped and jerked upright, looking around with wide eyes. All around him, the forest was dark and quiet. He breathed quickly, reaching up and touching his body, his chest, his shoulder. He found the scar left by the spider, the wound healed far more quickly than should have been possible, like always, by Mipha's gift to him.

He lifted his right arm, flexing his fingers. His fingertips still tingled, though whether from renewed feeling or lasting effects of the spider's venom, he didn't know. He lived, though, and that was enough.

Groaning softly, Link pushed himself to his feet, leaning on the tree for support. He searched the dark forest for any movement, but he only saw the ever-present mist.

Closing his eyes, he tried to force the hallucinations from his mind. His sister. His mother. Dead. All dead. Friends. Family. Neighbors. Fellow squires and knights. Men and women that looked up to him, trusted him, expected him to save them. Dead.

 _Not all dead_ , he told himself. _Zelda lives._

And she still counted on him.

Exhaling shakily, Link pushed himself away from the tree and stumbled forward. He didn't know which direction he came from but picked the likeliest of directions, looking for his fallen sword.

He never found it. Even as he eventually traced his path back to the spot where the grasses were stained black with the spider's blood, he never found the silvery sword given to him by the Zora.

Nor did he find the spider's body.

Grimacing, Link turned and continued on into the dark forest. His arm still felt weak, and he didn't dare climb any trees now. Not now that he knew what awaited him above. So he found his arrow and turned, following its direction. Northwest, deeper into the Lost Woods.

Eventually, he made another torch from a thick branch and pine sap. It did little to illuminate the gloom, but the warmth and light bolstered him. He pressed forward, following little more than instinct. He knew that he was hopelessly lost.

The trees around him shivered softly, and his torch flickered in the breeze. He looked in the direction the breeze came from, and after a moment, continued forward in the direction he'd been walking. Distantly, he heard a wolf howl.

"If you can see me right now, I could use some help," he said to no one in particular. Was he speaking to Zelda? Praying to the goddess? Was there any distinction between them anymore?

Tree limbs grabbed at his hair and face, leaving shallow cuts, but Link ignored them. Still he trekked through the deep forest. Eventually he slept and rose again, walking some more.

Days passed. Or maybe weeks. Perhaps only hours. In the Lost Woods, time had no meaning. It was always dark.

He found his way back to his starting tree again. And again. Each time left him feeling more despair than the last. Could he even find his way back out again, if he tried? Where were the guides from his memories? Where were the playful Koroks and the beautiful, lush center of the forest?

More howls. He didn't know if it was a single wolf or a pack, but it didn't matter. They were tracking him, regardless of their number. Occasionally, he thought he could hear them out there, their paws stirring up leaves and cracking branches, but he didn't know. They likely waited for him to sleep again before attacking.

He found his tree again, but the arrow was wrong.

It pointed down, towards the ground.

Link stared at it, numb. He reached out with trembling fingers, touching the carving. It was exactly the same, down to lopsided arrow point. How had it changed? What _was_ this place?

He clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it into the tree. He gasped at the sudden pain, but it also brought clarity. He wasn't alone in this forest. Something else moved and controlled this place. Zelda claimed that the forest wasn't natural.

 _A trial,_ he thought as he rubbed his bloodied knuckles. _That's what I called it before. I must pass through it to complete my quest._

But how? He could wander in this dark wood forever, most likely. Already, he didn't know how much time he'd spent in it. At least a day, right? Maybe longer. How many times had he slept?

 _Focus_. He needed to focus. Panicking wouldn't help him now. He closed his eyes tightly, listening. Silence surrounded him, save for the quiet whisper of the breeze and the soft rush of his torch. The forest was so still that he could even faintly hear his own heartbeat in his ears.

 _This way…_ A voice. Soft and feminine. Barely there. He felt it drawing him. He allowed it to, following it with barely a second thought.

He walked, hardly even hearing his own footsteps any longer. He felt something pulling him deeper into the forest, like a string attached to his heart. It was gentle, yet insistent. He turned this way and that, following the voice's quiet instructions.

As he did so, he became convinced that he was following the right path. Even when it occasionally turned him back in the direction he came from before changing directions again, it felt _right_. The trees around him all still looked the same, dark and foreboding, yet he was going in the right direction.

He soon discovered something else. He followed the breeze. Whenever the quiet tugging on his heart changed directions, the breeze did likewise, blowing the embers of his torch in his new direction of travel. Was this, then, how he was supposed to make his way through the Lost Woods? It seemed to him as though the canopy overhead had begun to lighten slightly.

Link heard another wolf's howl, much closer this time, and he stopped. The howl was followed by a soft grunting noise. Cracking branches. The sound traveled around him in a circle.

 _Just one wolf._ He reached back and placed his shield on his right arm. He wielded his torch in his left hand like a sword. He still had his belt knife, too, but hoped the torch would suffice to scare the wolf away.

He turned to face the direction of the sound and finally caught sight of the wolf's eyes, reflecting the torch light. He stared into them, and they stared back.

"Go," he said. And again, more firmly, "Go!"

The wolf growled—a deep, menacing sound. The eyes rose up, presumably as it stood up straighter. And then they got higher. And _higher_.

Something stepped out of the shadows and into the torchlight, but it was no wolf. Instead, a large lupine form stood on its hind legs. It had a broad chest and thick arms with long claws at the end of each wolf-like paw. Its face was like that of a wolf, though with a thicker snout and striking yellow-green eyes.

Though this one was covered in shaggy grey fur, rather than the white that he'd seen in the Hebra mountains, Link knew this creature. Teba told him about them. Wolfo.

 _One final trial, then_ , he thought.

Link took a step back from the towering creature, and the wolfo dropped back onto all fours. It growled again; he held the torch out before him. He waited for its attack, which came a few seconds later. It barked and lunged, opening its large mouth wide. He caught the attack with his shield, though it still nearly knocked him onto his back.

He swept the torch forward and singed the wolfo's fur. It yelped and reared back onto its back legs, swiping one of its massive forepaws at Link. It caught Link in the side and sent him sprawling. He rolled, pulling his torch up quickly, which had not stopped burning, thankfully. Several spots of grass burned with faint embers.

The wolfo rushed forward, and Link swung the torch, halting its advance. It watched the fire warily, and Link could see the burn left on the side of its face. He took a step forward, still waving the torch, and the wolfo took a step back, growling.

"That's it… I don't want to fight you," Link said, voice tense.

The wolfo's eyes flicked to something behind him. _Ahh, damn,_ Link thought as he whirled, catching the _second_ wolfo in the jaw with his shield. The first wolfo sprung into action, and Link felt its claws rake down his back, shredding his tunic and flesh along with them. He screamed and thrust the torch into the second wolfo's throat, burning it and causing it to cry out, backing away.

Link spun and brought his shield down on the first wolfo's head. It yelped and its head fell—right as Link brought his knee up and slammed it into the wolfo's jaw. He heard the second wolfo behind him and spun out of the way just in time as it bull-rushed him, slamming into its companion instead.

He lunged forward, thrusting his torch into the mass of grey-furred bodies, scorching fur and flesh in turn. The wolfos yelped and parted, backing away. They both watched him warily now, each sporting a number of burns. It looked as though he'd caught one of them in the eye, as its eye was closed and the flesh around was scorched.

They began to circle him together, spreading out to surround him. Link grit his teeth. His back burned terribly where the wolfos had torn his flesh, but it would heal. He just needed to survive.

Nearby, the grass where his torch landed caught fire properly, small orange flames licking the grass next to it and spreading. It gave Link an idea. He swept his torch across the ground in a wide semi-circle, lighting more of the grass on fire around him. It was a dangerous gamble, as he could just as easily be burned, but he hoped that the wolfos wouldn't want to pass through the burning brush to get at him.

And, indeed, the one in front of him watched the burning grass warily. The one behind him, however, attacked.

It rushed forward, snarling, and Link spun, catching one of its massive paws with his shield. It enclosed the shield's edge, however, in its claws, and pulled Link off balance and exposed his torso. It brought its other claws around in an attempt to disembowel Link while it had his shield caught. Link crashed his torch against the other paw, knocking it aside, and then shoved it up into the creature's armpit. It released his shield, and Link slammed it against the monster's chest.

The wolfo fell backward, and Link leaped upon it, bringing the point of his shield down on its neck, crushing its windpipe. It thrashed but did not rise again.

The other wolfo attacked, having gotten around the burning grass. It slammed into Link, throwing him off his feet. He rolled through the burning grass, sustaining no burns himself, but lost his torch as it finally snuffed out.

The wolfo approached as Link got to his feet, groaning, now only illuminated by the feeble flames still flickering on the ground. It watched him with its dark expression, single yellow-green eye filled with rage and hunger.

The grass fire died, plunging them both into darkness. Link felt the wolfo slam against him immediately—a mass of fur, muscle, and sharp claws and teeth. He wrestled with the creature, trying to keep his shield between his neck and the wolfo's teeth. He felt as its claws tore at his skin in other places.

Blindly, Link fumbled at his belt, gritting his teeth. The wolfo barked and snarled, its teeth scrabbling against the shield. It raked its claws against his arm and side, each cut a flare of new pain. His fingers closed around his belt-knife.

The wolfo grasped his shield with one of its incredibly strong paws and wrenched it back, exposing Link's neck. It lunged forward, maw open wide. He rammed his knife into its remaining eye.

It went limp, face pressing against his throat. It released one hot breath and died. Link groaned, shoving the dead creature off of him and stood, holding a hand to his side. He bled from half a dozen deep cuts. Dangerous. Even with Mipha's healing power, it was a lot of blood. And there was no telling if he would be able to heal so quickly now—how long had it been since the giant spider? There were limits to how much he could heal in quick succession.

He removed his tattered tunic and used his bloodied knife to cut it into strips, which he wrapped around his side and back, where the wolfos had done the most damage. He used what was left of it to wipe his face of sweat and blood, grimacing.

Link found his torch on the ground several feet away, its tip still glowing orange slightly. He packed more of the dry grass into its tip and found a spot where the grass embers still burned, gently coaxing his torch back to life. It eventually caught, and he lifted it above his head, surveying the two dead creatures.

Finally, he spat to the side and looked at his torch. His heart still raced far too strongly to hear the voice anymore, even if it was still speaking and leading him. The torch's embers, however, appeared to be pointing in a specific direction, in response to the breeze. He began walking again. Just a little bit further now.


	42. Chapter Thirty-Nine

**I feel like I've been waiting so long to share this chapter! It contains several events that people have been waiting for, but I won't spoil them here. I'm glad so many people enjoyed my take on the Lost Woods. That chapter was such a blast to write. I really enjoy the lore behind the Lost Woods-it's pretty scary when you break it down. I wanted to capture that supernatural and slightly horrific feel to it.**

 **Saphura: So I came up with the travel times after some trial and error using the game. I measured the in-game time (based on the clock) that it took me to travel between a few set points on horseback (since horses will automatically follow the road and travel at a set speed). I did the horse walking speed, trotting, and galloping speed, and then used average speeds for real horses at each of those gaits to determine the rough distances between locations. I made myself a map and built a scale for myself, as well as set certain rules for travel-maximum travel distances on horseback, on foot, in a hurry, etc. If you are curious, I have determined that Hyrule is roughly 400 miles wide and 323 miles tall. Roughly the size of New Mexico. I did this _aaaaaalllllll_ the way back around Chapter 5. Now, based on my measurements, Link and Kass probably could have crossed Hyrule Field more quickly, however based on the need for stealth, they moved about half the normal walking speed. And Link, alone, with no food or water, and being hunted by Guardians, traveled to the forest even more slowly. **

**midnaisbae: I wouldn't say the Sheikah Slate is dead... It didn't work in the castle, however, because of Ganon's influence over Sheikah technology. That's my lore reason. My writer's reason is because I wanted to throw Link off a cliff.**

 **And thanks again to everyone who liked my depiction of the Lost Woods! Now with all that out of the way... Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine**

Link's torch flickered and finally died, leaving nothing beyond a few glowing embers at the tip of the blackened stick. He left it behind. It no longer mattered, as light filtered down through the leaves overhead. Though he was still surrounded by trees, they were no longer oppressive and dark. Instead, they, like the ones near the entrance, were tall and verdant, with long, thick limbs and deep roots.

And they shivered with movement.

He assumed for a time that the movement was just because of wind and animals, which he saw in much greater frequency now that he was out of the Lost Woods. However, as he looked up, just like in his memory, he soon saw one of the woodland Koroks poke its head down through the tree. The Korok looked at him in what Link assumed was curiosity before disappearing back into the cover of leaves, a sound like a wooden rattle echoing as it moved.

He continued. As he walked, the light from above grew stronger, though he didn't know if it was dawn or if the canopy thinned.

More Koroks appeared. Some of them peered down at him through from the branches above while others poked their heads around tree trunks and up from tall grass. Others, still, hung from vines, swaying slightly in the wind. None of them spoke but simply watched. Their faces were obscured by leaves of different shapes, sizes, and colors, save for openings for eyes and mouths.

Still, Link continued. His body ached, and not just from the wounds he suffered in his battle against the wolfos. He was _tired_. His arms hung loosely by his side. His feet felt like lead weights. How long had it taken him to get through the Lost Woods? Time felt… strange within them. He knew he slept some, but for how long? Had it only been a day or longer? Weeks?

"I made it," he said. His voice sounded hoarse. He was thirsty, as well as hungry. But he'd _made_ it.

Ahead, the trees broke.

Link's heart jumped in his chest when he saw the meadow, so much like it had been a century prior. He could see small streams of water and the pea-pod-like plants that would provide illumination in the night. He could see dozens of Koroks— _hundreds_ —in all directions. They were made up of all sizes, including one that towered over the others and Link himself. It held a pair of maracas in hand, but it remained as silent as they rest of them.

He could also see the base of the towering Deku Tree, large and imposing, with a trunk as wide around as a castle's tower. And finally, as he passed through an enormous hollow tree trunk into the meadow, he could see the sword.

The Master Sword stood, pristine, in its stone slot, just as it had in Link's memory. Its small dais was in the shape of a triangle, with a raised stone in the center, where the sword extended out of. At each of the three corners of the platform was a standing stone, though whatever engravings had once adorned them had long since faded with time. The platform was surrounded by grass and flowers, including several of the white-blue flowers that he had seen in Zelda's study.

Link stopped walking, eyes on the beautiful sword. He thought back to his memories of wielding it. The dread. The _burden_. And he doubted. What if…

"Well, well… it's you."

Link looked up as the Deku Tree spoke. Its deep, sombrous voice filled the meadow, and the trees around him shivered, as if in anticipation.

"You finally decided to return," it said, and then it smiled. "It is, of course, good to finally see you again. After so long, even I had begun to wonder if you would ever come."

Link cleared his throat, stepping forward but not standing upon the Master Sword's dais. "I… I'm sorry. That it took me so long."

"Better late than never." The Deku Tree chuckled softly, and Link saw a flock of birds take flight from its upper boughs. "I trust that you had no trouble making your way through the forest?"

"It nearly killed me," Link said, his voice raspy.

"Still no recollection of past events, then? It is very impressive that you made it through the forest. Do you know who I am?"

"I remember… some things. You're the Deku Tree. I remember pulling the Master Sword before. You spoke to me. You called me—"

"The child of destiny. Yes. It pleases me that you remember that much. But I assume that you do not remember the path through the forest?"

"No, I…" Link glanced at the sword. "I think it called me. I heard its voice. And my torch…"

"Indeed… If you had but recalled your first entrance into my forest, you would have known how to call upon a guide to lead you through. However, I believe that this is better. A trial, if you will."

 _A guide?_ _I could have called upon a guide?_

"Deku Tree, I…" What did Link want to say? What _could_ he say? He spent the last two weeks imagining this moment, of finally reaching the Master Sword, and now that he was here, why did he feel so hesitant? Why did he still refuse to step up onto the pedestal?

"Hmm?"

Link licked his lips and cleared his throat again, trying to rid his voice of its hoarseness. "How did you know? You said, back then, that you knew I would be the one. But I… I never spoke with you before that. I never did anything that I can remember to indicate as much."

"When you have lived as long as I have, dear boy, certain things appear more readily than others. You and the princess—your very souls shine in a way that no others do. You have the spirit of the Hero—the same spirit as the man, much like you, who first wielded that sword, many eons ago."

"There have been others like me," Link said. "Have any of them ever… failed? Fallen, as I did?"

The Deku Tree remained silent for a long time, looking at Link. Finally, he spoke again. "Yes. The goodness of your heart does not ensure success. But why do you ask such a question? Why do you claim to have failed?"

"Because I did. I… _died_. Or nearly so. Hyrule was nearly destroyed. Zelda was forced to seal Ganon away for one hundred years while I recovered from my wounds."

"Nearly," it said. "Hyrule was nearly destroyed. You _nearly_ failed. Dear boy, do you truly believe that none of the heroes that came before you suffered defeat and setback? Do you believe that they had it easier than you?"

Link said nothing, eyes fixed on the great face.

"I have watched over this land for time immemorial. I have witnessed many heroes' journeys. You are not the first to claim that sword. And the princess was not the first to return it to its place when its master was unable to do so. Yet I still stand. This land remains. _You_ still draw breath."

"The kingdom fell, though. Countless people died. People that _I_ should have been able to protect." His father. His sister. His family. Friends. Those that counted on him.

"Once does not live as long as I have without becoming accustomed to death. Life gives way to death which gives way to new life. Yes, many perished in Calamity Ganon's rise, as many often do when great evil comes upon the land. You cannot save them all. You must protect those you can and accept those you cannot."

"And what of the goddess? What of Hylia?" Link's voice grew stronger. "Does she not have the power to stop this from happening? From destroying Ganon once and for all?"

"No," the Deku Tree said. "She does not. That is why, many eons ago, she gave up her place in the heavens above to be reborn among her people. A Hylian woman who would wield the power of the goddess and be capable of calling upon the power of the goddesses that came before her."

Link opened his mouth, but the Deku Tree continued on before he spoke.

"And that is why, also many eons ago, she created the Master Sword and chose one, much like you, who would wield it. This is a cycle throughout time. Yes, the evil one may rise, but there will always be two who will rise to meet it."

"So, if I defeat Calamity Ganon, he will just rise again in the future?"

"Perhaps. Or perhaps this shall be the final contest between the champions of Hylia and the one given power by Demise. Only time shall tell. But I ask _you_ now. Does it matter? Does it make any difference in what you will do?"

Link looked up at the Deku Tree, a lump forming in his throat. The weight of their conversation bore down on him. The legacy of the heroes that came before him. The expectation. The destiny.

"No," he said, finally.

Link stepped up onto the dais and approached the Master Sword. Its blade shone in the light from above. It was perfect and without blemish, rust, or mark. The hilt was just as he remembered it—purple wings extended towards the blade with a golden gem between them, and the grip was wrapped in green leather that formed diamond patterns.

Yet…

 _The Master Sword lying on the ground beside him, its blade pocked and cracked, covered in spots of rust and decay. Its light had long since faded. It was dying, just as he was._

The images flashed through his head, and Link's hand, outstretched towards the hilt, stopped. He could remember holding the sword, staring with horror at its decayed state. He withdrew his hand.

"I… I almost destroyed it," he said, his voice a whisper. "It was almost lost."

"And yet, it, like yourself, now stands in my presence whole and ready to fight again," the Deku Tree said.

Link looked up at the tree and then closed his eyes. He saw images of all those whom he failed before. Faces that he still didn't know. A people who had counted on him. And a people who still did.

He opened his eyes and took another step forward, reaching out and placing his hand on the Master Sword's hilt, just as he had one hundred years prior.

 _Memories_.

Memories. He could remember, all at once, a hundred different moments in his life. Presenting the sword to his wide-eyed father and confused sister. Whispers in the streets of Castle Town. Zelda's scorn. Facing down Yiga. Facing down hordes of monsters. Practicing under the boughs of a tree while rain streamed down all around. Sitting in the grass beside Zelda as she examined a flower. Protecting her and being protected _by_ her. He saw Guardians. He saw fire. And he saw her, shining with the light of a Goddess, standing before him.

And then… _then_ … he saw her. Alone.

 _She held the Master Sword, wrapped in a cloth. Her ceremonial robes were dirty and torn, and her hair was disheveled. She bore dozens of scratches and even burns, but none of them were serious. Link had taken the worst of the attacks for her._

 _Zelda approached the dais with the Master Sword and knelt, slowly unwrapping the blade. It was nearly gone. The blade bore so many cuts and chips that it was a wonder it hadn't broken completely. Yet… life still remained within it. Its voice, weak though it was, still led her on. Had he ever heard it? If he had, he never told her. Though she supposed that she only did ever ask him once, and that was long before they grew close._

 _"Your master will come for you," she said as she gently touched the blade with dirty, trembling fingers. "Until then, you shall rest safely here."_

 _Her hand retreated, and she clasped it with her other between her breasts in prayer. But to whom did she pray? She wasn't even sure, anymore. Not now. Not after all that had happened. Not after her own power awakened._

 _"I do not know how long it will take, but… please trust me when I say I know he will arrive before you yet again," she said. "I just hope… I hope that he will remember…"_

Link gasped as the memory washed over him. It was no memory of his own, yet he saw it, nonetheless. He looked down at the sword, now so pristine and whole. Somehow it had imparted that final moment with Zelda to him.

"Thank you," he whispered.

And then he grasped it with both hands and lifted it smoothly from the stone. He turned the Master Sword so that it pointed up into the heavens. As he did so, wind swirled around him, whooshing through the grass and flowers. The leaves in the trees whispered, and he heard hundreds of Koroks rattling with it.

As he held the sword, he felt a familiar presence settle within his mind. The spirit of the sword itself, finally rejoined with that of its master.

* * *

The Master Sword felt right in his hands. Its weight was comfortable and exact. Its length was not too long, nor too short. Even its hilt appeared to fit his grip in a way no other sword ever had. It was as if the sword had been made specifically for him to, one day, hold. Link supposed that, perhaps, it had been.

The Koroks came to him after he drew the sword, carrying with them an elaborate scabbard of blue and gold. He could recognize it as the same one that he wore before, yet he hadn't seen the scabbard in his memory of Zelda with the sword. When he asked about it, however, they merely giggled and darted off.

Link sat, cross-legged, off to one side of the meadow. It was actually very close to where he'd set up camp with Sir Russell in his memory—in the shadow of a massive root coming off of the Deku Tree. He held the Master Sword in his lap, tracing his fingers along the flat of the blade. He briefly fingered the triangle symbol at the base of the blade, wondering. This emblem, with three triangles formed together to make a larger triangle, was a common one that he'd often seen—especially in relation to the Royal Family.

He closed his eyes, quieting his thoughts, and tried to focus on the presence in his mind. The spirit of the sword. It was difficult to understand, as it did not often speak with words as much as vague feelings. Yet, it was there, and he thought that it was distinctly feminine. He thought that he could even _almost_ make out a face, yet it was just out of his reach.

 _What happened to you?_ he silently asked. _You were destroyed, but why? And how are you whole now?_

The spirit responded with a single word. _Hope_. But along with the word, she also gave Link a vague sense of context. The loss of hope and… something else. It hadn't just been that Link had been discouraged when Ganon rose, but it was the overwhelming sense of despair. Pain. Agony. It had been enough to nearly destroy the very spirit of the Hero that resided within him—and that spirit was inexorably tied to the Master Sword itself.

Yet the Master Sword was whole again, not because of its own hundred-year slumber, but because the spirit of the Hero lived again. Link had hope again. He had courage.

Link thought that he understood, as he quietly acknowledged a simple truth about himself. He was different now than when he had first awoken. It wasn't just the confidence that he could, ultimately, defeat Ganon. In truth, he still didn't know how that was even possible. Yet now, he understood why he fought, and why he would continue to fight, no matter what happened.

He still did not fully understand why he had been chosen, but all doubt in his mind about that fact had been erased. He _was_ the chosen hero. He was the wielder of the Master Sword. And he would be the one to save this land or die trying.

He opened his eyes again, looking down at the sword with a small smile played across his lips. When he first drew it, the Master Sword had seemed like such a burden. He hadn't wanted it. Yet now, it felt like an old friend returning home.

He reached over to grasp the scabbard, sliding the sword into it. Then he noticed something else on the ground next to the scabbard that hadn't been there before. It was a tunic, deep green in color. It came with an undershirt as well that matched the pale tan of his trousers. When had the Koroks delivered this?

Link picked up the tunic, and as he did so, there was a puff of smoke and green light under it that startled him. "Yahaha!" Suddenly, a Korok stood where the tunic had been, looking up at Link. It waved its hands at him, giggling.

 _How did—_

And then the Korok disappeared with another puff of smoke, leaving Link feeling bemused. Of all the creatures that Link had encountered on his travels, they had to be the strangest.

Turning his attention back to the tunic, he unfolded it and found that there was another garment wrapped up within it. At first, Link thought it was a long sock of sorts, but it was too big for that. After examining it, he realized that it was a kind of floppy hat. It ended in a point that would hang down to his shoulder blades. He hadn't seen anything like it since waking.

He set the hat down and pulled on the undershirt. His wounds from the forest had healed the moment he drew the Master Sword—Mipha's healing power had seemingly been energized somehow by the magic within the sword itself. Then he pulled on the tunic over it.

He stood up, moving his arms and shoulders. The tunic fit well, though the fabric felt old. Even the stitching seemed reminiscent of an older age. He belted on his equipment belt, shield holster, and scabbard.

Link then eyed the hat dubiously. He picked it up again and, after a moment, slipped it onto his head. As he expected, the point rested right above his shoulder blades, just above his shield and scabbard. He turned his head this way and that and, finally, reached up and pulled the hat off his head.

 _Why would anyone even wear this?_ he wondered as he rolled it up and placed it in the pouch at his waist.

Now dressed and feeling comfortable, Link turned and began walking the same path that he walked with Zelda so long ago. As he did so, he let his mind wander. In the moment that he pulled the Master Sword, dozens of memories had flashed through his mind. Many of them were mere glimpses at the time, yet now that he had time to reflect on some of them, more came to mind.

He reached up and plucked a leaf from a tree, examining it. He smiled slightly as he turned it over in his hand. Even now, little of what Zelda said when walking through the forest with him made much sense to him. Yet, she loved her research. Her puzzles.

Curiously, he reached down and pulled out one of the two small books that he kept in his pouch. This one was Zelda's old diary. The escape into the moat had done considerable damage to it, causing the ink to run in many places and ruining other pages entirely, but several sections were still legible now that he had dried it out.

He carefully turned to a page that he had read several times following his escape from the castle. Zelda's handwriting was neat, if a little bit cramped, and some of the words were difficult to make out. Yet the words on it warmed him.

 _"I am unsure how to put today's events into words. Words so often evade me lately, and now more than ever. He saved me. Without a thought for his own life, he protected me from the ruthless blades of the Yiga Clan. Though I've been cold to him all this time, taking my selfish and childish anger out on him at every turn... Still, he was there for me. I won't ever forget that. Tomorrow, I shall apologize for all that has transpired between us. And then I will try talking to him. To Link. It's worth a shot."_

The next page had been ruined, unfortunately, but that was fine. He could remember the following day without it.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Was it really possible for it to be even _hotter_? Link grimaced as he stepped out of the small tent that had been his home in the desert since they first arrived. He was located beside the tall, imposing walls of Gerudo Town, surrounded by others like him. Men who had come to the city for one reason or another but found themselves unable to enter. Many were merchants who hadn't wanted to set up at the oasis bazaar. Others were, oddly, husbands or men hoping to become husbands of the exotic women.

The Gerudo culture was very strange, indeed.

He walked over to the water barrel and lifted the lid off of it. There had been a sandstorm the night prior, but the barrel had done its job of keeping the water inside pure. He wasn't entirely sure how the Gerudo managed to keep the water so clean considering the sand that coated everything, but he'd heard Princess Zelda speaking of it one day. Something to do with underground filtration and daily cleaning of the aqueduct.

Princess Zelda. The day prior had been… something new. Something different. Even now, he wasn't entirely certain that he fully understood everything that had happened. She snuck out of the city, supposedly intent on doing some shopping in the bazaar without any minders, only to be found by the Yiga.

Link shivered slightly at the thought of the assassins. They had been so close. If he'd been even a second slower, a half-step behind… If he had stumbled or chosen to search elsewhere… If almost _anything_ had gone differently, then Princess Zelda would be dead. But she wasn't. Link saved her, taking the life of one of her would-be assassins in the process. That was another thought that left him feeling cold inside. Despite the training and exercises, Link had never taken the life of another person before.

He pushed the lifeless body of the assassin from his mind, instead thinking back on the princess. His princess. Something changed deep within him when he saw her running from the Yiga. Before, his need to protect her had merely been about duty. Now, however, he felt that need burning within him with a fire unlike anything he'd felt before. He'd killed for her, and he would do so again without second thought. He would place himself between her and the sword if it meant keeping her safe.

Of course, he wasn't entirely certain that the princess felt the same way. After he'd escorted her back to the city, she'd gone in with barely a word. She was shaken up, of course, he didn't doubt that. But she _had_ thanked him. He wondered what would happen now, after the initial rush of emotions had time to cool.

Would she still resent him? Could he, somehow, earn her trust? Could he let her know that he felt the burden too?

He lifted the ladle of water to his lips and took a long draw on it, relishing its coolness. It was always best early in the morning, before the sun had time to warm the barrel after the night's chill. After taking a couple more drinks, he lifted the ladle over his head and poured water overtop of himself, gasping softly as the chilly water ran down his face and bare chest.

"Oh," said a soft voice behind him.

Link whirled, holding the ladle defensively, and opened his eyes wide when he saw Princess Zelda standing behind him. She was dressed in the filmy garb that the Gerudo wore, colored purple with gold trim, with a lopsided sarong around her waist. Her hair was pulled up in a high tail in the Gerudo fashion. She wore jeweled bangles on her arms and a thin circlet on her head with a teardrop sapphire hanging down on her forehead.

It was enough to render him speechless.

For a moment, they stared at each other, and Link saw her eyes dart from his face to the ladle he still held up, almost like a sword prepared to strike. Her expression grew uncertain.

"Um… I can come back," she said. "I should have informed you that I was coming to speak with you. Perhaps a messenger. Or I should have at least given you time to wake up and—"

"No," Link said quickly, shaking his head. His felt hyper-alert at the sight of her, and his eyes darted for any potential signs of danger. His heart raced, however, and he wasn't entirely certain that it was due to fear of another attack.

"Well, I…" Princess Zelda hesitated, still looking between Link's face and the ladle. "Are you certain? If you need time to refresh yourself or…"

Finally, Link met her eyes and felt his face flush. He dropped the ladle into the barrel of water behind him. "Sorry, I…" He cleared his throat. "What can I do for you, your highness?"

"I would like to speak to you about some matters… Would you, perhaps, like to go for a walk with me? Down to the bazaar?"

Link felt a chill run down his back at the mention of the bazaar—the site of the attack. There was a hopeful expression in her face, however, that caused any suggestions otherwise to die on his lips. He nodded, and she gave him a rare smile.

She allowed him the chance to slip on his tunic and Master Sword and fill his water skin; then, together, the pair of them began the journey down to the Kara Kara Bazaar.

The walk to the bazaar was not particularly far, in comparison to the grandness of the desert, but it would take at least an hour to walk there. Many Gerudo preferred to use seal-pulled sleds or even the rare horse to travel there. There was enough traffic between the city and bazaar, especially by the merchants that preferred to set up just outside of the city in their tents, that a rough path of packed sand had been carved through the dunes, though the sandstorm from the night prior did much to cover it with fresh slopes.

They walked in silence for a time, as they often did, and Link fell back a few steps so that he walked just behind the princess. She glanced at him as he did so but said nothing at first. After a time, however, he saw her clench her fist in the way she often did before steeling herself to say something. He prepared himself for the angry comment that would surely follow.

"Sir Link," she said, her voice soft. "I would actually prefer if you walked beside me." She glanced back towards him. "If you would please."

Link looked at her in confusion. Her request went in the face of much of what he'd been taught as a knight and by his father. Even his father, whom the king himself called friend, always showed the proper respect and deference when performing his duties. Then again, he also spoke of times when the king and he would speak much more frankly with each other when in private settings, and he was off-duty.

So, which did this qualify for? They were alone, as they often were, but Link still had a duty to perform.

Her expression decided it for him, however. She looked at him with an expression that was quite unlike what he normally saw when she looked at him. He didn't see anger, spite, or resentment. Instead, she looked… nervous.

Link swallowed his own apprehension and stepped forward so that he walked by her side. As he did so, he caught the briefest flash of a triumphant smile cross her lips before she looked forward, carefully controlling her expression again.

 _What is she doing?_

And yet the silence continued. It felt strange to walk side-by-side with this woman—and he realized with some surprise that he didn't think of her as a girl any longer. Though she was still a mere sixteen years old, something had changed within his own perception of her. The conversation with Urbosa revealed a great deal about the strength Princess Zelda had, and why seeing her as a youth was a mistake.

Link turned his head just enough to look at her out of the corner of his eye, taking in her appearance. She no longer looked pale due to the tan that had developed in their weeklong trip to the desert. She normally wore clothes that covered her arms and legs, but it would appear that, based on her tanned skin, she'd taken to wearing Gerudo-style clothing often while here, though he hadn't ever seen her wearing such things in his presence.

What changed now?

Not that he _disliked_ the attire on her. Quite the opposite, actually.

She glanced towards him, and Link quickly looked forward again. _Damn_ , he thought. _Walking beside her like this makes it difficult to think._

He heard the princess take a breath beside him, and again, prepared himself for whatever she might say. What would his father say if he found out that his son, the royal knight and bearer of the Master Sword, was appreciating the sight of the princess in Gerudo clothing?

"I have something that I would like to ask you," she said, voice gentle.

Link glanced at her, brow furrowing slightly. "Yes, your highness?"

"I spoke with Urbosa yesterday after… everything happened. She told me that you volunteered to check the bazaar. Why did you think I would go there?"

Link hesitated. The bazaar had seemed like the most reasonable place _for_ him to check. Gerudo were being sent far and wide, but he had no horse in the desert. The bazaar seemed natural to him.

"I… it seemed like the only place I could easily check," he said, finally. "Urbosa seemed to be checking everywhere else important."

"I see." She frowned, considering.

"And…" She looked back at him, curious. Link hesitated for a few moments before speaking again. "I guess I thought that it might have been a likely place for you to come."

"Why would you say that?"

"I thought, after what happened the day before, you might have wanted a break from studying for a time, and…" He stopped, worried that what he was about to say might be misconstrued or viewed as offensive.

"Please, go on."

He met her eyes and felt his pulse quicken. "…You prefer not having guards. So, I thought that you might have disguised yourself and snuck out to have some time to yourself. Not to the Divine Beast, where you would have been easily found, but somewhere you could blend in with the crowd." He paused, and then added, "Your highness."

Her eyes widened slightly, and a curious smile appeared on her lips. "That is surprisingly astute, Sir Link. I had not realized that I was so transparent."

 _You aren't,_ Link thought. _Most of the time, you are maddening. Confusing. Irrational. But… I think I understand why, now._

"You seem to know me so well, yet I know so little about you," she said, her smile fading. She looked down, exhaling in a huff. "And I fear that is my fault."

"Princess?"

She took a deep breath before halting and standing up straighter. Link stopped, as well, confused. They were alone, halfway between the bazaar and the city. Princess Zelda looked up to meet his eyes.

"Sir Link, I have… I owe you an apology. A _real_ apology. Though you have never done anything to deserve such, I have mistreated you, and often."

"It's not—"

She held up a hand to silence him. "Please. Let me finish."

He fell silent, swallowing.

Princess Zelda kept her eyes on his. "You saved me yesterday. Despite the fact that I have done nothing to deserve your dedication, you placed yourself between me and a blade that would have surely ended my life. Even though you were outnumbered three-to-one, you still came to my aid."

"My duty—"

She gave him a look that silenced him again. "Yes, I know of your duty. And I know that you likely would have done the same for anyone else you were sworn to protect. Perhaps even anyone else that you saw in danger. But that is immaterial. The fact is that you saved _me_. And your actions have encouraged me to see things in a new light.

"We are both here because of duty." Her eyes briefly flicked towards the Master Sword, but then they were back on his. "I know that I have not been… pleasant to be around. I apologize for my poor attitude, and the harsh words I have said to you. You've done nothing to deserve such behavior, and it shames me to think of it now."

Link remained silent, though part of him fought it. He had only just yesterday realized the things that _he'd_ been doing—or not doing—to contribute to Princess Zelda's burden. And now she was apologizing to him? It felt wrong to just stand there.

"I hope that… Though I am not sure that I deserve it, I do hope that you will forgive me. And I hope that we can start anew."

She fell silent, looking at him uncertainly. He waited for her to continue, but when she didn't, he licked his lips, opening his mouth… but what did he say? He wouldn't refuse her request, he already knew that, but did he even truly have a choice?

As the silence between them stretched, Princess Zelda's expression began to fall. Finally, Link cleared his throat. "Of course, your highness. Though you didn't have to—"

 _Again_ , Princess Zelda held up a hand, looking frustrated.

"Stop. Just… enough of the 'your highnesses' and 'princesses'. Do I look like a princess right now?"

 _Yes,_ Link admitted to himself. As he looked at her. The sapphire in the center of her forehead sparkled in the morning light of the desert. It offset the color of her eyes. _You really do._

"I want… I _need_ to know…" She sighed, closing her eyes. "It is all right, if you do not forgive me. I don't deserve it. Do not feel that you _must_ do so because of your duty. This has nothing to do with that."

Link wasn't so sure, but he didn't contradict her. He did, however, take another moment to consider. He considered all that he'd learned about the princess in their travels together, and what Urbosa had told him as well. He considered her personality. Her dedication. And, really, how difficult this moment must have been for her. She had a great deal of pride.

Finally, he spoke again. "I forgive you. Truly."

She held his gaze for a moment longer, as if she were looking for something else. Finally, she smiled, though it appeared to be forced to him. "Thank you."

She turned and began walking again, but Link remained where he stood.

"Princess."

Princess Zelda stopped, turning back to face him.

"You…" He cleared his throat. How did he say this? "You asked me the other night what I thought of you."

Her cheeks grew flushed. "Yes?"

"I didn't… have an answer at the time," Link said. "I know that likely seemed callous at the time. I apologize. But I have one now, if you would hear it."

"Go on." There was something in her eyes now. An excitement that hadn't been there before.

"I think that you are a very… dedicated woman." Link frowned. No. That sounded too formal, too… emotionless. "In fact, I don't think I have ever met someone as dedicated to their purpose as you are. I have seen you perform your daily prayers without ceasing, even when you don't know I am around."

Her cheeks flushed even deeper at this. Perhaps the wording could have been better. He pressed on quickly.

"The point is that I know how difficult it must be for you. And I respect your perseverance. I… don't know why the goddess has not yet granted what you seek, but I do not think it is because of any fault of your own. And I am sure that, in time, your powers will surface."

She adopted a carefully controlled expression—one that Link knew well. He had seen her use it dozens of times, whether speaking to him, to her father, or to any number of others. He didn't know what emotions lay beneath its surface, and he immediately worried that he'd said the wrong thing.

"I appreciate that, Sir Link," she said. "It is very kind of you to say."

Link flexed his fingers, feeling uncertain. Could he truly say what was on his lips now? She began to turn again, but he held out his hand, as if to stop her. She raised her eyebrows, looking at his outstretched hand.

"Please, I'm not… I hadn't finished," he said.

Uncertainty flashed through Princess Zelda's expression, and she turned back to him again.

"I, uh… I also think you are among the most intelligent people I have ever met." This got a reaction from her. The corners of her lips quirked upwards. "The way you understand the Divine Beasts and how they work—it's all far above my head. But it's fascinating. And sometimes it seems like you wish you had someone you could speak to about your theories. I'm not sure how much intellectual conversation I can provide you, but… I am willing to listen, if you would like. In fact, I'd like to think I am pretty good at that."

This did it. Princess Zelda stifled her laugh, but she grinned, nonetheless. It was the first time she had ever given such an expression to Link, and it transformed her into something… completely different. Something that made his heart race in a way few had since he'd drawn the Master Sword, and the burden of responsibility settled onto his shoulders. Traitorous thoughts accompanied this revelation. Dangerous thoughts.

"That, Sir Link, is something that I would be happy to do." She stepped forward, holding out her hand.

He stared at the outstretched hand as if it were a venomous viper. She did not retract it, however, looking at him intently. Finally, he reached out and took her hand, shaking it. Her hand was very soft. And warm.

"Thank you," she said as they released each other's hands. "I really needed to hear that. Shall we continue on?"

Link nodded, and together, they began to walk side-by-side again.

"You know," Princess Zelda said after a few more moments of silence. "You are very difficult to get talking. Which I think is a shame, for when you start, you speak with more insight than most." She looked up at him. "I hope you know that I am willing to listen as well. When you have things that you need to say."

He looked down at her, meeting her eyes. His heart still raced, and he felt warm in a way that had nothing to do with the hot sun overhead. He nodded. She smiled.

 _Dangerous thoughts_.


	43. Chapter Forty

**So Part Three is full of long chapters. I assume everyone is okay with that! There's just so much to cover-I honestly thought about breaking my story into _four_ parts, but I didn't really have a good breaking point. It all ties into the overall arc. So there's more chapters in this part-and they tend to run longer-than in the previous parts.**

 **On the plus side, I got a little overly-enthusiastic with writing memories in this part, too. I haven't counted them, but I'm pretty confident that there might be more memories in Part Three than either of the two previous parts-possibly put together.**

 **Speaking of memories, apparently the last memory was very popular! Actually, the entire last chapter was. We broke a daily hit record with that chapter, which was extremely satisfying, and I think it might have gotten the most reviews as well. Thanks so much to everyone for the kind words! Please trust that there is plenty more where that came from coming.**

 **Knithsil10: I am _astounded_ that you read through this in a day or two! This story's enormous! But, seriously, thanks for the kind words. The fact that people consider my story worth dropping everything to read is incredibly humbling. **

**Michy: That was a big reason I decided to have Zelda be there when Link first drew the sword. Considering how hard she worked, for him to just pull it-pretty much by accident-was a terrible blow to her. Not to mention that it reinforced the need for her to get her own act together. And the day after Yiga attack scene is one of my favorite conversations between Link and Zelda to write (though there are plenty more of them to come). I wanted them to be painfully awkward around each other. Lots of baggage there, and still neither of them truly knows what to say.**

 **MotivatedMage: Thanks! I've said this before, but getting the characters right has been my top priority since the beginning. You're right-the story is very barebones, especially when considering stories like Skyward Sword or Ocarina of Time. However, it has characters that have some truly tragic backstories, if you take the time to put yourself in their place. The elder Sheikah make me sad, because I imagine their lives were incredibly lonely. And the different Champions all hold a special place in my heart-especially after the DLC did so much to flesh them out. And, of course, there is Zelda, who is my absolute favorite iteration (and possibly character, overall) in the history of the series. I had to get them right.**

 **Thanks again for the comments, likes, and whatnot. I check the site every day to see the number of hits my story is getting, and I love it. Now, please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think of this one!**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty**

Exiting the Great Hyrule Forest had not been nearly as difficult as entering it had been. The Deku Tree assigned Link a guide in the form of one of the diminutive Koroks, and Link followed it as it bounded from tree to tree, occasionally popping out to play tricks on him. Still, within the day, they passed through the Lost Woods without any trouble.

When he finally emerged from the trees the day after drawing the Master Sword, leaving the waving Korok behind, he was surprised that it was still early in the afternoon. It seemed strange to him that it should still be so early, considering how large the forest was, but he ultimately decided not to dwell on it. The Lost Woods defied all logic and reason.

But with the sun still high overhead, and the freedom to move along at his own pace without having to worry about taking care of his horse or anyone else, Link began walking. He walked for the rest of the day, feeling both energized and determined. Summer in Hyrule brought with it later sunsets, and Link used this to his advantage.

He was far enough away from the castle that he did not worry about roaming Guardians, though he did keep an eye out for any sign of them. The path down the hill stretched on for miles, and it was bordered on either side by thick trees, which he hoped would provide him cover for any Guardians that might actually be lurking nearby.

As he walked, he began to speak again, looking vaguely in the direction of the castle. He spoke about his experiences in the forest. Getting lost and the things he'd seen. He spoke of the memories that flashed through his mind when he touched the sword. He spoke of how the sword communicated with him.

Truthfully, Link still wasn't sure if Zelda could hear or see him now, but he felt that it was important that he do this. He hoped that she was listening. He hoped that it helped her somehow.

"It's only going to be a little bit longer now," he said as the sky overhead darkened. "I have a long walk to get back to Kakariko Village and then I need to try to get to Hateno. Hopefully I can get ahold of Purah somehow, but without my Sheikah Slate, I'm going to need hers. I could probably just ride Spirit to the desert, but teleporting with hers will save at least a few days, I think."

This was what Zelda used to do, he realized with a wry smile. She often spoke of her plans out loud, even before she and Link began speaking to each other. He had a distinct image in his head of her walking purposely through a field, the Sheikah Slate held out in front of her, as she talked about plans to travel to Death Mountain. Was that, perhaps, why he'd taken up doing the same?

"I… I miss traveling with you. There's still so much that I don't remember, but… I've felt it since I woke up. It hasn't felt right, traveling throughout the country alone." He felt embarrassed saying such things out loud. He still didn't know what friendship they eventually developed, but… well, the diary, at least, indicated that they were close. Other flashes of memory did as well, though they were still difficult to parse through.

"Even traveling with others isn't right," he said, voice lowering. He took a deep breath and straightened, hardening himself. "So, I'm just going to have to get this done quickly. Only Naboris stands in my way, and then we'll finish Ganon together."

A soft breeze blew through the trees, and the first stars appeared. As he looked up at them, streak of light crossed the sky—a shooting star. He smiled faintly before pressing on, increasing his pace. Though night fell, he still energized enough to keep walking for a time.

* * *

He spotted the stable in the distance well into the night, illuminated by the moon overhead. In the couple hours following dusk, he made his way down the path and out of the forest. The path forked, but he continued traveling south, and the horse-head stable eventually came into view.

Link frowned as he observed the stable from a distance. He couldn't see any lights within, nor did he see any indication of movement. It was late, so the movement didn't surprise him, but the lack of light did concern him. He would have expected the stable hands to keep at least a lantern or two burning to ward off would-be horse thieves.

After glancing around for any telltale signs of monsters or Guardians, Link approached cautiously. What he found confirmed his suspicions.

The stable _had_ been occupied, but it was now deserted. It appeared to have been deserted recently, too, as looters had not yet had a chance to ransack the place. Link rummaged around for a time and finally pulled out an oil lantern that he was able to light.

Whoever had been at the stable had left in a hurry, it seemed. Various possessions were still strewn about the common room. Mugs sat on the tables, and there was at least one plate of unfinished food. What happened here?

Link placed the lantern down and stepped outside again, peering around in the darkness. He wished he had the Sheikah Slate—its telescoping abilities were incredibly useful. He felt almost blind without it. He did not, however, see any cause for concern, however.

 _If it had been a Guardian, surely this building would be destroyed, right?_ he thought as he approached one of the tables and sat down, looking around the dim room. Perhaps the residents of the stable had heard of the Guardians rampaging over the hills nearby and had run before they arrived. He hoped for that to be the case, though he worried at his proximity to the castle. Without his Sheikah Slate, he wasn't sure of his exact location, but he thought that he had a rough idea.

An idea struck him, and Link began to dig through what he could find around the stable's interior. He ultimately came up short, however—he found no maps left by merchants or travelers. Of course, those were probably taken within them as they fled.

He did, however, find quite a few other supplies. Cooking utensils in the kitchen, a travel pack with a full bedroll and other provisions, even a cloak. It was likely thicker than he would prefer in the summer heat, but it might come in handy.

Feeling at least bolstered at the prospect of sleeping in a warm bed for the night, Link went into the small kitchen, lighting lanterns as he did so. He rummaged through it until he found their supply of salted meat. The meat had been sitting for a time, but it looked as though it wouldn't make him sick. He started a fire in the stove and began cooking up a meal for himself.

 _I'm not used to cooking in a full kitchen_ , he thought with a wry smile. _I'm more comfortable with a cookpot over a firepit._

Still, however, it was also nice to have a fairly well-stocked kitchen. He hummed softly to himself while he cooked. In a short matter of time, he carried his plate of steaming food out into the common room.

He was no longer alone.

Another man, close in height and build to him, bent down near Link's gear in the dark room, which he had rested up against the table he sat at earlier. To his dismay, that gear included the Master Sword.

When Link came out of the kitchen, the man stood up quickly, turning to face Link, a wary look on his face. He had a narrow, pointed face, and blonde hair that nearly reached down to his shoulders. He was armed, Link saw, with a familiar weapon. One of the curved Sheikah swords. In fact, now that Link saw him, he appeared to be dressed in very Sheikah-like robes. That did not help Link's feeling of wariness. Not after the Yiga attacks.

They watched each other warily for a time before, finally, the man smiled. "Got any of that leftover for me? I'm starving."

Link inclined his head back towards the kitchen. "There's still some left in there. Help yourself."

The man didn't move. Neither did Link. After a few more moments, the man gave a nervous laugh. "Are you a… traveler? Not going west, are you?"

"No, south. You?"

"East."

"Visiting the Gorons?" Link asked. He carefully set the plate of food down on another table beside him, but he kept ahold of his lamp.

"What? No." The man shook his head quickly. His long blonde hair, which hung down partially down over his face, whipped around as he did so. "Akkala."

Link raised an eyebrow, curious. "Kasuto?"

"Yes! You've been there?"

A thought struck Link, and he tilted his head slightly, inspecting the man. He _did_ look somewhat familiar, now that he was looking more closely. "You wouldn't happen to know Robbie and Jerrin, would you?"

The man slowly reached down for his sword, and Link tensed. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm an old friend of theirs."

"That's funny. I don't remember ever seeing you before."

"Are you Granté?"

The man stopped, the wary expression on his face becoming confusion. "How did you—"

Link exhaled, body relaxing. "I'm Link. I'm not actually sure if your father ever said anything about me…"

Granté looked at him, thinking, and then his eyes widened. He glanced back down towards Link's gear—the Master Sword—and then back up at him. "You're serious?"

"I am."

"Damn! And I thought you were some kind of looter." An easy-going smile appeared on his lips, and Granté relaxed. "So, it finally happened, then? Just like Dad always said it would. You woke up."

Link couldn't help but to return the smile. Much had happened since he woke up nearly three months prior. "It's been a while, but yes." He walked over and placed his plate of food down on the table. He still felt better to be within arm's reach of the Master Sword. He'd trusted Dorian, after all.

"Are you the reason the Calamity's been going so crazy, and the Guardians have been swarming all over the place lately?" Granté asked. Link winced but nodded. "That's a relief. I was on my way back home because I saw how the Guardians were acting. Thought I needed to warn my parents that the Calamity was about to break free."

The words sent a chill of dread through Link's heart. He had to move quickly. He'd wasted too much time as it was, retrieving the Master Sword.

"It's getting close," Link said, grimacing. "I don't know how much time we have left."

Granté's smile faded. "Are you… going to be able to do it? Beat it, I mean."

Link reached down past Granté and picked up the Master Sword. He unsheathed it, and the Sheikah man took a step back to give him room. "With this, I plan to."

He wasn't sure if he truly had all of the confidence that he tried to show with his voice, but it had the desired effect. Granté looked at the Master Sword with widening eyes.

"Is that really it? The legendary blade? Dad told me about it, even showed me some sketches, but…"

"It is."

Granté reached a hand out, but stopped, glancing at Link for permission. He nodded, and Granté touched the blade with his hand, running his fingers along its surface. "No obvious marks or signs of being forged." He hesitated only a moment before looking back at Link. "May I?"

Link hesitated, glancing down at the Master Sword… but then, feeling somewhat foolish, he held the hilt out to him. Granté took it carefully, and held the sword out, feeling its heft. He turned it this way and that, inspecting the blade closely. At one point, he held it straight out, looking down the its length. Finally, he handed it back to Link.

"What were you looking for?" Link asked, taking the Master Sword back and sheathing it.

Granté shook his head. "I don't really know. Imperfections? Dad told me that the sword was made by the Goddess herself, but I… well, I don't know." He laughed, but it was a hollow sort of sound. He looked pale.

Link set the Master Sword down against the chair. "You seem to know a lot about forging."

"Just a hobby of mine. You know, Dad has his Guardians, Mom has her shrines… I don't know—ancient Sheikah tech never really did it for me. But that furnace was pretty great for making normal stuff.

"That's why I've been traveling around. I figured that it would be good for me to get some time on the road, visit some of the other races and learn some of their techniques for making armor and weapons."

"What races have you spent time with?"

"Not as many as I'd like. I spent some time up in Goron City—the Gorons were welcoming enough, though it was nearly as hot as a forge up there as it was. But they're pretty… basic with their forging. They just like to hammer sheets of metal together until it looks halfway decent."

Granté leaned forward, expression growing more excited now. "The Zora didn't really like having me around when I visited them. I didn't get the sense that they liked Sheikah for some reason. But I _did_ get a chance to observe their blacksmiths for a while. They do some really interesting stuff to keep their silver from being too soft."

Link smiled even more. Now that Granté was talking, he could see some more of his parents' scholarly excitement in him.

"So, then I tried going south to visit the Gerudo, but… well, you know them. Couldn't get a damn thing out of them or in to see their smithies. I did buy a couple weapons from them, though, so I hope that I can get some idea of what they do. I think they're pretty standard fare, though."

"Did you make it to the Rito yet?" Link asked.

"I was on my way there—they do some really interesting stuff to keep their weapons light—but then I saw the Calamity hovering around the castle a lot, so I decided to investigate. That's when I saw the Guardians and knew I needed to get back to my parents and let them know what is happening."

Link frowned slightly. "Why here, then? Isn't this a little out of your way if you're going towards Akkala?"

"I used the ridge north of the castle to travel. That's where the Guardians were mostly concentrated, from what I could see. This is right on my way from there. I hadn't expected it to be deserted, though… At least, mostly deserted." He nodded in acknowledgement towards Link.

"I know that area," Link said, thinking back to his harrowing escape from the Guardians along that very ridge. "How did you avoid the Guardians? They were—ahh—looking for me, actually."

Granté smirked. "You don't grow up with my father without picking up a few tricks. Guardians are pretty quick, but they're dumb. They don't have very good memories. Even if they see you, if you hide well, they'll eventually forget all about you and move on. They weren't so hard to avoid, either."

Link thought back to the desperate chases and near-disasters that he'd experienced in the week following his defeat at the castle. It disturbed him more than a little to know that this man, whom he decided had to be younger than he was, apparently found the Guardians so easy to outwit. Perhaps he needed to talk to Robbie some more about dealing with the mechanical beasts.

After a few moments of silence, Granté glanced towards Link's plate of food, which no longer steamed. "Were you being serious? About there being more food?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I made too much for just myself, anyway. It's in the kitchen."

Granté rose quickly and disappeared into the kitchen to fetch a plate for himself. Link watched him go and then quickly stood, hurrying to his pack and opening the top flap. He fingered through the contents for a short time before replacing the flap and walking back to the table, sitting back down just as the other man emerged from the kitchen. He'd found no evidence of a Yiga mask or equipment.

The truth of the matter was that Link expected to encounter Yiga on his way back to Kakariko Village. He hoped not, but the road back to the village was long. He doubted that the Yiga knew of his disappearance, but if they did, it would only likely make them more determined to find him. It was a disconcerting thought; at least he was reasonably certain that Granté wasn't one of them.

"So, they were hunting you?" Granté asked as he sat down across from Link.

Link sighed, taking a bite of his food. Maybe he should have left that tidbit out. "I paid the castle a visit."

"So, have I, but I didn't attract the notice of a dozen Guardians," Granté said.

Link tapped a finger against his leg in annoyance. "Neither had I. I attracted the notice of _Ganon_. He's the one that sent them after me."

The other man frowned, leaning forward. "He's under control of them again? Dad was always under the impression that he'd lost control over them, and they reverted to a state of autonomy, albeit a corrupted one."

 _He's the son of Robbie and Jerrin, all right,_ Link thought wryly as he worked out exactly what Granté said. "It… I don't know. But he sent them after me."

Granté looked down at his plate of food quietly and then lifted his head, looking around the room. "I've been here before. Usually, it's pretty quiet—not a lot of travelers up this way. Mostly just adventurers and treasure-seekers. Not a lot to the north for most people, other than the Thyphlo Ruins. They were always in a vulnerable spot, though. I guess with the activity at the castle, they finally decided to move on."

Silence fell between them as they ate their meal in silence. The dim common room was eerily quiet, save for the sound of their utensils on the wooden plates. Finally, Granté spoke again. "He's about to rise again, isn't he?"

Link nodded.

Granté grimaced and glanced down at the Master Sword. He looked scared, and Link thought he could understand. Granté's life hadn't been so different than that of the lives of people one hundred years ago. He grew up hearing stories of how terrible the Calamity would be, how preparations needed to be made in advance of its return, and that a hero may rise to save them from it.

"I'll be ready for it when it does," he finally said, meeting Granté's eyes. "I am on my way to free the final Divine Beast of its control. Now that I have the Master Sword, that Divine Beast is the last thing standing in my way."

He saw the change in Granté immediately. Granté sat up straighter and some color returned to his cheeks. He smiled at Link and nodded. The air of foreboding retreated.

The rest of their small meal passed comfortably. They spoke of each other's adventures in Hyrule, and even of some of their hopes for the future. Link kept many of the hardships he faced along the way to himself, trying to project an air of confidence. Just because he felt more competent _now_ didn't mean that everyone needed to know how he'd blundered through the first three Divine Beasts.

* * *

The next morning, Link and Granté walked together for the first part of the day until they came to a fork in the road. They parted ways there, with Granté continuing on to the east towards Akkala and Link heading south across a bridge that he recognized from his journey to Zora's Domain.

That evening, after making camp, he climbed to the top of a hill that overlooked Hyrule Field. From there, he could see Hyrule Castle in the distance—a dark shadow surrounded by red mist. The cloud of Malice that surrounded it seemed stronger than it had been before.

As he observed the castle that night, speaking softly to Zelda and hoping she could hear, he watched Calamity Ganon's hazy form rise again before being pulled back down. The ground underneath him shook.

He retreated back down the hill and slept uneasily that night, his dreams plagued by scenes of fire and anguish. When he began moving again the following day, it was with a heavier step.

The next day's journey began to worry Link. True, he did not encounter any Yiga on the path—perhaps they assumed him to be unlikely to come from this direction—but he did start finding camps of moblins and bokoblins. They tended to be small, and he dispatched the monsters without great difficulty. But this stretch of road had been clear before, as it was the only road that led north towards Zora's Domain and Death Mountain. And hadn't both the Zora and Gorons agreed to send some of their people south, to Hateno Village?

After the third ambush by a group of monsters, Link felt certain that something was wrong. He picked up his pace, leaving some of his supplies behind to lighten his load. He found what he feared by the end of the day.

The inn and stable that had stood sentinel at the bridge leading into Hyrule Field was no more. The Wetlands Stable, once surprisingly militant with its spiked walls and watchtowers, was a burned-out husk, as were the surrounding buildings and much of the forest.

"No…" he whispered as he carefully stepped over the fallen remains of one of the watchtowers. It hadn't burned. At least not initially. Rather, it looked as though something had hacked at its supports with an axe, causing it to fall over and into the stable's main structure.

Ash covered much of the ground, and Link could still see footprints in it. Bare feet that belonged to moblins and bokoblins. Perhaps some of the very ones he'd slain that day. He carefully picked through the wreckage until he found what he looking for but didn't want to find.

Bodies.

Several charred Hylian corpses were buried in the wreckage of the stable, and he found several more elsewhere, some still wearing the leather armor sported by the men that watched over this small community. At least one of the bodies was a child.

The Wetlands Stable had finally fallen. And Link feared that he was, somehow, responsible for it.

That night, he found two more monster camps in the surrounding hills.

* * *

There wasn't much Link could do for the poor people killed by the monsters. He didn't have the strength or time to dig through all of the wreckage and pull out the bodies. He hated leaving them in their state, feeling that to do so was callous and disrespectful, but he had no choice.

Kass once told Link that the people around the stable had been given hope by his success in Zora's Domain and Death Mountain. That hope meant nothing in the face of the disaster that eventually befell them. He only prayed that he wouldn't be too slow to save others.

He didn't stop to rest that night. Even as the land sloped up towards the giant rock pillars that surrounded Kakariko Village, and his legs started to burn, he kept moving. Night fell yet Link continued. He entered the narrow pass west of Kakariko Village shortly after midnight. An hour later, the dark village came into view.

"Halt!" a voice in the dark called out. He recognized the voice, though it surprised him. He honestly hadn't even known to expect hearing that voice again.

"Dorian?" Link asked, his own voice hoarse. He'd run out of water a few hours prior and hadn't searched out any more. He looked around and found the man in the shadows, watching over the entrance to the village.

Dorian was silent for a time, looking at Link uncertainly. Finally, he stood taller, approaching. When he got close enough to make out Link's face, he gasped.

"Master Link… You were—we all thought that you…" He suddenly reached out, clasping a hand on Link's shoulder. "You're alive. Hylia be praised, you're really _alive_."

"Dorian, the night I left—the women. Are they—"

"Safe. They're safe, thanks to you. And there have been no Yiga attacks since that night."

Link stiffened at the name. "You were once a Yiga, weren't you?"

Dorian was silent for a time, but then he finally nodded. "Yes. And I fear that I am the man responsible for passing on information about you to them. I am the reason you were hunted."

Link felt a flash of anger boil up within him. This man was the one responsible for the Yiga, then. The worry and fear that Link endured since Delilah's attack. Even her _death_ would have been avoided had it not been for Dorian's actions.

But then he remembered that night. He remembered the words spoken by the Yiga to Dorian. The threats. And he remembered which side Dorian had ultimately fought on.

His anger melted away just as quickly. "And your children? Are they still safe?"

Dorian searched Link's eyes uncertainly. Finally, he said, "Yes."

"Good." Link reached up and patted Dorian's hand. "I know that you did what you had to do to keep them safe."

The other man relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face. "Thank you, Master Link. I… I will not fail you again. I swear it."

That made Link feel suddenly uncomfortable. When had people started worrying about failing _him_?

"Now," Dorian said, removing his hand and standing up straighter. "We must tell Lady Impa and Paya. They have been beside themselves with worry over you after you disappeared. So much has been happening these last few weeks—there is much to update you on."

* * *

Link stood in the dimly-lit antechamber of Impa's home as Dorian hurried up the stairs to wake Impa and Paya. Dorian lit one of the small lanterns in the room, providing him enough light to see by. The room seemed much as it always had been, though his eyes were drawn to the center of the floor. There wasn't even a sign of the dead Yiga. The wood had been scrubbed clean of the blood.

How long had Paya worked at the wood to remove the stains? He had no doubt that it would have been her. Killing a man… It did something to someone's mind. It was something that he wished she never had to go through.

There was a sound at the top of the stairs. A shuffling, followed by rapid footsteps. He looked up to see Paya's form, dressed in nothing but her sleeping gown, much as she had been the night of the Yiga attack, rushing down the stairs.

She paused at the landing and looked across the room towards Link. She placed a hand to her lips, eyes wide, and then she hurried down the rest of the stairs. She ran across the room and, to Link's surprise, threw her arms around his neck.

She was crying.

Link stood in shock for several moments before hesitantly wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he held her close. She didn't respond, but continued to cry, trembling in his arms.

He hadn't expected this. In truth, he knew that he must have worried them, and acknowledged that they might have even thought him dead, but this reaction was… much more personal than he'd been prepared to face.

"Why did you go?" Paya finally asked, her voice muffled. Her face was still pressed to Link's shoulder.

Link heard another sound now. He glanced up to see Impa making her way down the stairs, Dorian at her side to help her. Her eyes were fixed on Link, hard and accusing.

"I had something I had to do," Link said. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I… wasn't in my right mind at the time." Paya finally pulled away, looking at him with red, tearful eyes. Link placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently and smiling. "I'm all right now."

Her lips quivered and she opened them… but then she shut her mouth again. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and she pulled away, turning her back to him. Before Link could say anything, however, Impa spoke.

"And what was so important that you had to do, Link?" Her voice cracked like a whip. She reached the ground and began making her way across the room towards him. "You went to the castle, didn't you?"

Link was surprised they even guessed that. "Yes. I went to try to save Zelda."

"We suspected as much after your Sheikah Slate turned up in the river."

 _What?_

"But why did you take so long to return? We have been searching everywhere for any sign that you survived your _idiotic_ gamble. The Guardians rampaged around the castle, destroying anything that still remained after the last hundred years. We about gave you up for _dead_."

Link hesitated and then reached back, grasping the Master Sword, and pulled it free of its scabbard. Impa's eyes widened as she took in its spotless blade. She raised a hand to her lips, and Link saw tears in her own eyes now.

"You impulsive, idiotic, _magnificent_ boy. How did you find it? Was it in the castle?"

"Zelda told me." Link took a step forward and went down on one knee so that he could look Impa in the eye. "I _saw_ her, Impa. She was there. She…" He laughed softly, feeling a sudden rush of emotions. "She _protected_ me. She… well, she was pretty angry at me for going there too, actually. It was a mistake, of course, but I just… I had to try."

Impa looked at him quietly for a moment. And then she slapped him across the cheek. Link winced, reached up and rubbing his cheek, but he did not protest. He likely deserved that. When he met her eyes again, however, Impa was smiling warmly.

"I know," she said. "I worried that, as your memories returned, you might try a stunt like that. You always tended to jump into fights that you had no business surviving. I _had_ hoped to be able to dissuade you of such rashness, but you didn't give me a chance. It doesn't matter now, though. You're alive."

"Ganon's close, Impa," Link said, his voice lowering. "He knows I'm alive now. He didn't know before. Zelda has been blinding him all this time—she's so _powerful_. If you could have seen her, you—"

Impa placed a hand to his lips, and Link noticed that she, strangely, glanced towards her granddaughter. "Paya, dear, don't stand there in your nightgown. Go get dressed, and then put some tea on for us. There is much that we must discuss, and not much time, I fear."

Link glanced towards Paya but wasn't able to catch a glimpse of her face as she quickly nodded and hurried up the stairs. He grimaced, finally understanding. How long had she felt so strongly for him?

"I'm sorry," he said, looking back at Impa. "I didn't—"

"Shh… She'll be all right. She's just overwhelmed at the moment. She mourned you, Link. We all did. But you are back now, and that's all that matters." A determined smile crossed Impa's lips. "But, please, tell me about the princess."

"She's still fighting him. Imprisoning him." Link could remember her shining form, so radiant and bright, as if in defiance of the gloom of the castle. "She spoke to me. She appeared right in front of me and spoke to me. She was real, too—not a spirit. She told me that she had Ganon under control, but that I needed to get the Master Sword and free the final Divine Beast as quickly as possible."

The words spilled out of him in a rush. As they did, Impa smiled and reached up, wiping a tear from her eye. "It is good to hear that she remains strong. Perhaps that was the true purpose of making her wait so long to awaken her powers—it may very well be the reason she's had the fortitude to continue fighting, even after all these years."

It was a disturbing thought. Had his fall been pre-ordained, then? Surely not. Though it did make a brutal sort of sense.

Paya finally came back down the stairs, wearing a robe over her nightgown. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but she had mostly composed herself now. Link met her eyes, and she paused and then blushed, hurrying past him into the kitchen. His heart ached, yet what could he do? He cared for Paya, of course, but not in that way. If things had been different, then he very well could have loved her, but now…

His heart belonged to another.

 _No_ , he told himself. _There's still too much you don't know. Too much you don't remember. Don't start thinking things like that before you remember everything_. _Your feelings have misled you before._

They remained in silence for a time, until Impa turned and approached the dais upon which she normally sat. Link watched her curiously as she reached around the pillow and pulled out a rectangular object.

He stood up quickly, eyes widening. "Is that the Sheikah Slate?"

Impa faced him again, holding it out to him. He took it with reverent hands, tracing his fingers over its textured surface. He turned it over and found the same familiar, colored icons as always. He gently pressed his finger to the gallery icon, and the dozens of photographs from his previous journey with Zelda appeared in a series of rows on the screen.

Link's heart swelled, and he grinned, flipping through some of them. A lump formed in his throat as he found himself retracing some of his own memories through photographs. The Great Plateau. Hebra Mountains. Goron City. Zora's Domain. Hyrule Castle. So many of the photographs had a deeper meaning to him now.

"How…" His voice was a croak, heavy with emotion. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "How did you find it? I thought it was lost…"

"Your Zora prince found it."

"Sidon?"

"Yes. He was, apparently, out patrolling near the castle and found it at the bottom of the moat. That's how we knew you must have gone to the castle. It's why we feared you dead."

Link flipped to the photograph of Zelda in the Spring of Power. There were so few pictures of her, and he found that he wished he had more. He continued to search through the pictures until he found another one that meant far more to him now. The photograph of all of them together shortly after the Champion Ceremony. It wasn't the greatest photograph, largely in part to what appeared to be a joke by Daruk, who had decided to squeeze all of them together at the last moment.

He gazed at the picture of his friends. Mipha. Daruk. Revali. Urbosa. Zelda. His face flushed, and his fingers began to squeeze the Sheikah Slate.

"I'm going to defeat him, Impa," he said, his voice low. "I'm going to go to the desert, free Urbosa, and then I'm going to ram this sword down Ganon's throat."

"And you won't be alone."

Link looked up at Impa, who had a look of fierce determination on her face. "In your absence, Robbie, Purah, and I have been working on some plans. I'll let them tell you about it in detail—we have a meeting planned at Robbie's laboratory in the morning. They will want to see you again as well."

He nodded. He needed to visit Robbie again anyway to get Ancient arrows. He had intended on traveling to Hateno Village to borrow Purah's Sheikah Slate, but this would be even better. It would save him a great deal of time.

Paya emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a steaming kettle of tea, and three small cups. She approached Link and knelt, placing the tray on the ground. Link eased himself down next to her.

He watched her as she quietly lifted the kettle and poured amber tea into each of the cups. She appeared to be avoiding his eyes. That wouldn't do.

"Paya?"

She froze at his voice. He remained quiet until she finally turned her head to look at him.

Link gave her a smile. "I never had the chance to tell you that I was impressed with how you handled yourself on the night of the Yiga attack. Not only did you keep calm, despite everything happening, but you held your own against a trained assassin. I've fought a few of them now, and they're tough. The first one I encountered nearly killed me."

Paya's face turned a deep shade of red, and Link wondered if, perhaps, that had been the wrong approach. "O-oh, that wasn't… I mean, I-I don't know that I was—"

"I'm glad you came with me. I couldn't have handled all of that alone."

Paya's mouth snapped shut, and she looked down at the tea. But Link thought that he saw the faint hint of a smile. Finally, she spoke. "I was terrified."

"So was I," Link said, reaching out and pacing a hand on her shoulder. "But even when afraid, you acted. That's what's important."

Her smile grew stronger, and she looked back at him, whispering, "Thank you."

Link glanced at Impa, who winked. He removed his hand and reached down to lift one of the steaming mugs of tea. He sipped at it and sighed happily. "This is good. I've barely had anything hot for the last few weeks. I spent the first two mostly hiding from Guardians."

"Yes, it did seem as though they were acting oddly from the reports we got from your Rito allies," Impa said, lifting her own tea.

"They were searching for me?" Link asked, eyebrows raising.

"Of course, they were. So were the Zora. The search only stopped a few days ago. We assumed that you much have either died or still lived but moved on from the castle."

"A fair assumption." Link saw Impa's eyes flick to the hilt of the Master Sword. "It was in the forest. Being watched by the Deku Tree."

"Ahh," Impa said, nodding. "It was as I suspected, then."

" _What_?"

Impa gave Link an apologetic smile. "I did not know it was there, but it was one of several possible locations that I considered. I did not tell you this because I did not want to send you on a missing cucco chase when your focus should have been the Divine Beasts. Besides, the princess was very adamant that you would discover its location in time."

"Funny, considering she _told_ it to me when I asked." Link tried not to let some of the irritation he felt show up in his voice. If Impa had told him her suspicions _earlier_ …

"Perhaps she felt that you were just taking too long." Impa raised her cup of tea to her lips.

Link fell silent, staring down at his tea for a time. Finally, he looked back up and met Impa's eyes. "What was my mother's name?" The old Sheikah's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't initially respond, so Link continued. "My father was Arn, I know that. And my _sister_ , who I didn't even know existed until recently, was named Aryll."

Impa sighed softly. "Link, you know why we didn't tell you everything up front. I—we _all_ —felt that it would be best to let your memories return gradually, rather than bogging you down with information up front."

"Just tell me her name. Please. She's the only family member that I… I still don't have anything about."

"Medilia."

Medilia. A soft name. A gentle name. Link smiled faintly, still looking down at his tea. A face appeared in his mind. Blue eyes. Long, red-blonde hair. A warm smile. Just a face, nothing else, yet… It was enough for now.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Sorry for leaving so long, boy," Link said, rubbing Spirit's nose. Spirit snorted in apparent derision, pulling his face away. Link sighed and reached into his pouch, pulling out a sugar cube. "Truce?"

Spirit eyed him suspiciously with a great, brown eye, and then leaned down, taking the cube from Link's hand. And then he pressed his face to Link's shoulder, nearly knocking him over. He laughed, scratching the horse behind his ear.

"All right, I get it. But you know, I'm going to have to leave again for a little while… Hopefully not as long, though."

He walked around and placed the saddlebag on the horse. After tying it down securely, he took Spirit's reins in hand and led him out of the stable, out into the village square, where Impa and Paya both stood waiting. He was wearing a new Champion's tunic—one that Impa had made him for weeks ago when she saw that his old one was showing some wear after so many battles. The forest tunic he'd received was stowed away in his gear, though. It didn't feel right just abandoning it.

"Ready?" Link asked as he approached. Impa nodded, and Link handed the reins to Paya. He removed the Sheikah Slate from his belt, navigating through its functions until he found the shrine just outside of Robbie's lighthouse. He pressed his finger to it, and a blue circle of light appeared around them. Link checked it to make sure they were all in the circle, before pressing it again.

A few moments later, they appeared on the cliffs overlooking the Akkala Sea. Salty sea wind whipped at their clothes, and Spirit snorted anxiously, looking around. Link hooked the Sheikah Slate back on his belt and took the horse's reins, pulling his face down in order to sooth his nerves.

"It's amazing," Paya said, gasping and stepping over to look out over the cliff. "I've never seen the ocean before…"

Link and Impa waited, letting her admire the view for a time. When she was satisfied, they walked the short walk to Robbie's lighthouse.

The door to the lighthouse slammed open, and out stepped a woman that Link didn't recognize. She was shorter than Link by nearly a head and had a shock of white hair that was styled in a fashion that was vaguely familiar. She wore round spectacles and had a strange bow on her hair styled to look like an owl's face.

" _Linky_!" she cried. "You're alive!"

"Purah?" Link asked, confused.

The woman who Link assumed to be Purah rushed forward and threw her arms around Link in a tight embrace. She pulled away a moment later, grinning broadly up at him. "Like it? I finally re-aged myself!" Impa snorted derisively, and Purah shot her a smirk.

Behind her, Robbie, Jerrin, and Symin all hurried out—drawn, presumably, by Purah's announcement of his survival.

"I didn't know you were even capable of doing that," he said, still thrown off guard by the woman standing before him. She was still young—no older in appearance than Link himself—and her expression still bore a child-like excitement. But he could tell it was her.

Purah shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was almost done with the re-aging rune when you first showed up, and after that, I didn't have a lot of time to work on it. But with all the work we're doing now, I figured it was as good a time as any to give it a shot." She snapped her fingers. "You should have seen Symin's _face_ when I did it! Turned red as a tomato!"

Symin spluttered some behind her. "Doctor Purah, you were walking around completely _naked_."

"Well, of _course_ I was. It's not like those kid clothes were going to fit me anymore, now would they? Snap, Symin, keep up." She glanced towards Paya, winking, and stage-whispered, "Men. Completely useless around a pretty girl, right, Paya? I bet you know all about it!"

Paya burst into giggles as Symin continued to splutter. Link found himself grinning, as the others all approached him, greeting him and exclaiming over his survival. It took some time for things to finally settle enough for them to all file back into the lighthouse.

As they did so, Link looked around and noticed that there was a considerably larger number of inert Guardians around then there had been before. In fact, the entire hill seemed to be covered in them.

"Robbie? Why are there so many more Guardians around?" he asked as they walked inside.

"That's all part of the plan!" Robbie said, looking back at him and grinning. "Come on, I'll show you."

Robbie led him past his Ancient Oven, which appeared to be working on something, considering the whirring sounds coming from within it, to several piles of equipment along the back wall. Link's eyes widened when he saw what appeared to be dozens of Ancient weapons—swords, spears, and arrows. He saw other things, too. Pieces of armor with Sheikah designs upon it, and what appeared to be a helmet.

"I've been having the Ancient Oven working around the clock on new equipment for weeks now," Robbie said, picking up the helmet and offering it to Link. "That's why I have so many Guardians out there. At first, Impa's people were trying to disassemble the Guardians on the Blatchery Plains and just transporting me the pieces, but they were _awful_. I finally just had them start transporting me the Guardians whole."

"So, you're building these out of harvested Guardian parts?" Link asked, turning the helmet over in his hand. It was heavy, and he couldn't actually see how one would see out of it. The entire face was covered.

"Exactly! We're preparing for the final assault on Ganon."

Link frowned, looking at Robbie. He looked back down at the gear. "Robbie, this is all quite a bit more than I could ever hope to use. I'm not even sure I need another Ancient sword now that I have the Master Sword."

"Not for _you_. For everyone else. What, you think we're going to send you in there alone?"

"The castle is _swarming_ with Guardians. Even with an army, I don't know if attacking head-on would be wise. I was able to sneak in without that much difficulty—" Behind him, Impa snorted. Link ignored that and continued. "I don't want to get a bunch of people slaughtered. This is _my_ task."

"And you think the rest of us don't have a reason to fight?" Jerrin said, stepping up behind Robbie and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Impa stepped forward as well, followed by Paya. "We've stood aside for too long, Link. When you go in to attack Ganon, you will not be alone."

"But the Guardians—"

"That's where _I_ come in," Purah said, flicking Link's ear as she walked up beside him. He looked down at her in confusion. "We've been working on a way to take the Guardians _back_."

Robbie nodded. "Exactly. Purah has been studying the Sheikah towers. We _believe_ that they are the key to greater control over the Guardians. With any luck, it will even be enough to take them back from Ganon's grasp. At the very least, we believe that we can disrupt his control over them enough to reduce their effectiveness."

Link looked between each of them, seeing the same determination mirrored on each of their faces. Even Paya looked at him with an expression of slight defiance, as if daring him to forbid her from helping.

"I… you're sure? You think you can really take them back?" he finally asked.

"We figure it can't get any _worse_ ," Purah said. "But my research so far has been promising. Hopefully we'll have a proper answer for you by the time you get back from the last Divine Beast."

"But an army—"

"We've already started working on that as well," Impa said. "With your Sheikah Slate, I have been reaching out to the various races. The Zora and Gorons have both already pledged their support to defeat Calamity Ganon, provided we can provide a proper counter-measure for the Guardians. The Rito are being as stubborn as always, but I believe they will agree as well. And of course, you will have Sheikah and Hylians."

"We need you to get all friendly with the Gerudo when you visit them," Purah said, giving him a wink. "Adding a bunch of warrior women would be a big help."

Link was speechless. He hadn't expected any support of this kind. Sidon had promised him aid when he faced Ganon, but Link hadn't thought much of it until now. But the idea of so many people in danger while he fought Ganon was disconcerting.

"This isn't something that we're giving you a choice in," Impa said, her voice firm. "When you go to face the Calamity, you will do so at the head of an army."

Slowly, Link nodded. It made sense. If he lost, then the Calamity would just break free and begin his destruction anew anyway. At least this way, even if he fell, perhaps he could weaken it enough to be defeated through other means.

"Good!" Purah said. "Now, come on, let's figure out what else we need to talk about. I need to get back to my research."


	44. Chapter Forty-One

**Not much to say to introduce this chapter. I think it's got some moments in it that will be greatly enjoyed, however, so I won't delay very long. I appreciate the crazy amount of comments I got from Thursday's chapter-a particular scene that many readers seemed to enjoy was Link and Paya's reunion and addressing her feelings for him. I figured that I couldn't keep Link _completely_ dense when it comes to women. However, before I go on, I realize that I forgot to mention Zelda's Gerudo outfit last week and what inspired it. It was inspired by the wonderful people who have been modding Breath of the Wild to make Zelda a playable character. They have a Gerudo outfit for Zelda that pretty much matches my description, so please check that out, if you want to see it in action. That mod looks amazing. ****Onto some comments...**

 **AzHasANewName1: While I can't comment on specifics regarding the Guardians in the end, but stay tuned... The final battle is a ways away yet and there are plenty more twists in store to complicate matters.**

 **LordHalcyon: We'll definitely see more of what Purah and Robbie have been up to in future chapters! And regarding Purah's de-aging rune, I wouldn't say that she's perfected it quite yet. Bear in mind that she conducted a single experiment, and it ended up being _too_ effective. Besides, there aren't many old people around that even know how to fight (outside of the Zora, true). That was her original intent for it, though, you aren't wrong.**

 **Guest (sorry, there are two of you!): So, Zelda still tried to leave that message with the Deku Tree. However, the Master Sword just didn't impart that knowledge to Link-and I didn't really want to right out an entire conversation between Zelda and the Tree in italics right before drawing the Master Sword... I felt it would have slowed the pacing of the scene down too much. It may get revisited in some fashion later on, but for now, know that the conversation _did_ happen, and it happened as shown in the game. As for what she wanted to tell him... Well, you'll have to read and find out!**

 **midnaisbae: Link isn't sure at all of Zelda's feelings for him yet, true. And, if we're being honest, he doesn't really know his own quite yet either-he just suspects that he knows where things are going because of the Spring of Power memory. Regarding future memories, however... Believe me when I say that I am _not_ sticking with just the canon memories (and, indeed, not all of them are in the story). But I do take inspiration from things like diary entries and other tidbits. And other things... well, some things I just wanted to see happen. You'll see...**

 **Now, on with the chapter! Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think.**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-One**

Link set the saddlebags onto Spirit, tying them down. A few arrows stuck out from one of the bags, courtesy of Robbie. Link would not go into the next Divine Beast fight without plenty of arrows available. After securing Spirit's saddle, he turned back to the group of Sheikah that watched him with hopeful expressions.

This was it. The final step before taking on Ganon himself. One final Divine Beast.

"Purah, as soon as I get to the desert, I'll seek out a shrine or tower. If anything happens in Hateno Village, send someone to come find me. I'll try to take care of things as quickly as I can."

The situation in Hateno Village was getting worse. While the monsters gathering at the tower there still had not attacked the village itself, they had begun harassing travelers and merchants along the road. There had been a clash between a small squad of Zora and a band of monsters that left several dead on both sides. Purah played it off as nothing to worry about, but Symin had expressed his concerns that the attack would come soon.

Link wished that he could do something about the monsters now, but the truth was he couldn't. He intended on being there when the attack came, however. He would not leave the villagers to fend for themselves, if he could avoid it. Not that he knew what he could do to turn the tide of battle.

"Just focus on your own tasks," Purah said, waving her hand in nonchalance. "We'll worry about our own stuff."

He nodded and looked at Robbie and Jerrin. "Thanks again for everything. Your sword and arrows saved my life more than once." He reached out and took Robbie's hand, gripping it tightly. As he did so, something else occurred to him—something that had been lost in the excitement of their reunion. "Oh! I met your son."

"What?" Jerrin said, voice sharp with worry. "You met Granté? Where is he? Is he well?"

"He's on his way here. I met him near the foot of Death Mountain two days ago. He's on foot, so it might take another few days, though."

"And you didn't tell us _sooner_?" She looked at Robbie. "Maybe I could take a horse out, see if I can find him."

"Jerrin, dear." Robbie reached up, patting her arm. "Granté has been all over half of the country by now. I am sure that he can make it back here just fine."

Link smiled a little sheepishly and turned to face Impa and Paya. "I'll drop in at Kakariko later this afternoon with Spirit."

"We will see you then," Impa said, patting his hand fondly.

Paya merely smiled at Link. He felt an odd sense of pride when looking at her. She was a tough woman, despite how she might have seemed at first glance.

Link said one final farewell to the group and then mounted Spirit, kicking him into a trot that took him down from the lighthouse, through Kasuto, and out into the Akkala Highlands. By the time night fell, he intended on being in Rito Village and on his way to the desert by morning. However, while he was here, he wanted to ride by Tarry Town and see how the Bolson Construction Company was getting along.

For a time, he let Spirit gallop through the large open field overlooking the sea. The view of the distant waves breaking upon the shore was soothing. Spirit eventually tired halfway through the field, and Link dismounted. "What do you say we take a short break?" he said as he pulled an apple from his pack and offered it to Spirit.

Once satisfied that the horse was cared for, Link reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small, wrapped loaf of bread that he received from Kakariko Village that morning. He sat down in the grass, facing the sea, and took a bite of the bread, thinking.

A moment later, he reached into his satchel and pulled out Zelda's diary, opening it to a new page. He already knew what it said, nearly by heart, but the memories surrounding it had, thus far, proved frustratingly opaque.

 _"Bit by bit, I've gotten Link to open up to me. It turns out he's quite a glutton. He can't resist a delicious meal!"_

He smiled faintly at the cramped handwriting that only grew more familiar to him the more he looked at it. He had an image in his head of Zelda sitting on a stump under the waning sunlight, writing in her diary. He didn't know if it was something from memory, however, or if it was merely a picture that he created in his own mind.

"Do you think she would be mad at me for reading her diary?" he asked, looking up at Spirit. The horse, as was typical, ignored Link, munching contentedly on his apple. "It _has_ been one hundred years. And I rescued her diary from the castle. That has to count for something." Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he looked back down, continuing on.

 _"When I finally got around to asking why he's so quiet all the time, I could tell it was difficult for him to say. But he did. With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden. A feeling I know all too well..._

 _"For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings. I always believed him to be simply a gifted person who had never faced a day of hardship. How wrong I was... Everyone has struggles that go unseen by the world... I was so absorbed with my own problems, I failed to see his."_

Link closed his eyes, focusing on the words. They felt familiar. Vaguely, he thought that he could recall saying such things, yet… An image popped into his mind. Link's eyes snapped open, and he reached down, retrieving the Sheikah Slate. He navigated to the gallery, flipping to a photograph that he'd seen before, but hadn't paid attention to it.

A scene in the Gerudo Desert. There were palm trees and a stone well and… Gerudo women riding on sleds pulled by large seals. A race track.

Nothing that spoke of the conversation in the diary, yet… he could remember it.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Sir Link," Princess Zelda said, looking around at him from her spot on the colorful blanket laid across the sand. "You're hovering again."

Link looked down at her, feeling a flush climb up the back of his neck. They were surrounded by people. Mostly Gerudo, true, but there were members of the other races as well. He thought it would have been more appropriate if—

She patted the blanket next to her. "Sit. Please." She held up a meat skewer. "You need to eat, too."

Well, if she insisted.

Link took his seat next to her, taking the meat skewer. He lifted it to his nose, smelling it and trying to determine what kind of meat, exactly, it was. Finally, he took a bite, and his eyes widened. "This is _delicious_." He used his teeth to pull another piece of meat off the wooden skewer, savoring the blend of spices and whatever sauce the Gerudo had used to marinade it.

Princess Zelda held her own skewer, though she ate it somewhat more delicately than Link did. She gave him a slight smile. "Somehow, I thought you might like it."

"If I had known that they served these every day, I would have set up camp over here." He paused, suddenly concerned. Would that be counted as abandoning his post?

"They have them in the city as well. Vendors in the streets compete with each other over different flavors and meats," she said, looking back at her own skewer. "Much more variety than out here."

Link had seen those vendors, though he kept that knowledge to himself. No need for the princess to know that tidbit. As far as he knew, Urbosa never told her of his attempts to enter the city. Particularly that last attempt. He sincerely hoped it stayed that way.

They fell silent as the next round of races began. Link watched as the Gerudo women rode on their small sleds, holding onto ropes or reins attached to the sand seals, which swam through the sand as easily as water.

Their last day around Gerudo Town was not to be spent studying the Divine Beast or investigating one of the Sheikah Shrines. No, as Princess Zelda informed him that morning, she had other plans for the day. She wanted to watch Urbosa compete in the l races—and she invited Link to join her. As it was outside of the city, he would be allowed to watch.

The last week had changed things dramatically between them. Link felt more comfortable around the princess now, and she seemed to feel the same way, often coming out of the city to discuss plans with him. She started inviting him on trips to study the Divine Beast or the nearby shrine. Sometimes, she just came out to eat a meal with him and to talk with him.

It was strange how differently they interacted with each other now. She did still get annoyed with him from time to time, usually when he was too opaque about answering one of her questions—of which, she had an endless supply— or when he was, as she put it, _hovering_. She also occasionally still grew quiet when she looked too long at the Master Sword. But Link had been making efforts to be more open with her, and she responded in turn. They were developing something that Link knew from the way his father spoke of the king. A kinship.

It was more than he ever truly expected to have with her, and Link was grateful for the change. How much sooner could this have happened if he had been more open from the beginning?

"There she is!" the princess said, rising to her feet.

Link did as well, watching as Urbosa stepped aboard her sled for the next race. They were situated near the front of the small crowd of onlookers in the center of the race track, near the start and finish line. From their vantage, they would be able to see most of the race, though their view would be obscured when the racers passed behind them.

Urbosa looked over at them and waved, saying something in her native Gerudo tongue that Link didn't understand. Princess Zelda replied in turn, and Urbosa laughed throatily. Several of the other Gerudo around them chuckled as well.

The princess frowned, her cheeks growing pink. "I must have said something wrong."

"What were you trying to say?" Link said, glancing at her.

"I was trying to wish her good luck. But… _sav'orq._ That doesn't sound right, now that I think about it."

Link thought for a moment of some of the language that he'd picked up while here. "I think you told her good-bye. Good luck would be sav'sayarq."

Princess Zelda looked up at him in surprise, raising one of her eyebrows. "How do _you_ know that?"

"It's… just something that I picked up." He would keep _those_ particulars to himself. If she knew the extent he'd been willing to put up with to ensure she was safe while in the city…

She continued to look at him curiously, but the race began, drawing her attention back as Urbosa ululated and set off. She quickly gained speed, racing ahead of most of the other Gerudo.

Link watched the sand seal racers as they sped off, rounding the bend, and were largely taken out of view by the other gathered crowd. Princess Zelda turned to watch, however, catching glimpses through the crowd. She stood on her toes, though Link expected that did very little to actually help.

He found himself watching her, instead. She seemed like a completely different person when she was able to relax and be herself. In their travels, she hadn't often felt she could relax around him. Now, however…

The racers rounded the opposite bend, coming back into view again. Urbosa still had the lead, though another Gerudo woman was right beside her, urging her own seal on. The others raced through the cloud of sand kicked up by the leaders.

"Urbosa!" Princess Zelda yelled, waving her hands in excitement. "Come on!"

When the racers crossed the finish line, Link couldn't even tell who won. Others could, it would seem, as Urbosa was declared the victor. She raised her hands high in the air, and many of the Gerudo around them began ululating. Princess Zelda clapped along with the rest of them. Link didn't cheer, but he did find himself grinning, though he didn't particularly care who won the race.

After a few minutes, the crowd began to relax again and other races began. Urbosa's race had been an important one—the Gerudo Chieftain did not often participate—but the races would go on for much of the day. Link expected Urbosa to come join them, but she didn't, surprisingly.

He and the princess sat back down to continue their meal. The day was hot—as they all were in the desert summer heat—but their place under the shade of a tall palm tree helped some. Link was sweating, but Princess Zelda looked comfortable. He expected that it had something to do with that sapphire circlet she wore. She told him about it the day before—something about latent magical properties in different types of gemstones.

"Sir Link, I have another question for you," she eventually said, glancing at him. "It is a bit more personal than the others, and you do not have to answer, if you wish."

More personal? It seemed to him that many of her question were personal. She asked him about how he'd grown up, what his home was like, his preferences regarding food, his favorite season, and about a dozen other inquiries of varying importance. She even asked him if he liked _dogs_.

He looked at her and, after a moment's hesitation, nodded.

"Why are you…" She hesitated before revising what she was saying. "What I mean to say is that you are often very quiet. You've been more talkative to me lately, of course, but that only further highlights how quiet you are around others. Why is that?"

 _Ah,_ Link thought. _I suppose I should have expected that question eventually, all things considered._

He remained silent for a time. Long enough, in fact, that the princess frowned, beginning to look uncomfortable. She opened her mouth again, but Link finally spoke. "It's… I would like to say that I'm just like that."

Princess Zelda snapped her mouth closed, watching him. Link didn't look at her any longer, though, fixing his eyes on a point on the distant horizon.

"I wasn't always, though." That was probably not entirely accurate. He'd always been introspective. When he was a squire, he tended to be among the quietest. But he was far more so now. "But when I drew the Master Sword, it…"

"Changed you?"

Link hesitated, but then shook his head. "No. It changed how everyone else looked at me. I'm still the same person, but… everyone else expects me to be so much more now." He felt a tightness in his chest. The burden of duty. How easy it was to forget it when enjoying a quiet afternoon with Princess Zelda.

"I… There is so much at stake now, and everyone expects me to be their savior. They want to see me being strong and victorious. They don't want to know that their Champion used to wrestle goats as a child, likes rock climbing, and isn't a strong swimmer, despite being taught by Zora. They… don't want to know that he's not sure if he can live up to their expectations."

He glanced at Princess Zelda. She was looking at him with an odd expression. She was listening intently but looked surprised at what she was hearing. But of course, she didn't know. He never shared this with her. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was doing so now.

"So I…" He looked away again, not sure he liked the way her expression made him feel. "I give them what they need. I try to be strong and… silent. I don't share what I'm thinking or feeling, because they don't want to know. They _can't_ know. I need to be more than what I am."

He heard Princess Zelda gasp softly, and he inwardly winced, still not looking at her. Did she think less of him now? No, he didn't think that she would. But did she feel her own burden even more strongly, now that she knew he was unprepared as well? What hope did they have if neither of them could live up to their predecessors?

"I guess we are the same, you and I," she said, her voice soft, barely audible over the noise of the crowd around them.

"Princess?"

"I…" she began, but then stopped, meeting his eyes. "Thank you for sharing this with me. I didn't realize that you felt such a burden upon your shoulders. I should have, of course, but… Well, that is in the past." She reached out, placing a soft hand against his arm. "But I want you to know that, going forward, I don't want you to worry about that around me. I've been around enough strong, silent knights in my life. I'm sick of them."

He didn't know what to say, and she seemed fine with that. Her hand lingered for just a few moments, and it seemed to him that the princess had something else that she wanted to say. But she didn't. She finally pulled her hand away and smiled at him.

"And I think you are just fine as you are," she said, her voice adopting a familiar decisive primness about it. "It would do people some good to see their heroes living like normal people. After all, look at Urbosa." She waved her hand towards where Urbosa stood, laughing boisterously with a group of Gerudo, all of which had large goblets of some kind of drink in hand. " _She_ certainly doesn't care to be anything but her true self around the people that rely on her."

Her voice grew contemplative. "Perhaps that is something we both need to learn better." She stood up suddenly. "Come on. Let's get something to drink."

 _What?_ She wasn't being serious, was she? "Princess, I don't think that I should be drinking anything. If someone were to attack—"

"Nonsense. We're surrounded by a race of warriors. They're all quite loyal to Urbosa, if not to me, and will be more than capable of defending us should the Yiga try anything. Besides, you don't have to drink a lot. But they have Noble Pursuit over there, and Urbosa hasn't let me try yet." She smiled defiantly. "I'm going to try it now, though. I'd just like to see them tell the princess of Hyrule no."

He still felt a great deal of uncertainty, but he also didn't think that he could disobey her. Not when she looked at him with those eyes, excitement shining in them. Finally, he stood, brushing of some of the dust on his clothing. He could allow himself a single drink. That wouldn't be enough to impair him.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

 _"I wish to talk with him more and to see what lies beneath those calm waters, to hear him speak freely and openly... And perhaps I, too, will be able to bare my soul to him and share the demons that have plagued me all these years."_

Link traced the words in Zelda's diary with his finger, waiting for the lump in his throat the fade. The memory had been vivid. He felt the heat of the desert sun on his skin, tasted the savory meat skewers, and felt his own contentment as if he were truly still there.

He didn't know if the princess ever truly knew how much he appreciated her willingness to accept him for who he was, rather than who he needed to be. In truth, _he_ didn't even fully understand the depth of his appreciation beyond what he'd felt in the memory. The weight that he felt lifted off of his shoulders as he stood to go with her. It had been like a breath of fresh air.

Things had been different since he woke, though he had felt that same burden of expectation. He had not retreated into himself as much as he had in the past, however, and even found other friends with which to share his burden. Sidon. Kass. Even Impa and Paya. They cared about him, not just because of what he represented, but who he was. Just as Zelda had.

* * *

Tarry Town had changed since Link last saw it. As he rode Spirit up to the land bridge that connected to the round island in the center of the lake, he saw quite a few more buildings constructed than when he'd last been there.

The headquarters building that Hudson and his employees had been working on appeared to have long-since been completed, and he saw their sign, which boldly proclaimed "North Bolson Construction Company", hanging above the door. Other buildings had been constructed in the meantime, as well. They appeared to be constructing homes and other buildings in concentric rings, with an open area in the center for the town square.

The Goron help that Link sent appeared to have been well-used, as he couldn't see any evidence of the rocky outcrops that previously covered much of the island. He did notice that stone was used in quite a few of the new constructions, however, as well in the laying of cobblestone. Even the sign with the town's name had been improved with stone at its base.

Link rode into the center of the town, looking around. The town had grown in population as well, it would seem. Not only did he see several of the burly construction workers moving around, transporting tools and materials, but he saw others as well. At least two of the recently built homes appeared to be occupied by families, at least one of which Link recognized as having living previously in New Kasuto.

He dismounted Spirit and walked over to one of the buildings that was still in the process of being constructed. Once he arrived, he was somewhat surprised to see the pair of Gorons, Greyson and the young Pelison, both within the building. Pelison handed wood up to Greyson, while the older Goron worked on framing a doorway within the house. Several other of the construction workers were present as well, though Link didn't see Hudson anywhere.

"Brother!" Pelison said when Link stepped into the house.

Greyson turned and grinned broadly when he saw him. "Brother! What are you doing here?"

Link smiled as he looked around at the building, which appeared to be mostly completed, though it still lacked paint both on the inside and out. "I'm just stopping by while in the area. I wanted to see how things were coming along."

"Oh yeah, things are great here," Greyson said. "We got those rocks broke up in no time—the stone is _way_ softer down here than up on Death Mountain. After that, Hudson had us start helping him chop down trees and build some of these houses."

"I didn't expect you to stay down here after finishing with the rocks. I figured you would be going back up to Death Mountain."

"Oh, it's nice down here, brother. Me and Pelison are going to stick around for a while. Hudson seems to think we're a big help!"

"Well, great," Link said. "Any idea where Hudson is? I want to say hi to him as well."

"Should be in the next building over. They're just getting started on the second floor over there."

Link spent another minute in the house with the Gorons and other workers before stepping back outside. As he did so, a shadow passed overhead, and he looked up in surprise to see Fyson, the Rito, landing on another of the buildings. He began to work on hammering some new shingles into the room, though he lifted a wing and waved it when he saw Link on the ground below him.

Feeling buoyed by what he'd seen already, Link stepped into the other house—and came face to face with Hudson. The tall man looked down at Link in surprise, and then smiled broadly. "Link! Didn't know you were coming by today."

"I was in the area." Link reached out and shook Hudson's hand while looking around the half-constructed building. "Tarry Town has grown since I was here last."

"Yeah. We move fast."

"Clearly."

"Yep."

They both fell silent. Link cleared his throat. "I see you put the guys I sent you to work. Do all the new families have names ending in - _son_ as well?"

"No." Hudson paused before continuing. "They aren't employees, though, so it's okay." He stepped out of the building, and Link followed him.

"Did your rich benefactor move in yet?"

"Nope."

Hudson walked over to the company building, stepping in. Link followed, curious. Inside, the building was furnished sparsely, with muted colors painted on the walls. It seemed at odds with the bright colors that the building's exterior had been painted.

Hudson stepped over to a wooden desk in the corner and placed a hand against it, smiling. "Feels good to have this here now. Built it myself."

Link walked up beside him. "I'm glad to see things moving along so quickly here. By the time I get back, I bet you're going to have the entire town built."

"Probably," Hudson said, nodding. "But we need more people."

"What about from Hateno? Aren't people supposed to be moving out here?"

"Yeah, but I mean more than that. We need more craftsmen. We've got a merchant now, but he needs more to sell."

"Well, I'm sure Tarry Town will keep growing over time."

Hudson looked at him, his expression grave. Or, at least, Link thought it was. It could be hard to tell with Hudson sometimes. "No, we need more craftsmen soon if we're going to be able to keep working."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, we're running out of vests, for one."

"What?"

"Construction is rough work. Clothes get ruined easily." Hudson picked at his vest, where Link saw a tear in it that had been very poorly sewn back together.

Link… genuinely had no idea what to say in response to this. "So… you need a tailor?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you just send someone to buy more clothes? Kasuto isn't even a day's ride to the east—maybe they have a tailor that could make you some new clothes."

"They only have one tailor, and he's been sick lately." Hudson shrugged. "Pretty old."

"What about Fyson? He could fly somewhere else to pick up clothing."

Hudson considered, pursing his lips. Finally, he blew a heavy breath through his mustache. "That's not a bad idea. I'll see if he can fly to Hateno and pick up some up."

Link smiled slightly at the man. Hudson actually made Link think a lot of Daruk, in a way. Easily as blunt as the large Goron, though not nearly as talkative.

"Still, it'd be good if we got a tailor. And a cobbler. A blacksmith will be needed when farmers start moving to town, too."

"I'm sure they will eventually come," Link said. He eyed Hudson curiously. "Weren't you just hired to build a few buildings?"

Hudson shrugged. "I'm in charge here until someone else moves in. Someone's got to look out for the residents."

"I guess you're right," Link said. He still thought that Hudson's concerns extended far beyond those typical of someone in his station. "Well, if I meet a tailor on the road, I'll make sure to send them your way."

"As long as they adhere to the Bolson Construction Company naming standards."

Link's smile disappeared. "Hudson, they… wouldn't really be working for the construction company, would they? I mean, I sent Fyson, sure, but I didn't even really think he'd go."

"I don't make the rules, Link."

"But you just—" Link sighed softly. "What about your new residents? Do they all have names ending in - _son_?"

"Nope. But we didn't hire them. They just showed up one day."

"But if a tailor walks into town tomorrow and offers to set up shop, you'll refuse him if his name isn't right?"

Hudson frowned deeply. "Why would I do that?"

"You just told me that a tailor would have to have the right name."

"No, I told you that, if you _found_ one for us, he would have to have the right name. You're acting on behalf of the Bolson Construction Company, so you must abide by the rules."

"But _I_ don't have the right name," Link protested.

"You're volunteering, so it doesn't count. Just like if anyone showed up tomorrow, like you said."

Link eyed the tall man, feeling bemused. He was beginning to wonder if this was all some kind of elaborate joke. But he also supposed that it didn't truly matter. He was invested in seeing Tarry Town grow, but he wasn't about to scour the nation to find someone who matched Hudson's needs. Just like before, if he found someone, he would mention Tarry Town. That was all.

Finally, he nodded. "All right, Hudson. I'll keep an eye out. If I find someone, I'll make sure to send him your way." He paused. "That's probably unlikely, though. I'm going to the Gerudo desert next. I don't know how much luck I'll have finding someone to match your specifications."

"You never know," Hudson said, shrugging. "The Gerudo are good tailors, though."

"But am I going to find someone with a name ending in - _son_ who is willing to travel to the other side of the country?" Link asked, smiling slightly.

Hudson considered that, and then he shrugged again. "Maybe."

Link reached up and patted his arm. "Sure. I'll keep an eye out."

* * *

He patted Spirit's nose. The horse seemed agitated now that he was back in the stable in Kakariko Village. He knew that his master would be leaving again.

"I know, boy, but I don't think you would enjoy what I'm about to do," Link said, soothingly. "From what I've seen, the desert isn't very hospitable to many horses. Besides, I don't know how I would even get you down."

Spirit snorted, fixing Link with one accusatory eye.

"Don't look at me like that," he said. "You know you get spoiled here. I happen to know that Paya has a large stockpile of sugar cubes. I'll make sure to ask her to share some with you."

The horse nickered softly and pressed his face to Link's shoulder. Link smiled, hugging him tightly before handing the lead rope to the young Sheikah boy that was looking over the stable in the evening.

He turned around to find Impa and Paya standing behind him, both looking excited and apprehensive. This good-bye felt different. Portentous.

"I'll make sure I share lots of sugar cubes with him," Paya said, smiling.

Link grinned. "Not _too_ many. I need him to still be able to run when I get back." Spirit snorted behind him.

Impa approached, handing Link a pouch. It felt as though it contained a large number of rupees. "Now, I haven't traveled to the desert in the past _century_ , but from what I have heard, it has not changed a whole lot. You won't be able to enter the city."

"You don't really think they'll refuse the Champion of Hyrule, do you?"

"You don't remember much of Gerudo stubbornness, do you?"

"Well, if it's anything like princess stubbornness…"

Impa smacked his arm. "Enough of that. Just because you've managed to remember that you _did_ eventually become friends doesn't mean you can speak about the princess so flippantly."

 _But can't I?_ Link thought, though he did not share these out loud. _She's the one who told me there are no titles between us._ He glanced down at Impa and saw a knowing smile on her lips. He chose not to comment on that, either.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

"We'll be ready," Impa said, her smile replaced with an expression of fierce determination. "The time of the Calamity is coming to an end."

Paya nodded, looking fierce in her own right. She had changed since the night of the assassination attempt. She carried a Sheikah sword at the small of her back.

Link smiled at them both, but felt nervous, despite his earlier confidence. What would they think if he never returned? He didn't want to put them through that again. Especially not Paya—he still felt guilt over the pain his earlier disappearance had clearly put her through.

So, he stood up straighter, pushing his worries below the surface. He wore a pack upon his back—everything he would need in the short term. He wore the Master Sword on his back, underneath the pack, but the shield was attached to the pack itself. The blue Champion tunic, made to look just like the one crafted by Zelda's own hand, stood out brightly in the moonlight.

He removed the Sheikah Slate, finding the Shrine near the Rito city. He met their eyes one last time and then pressed his finger to the shrine. A moment later, he disappeared from Kakariko Village and appeared at the base of the shrine.

* * *

Rito Village shone with light as he approached. Even though the moon was already high in the sky overhead, most of its inhabitants still appeared to be awake. The shadowy forms of Rito flew overhead, but none of them immediately took notice of the lone Hylian approaching the great spire. Medoh was still perched at the spire's peak, watching over its home.

The Rito guards near the bridges that crossed the gaps to the city itself balked when he approached. "Sir Link?" one of them asked, stepping forward with a torch. "We didn't know that you were—it was feared that—"

 _Sir Link? That's new._ "I'm all right. Just got delayed from returning for a time." He hesitated. "No one is out looking for me right now, are they?"

"Not that I know of, but…" He turned to his companion, frowning. "I'll go tell Teba." The Rito spread his wings and took off before Link could object.

Link sighed softly and waited. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long before a new Rito form appeared, swooping down and landing directly before him. Teba, eyes wide, stared at Link.

"You're alive," he said, voice lacking its typical gruffness.

"Last I checked." Link smiled broadly. "I'm sorry, I—"

He cut off as another shadow passed overhead. Kass had barely even landed before laughing and stepping forward, placing a wing on Link's shoulder. "I should have known you would just show up one day."

"Better late than never?" Link patted Kass' wing.

"Indeed. But what happened? We searched for you after your Sheikah Slate was found, but there was no sign."

"I was being hunted by the Guardians, so that's a good thing. But…" Link reached back and unsheathed the Master Sword. "I also had to go fetch this."

"What's that?" Teba asked, stepping forward and crossing his wings with a frown.

"The _Master Sword_ ," Kass said, eyes widening. "It is just like its descriptions. And you found it? You must tell me about it!"

"I will, I promise." Link slid the sword back into its scabbard. "But first, I want to talk to Revali. We're leaving tomorrow morning for the desert, and I want to make sure he's ready to go."

" _Good_." Teba scowled. "He's been agitated ever since you didn't show up again. He is as annoying as a damned _goose_."

Link laughed. "He can be! Come on—let's go see him, and then I'll tell you everything that's happened. There's a lot to discuss."


	45. Chapter Forty-Two

**So I hear you all like the conversations between Link and Zelda... Good, because so do I, and therefore, I wrote a whole lot of them, and there are plenty more memories featuring them to come. The memory in the last chapter was particularly fun to write, as it was the first time I really got to put the two of them into a more casual setting. There aren't many opportunities to do that in this story, but I thought that it was important to show how their friendship develops.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Eighteen credit hours suck! I remember those semesters, and I'm glad that I can provide a good diversion for you.**

 **iCards: I think we've already discovered that Link isn't very good at holding his own liquor... Also, putting that memory at the races was a fun way to change that scene up. I'll admit that my original intent for it was to put it in a quieter setting as well, but then I decided to save that setting for a later memory. And I fully imagine that Teba wouldn't get along with Revali. Though there are certain similarities between them, I imagine they would butt heads quite a bit.**

 **Saphura: You won't have to wait long to see the antics Link gets up to in the desert... It just might be my favorite series of chapters in the novel. I love the Gerudo so much in this world.**

 **Now, I think you will find this chapter enjoyable for a number of reasons... Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Two**

"Could you have dawdled any longer?" Revali asked as Link and Teba landed on Medoh's wing.

The sun had risen in the east, and the Divine Beast was already in the air. Rather than try to find a place to hang on while the Divine Beast unfolded itself and took flight, they had decided that it would just be easier for Link to be carried up to Medoh. The air was frigid this high up, and Link was dressed in his heavier Rito clothing, along with the cloak they gave him.

"You know I can't go anywhere without a good meal," Link said.

Revali looked at him with apparent disdain. "Gorging yourself before facing certain doom?"

"Can't fight monsters on an empty stomach."

"I think I liked you better when you didn't speak."

"I'm sure." Link stepped up to the Rito and, despite their words, smiled. Revali smirked.

"Are you two done?" Teba asked.

Revali looked back over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "This one flies far too stiff." He looked at Link. "Kind of like you, actually. No wonder you get along."

Teba harrumphed and turned, spreading his wings. He wouldn't be flying with them to Gerudo desert, having chosen, instead, to remain behind in Rito Village. Their search for Link had delayed his plan to push back the wolfos near the Flight Range, and he planned to go out today with a few warriors.

"See you later. Do me a favor and don't disappear this time," he said before taking flight.

Medoh tilted slightly as it turned south. Revali made no indication of controlling the Divine Beast—his mental connection with it was as strong as the other Champions' had been after defeating the creature aboard.

Revali and Link stood together for a time, the only sound coming from the wind as Medoh began its slow flight to the desert. Finally, Revali cleared his throat—which seemed strange to Link, considering he had no actual body—and looked at him.

"So," he said. "Last one?"

Link looked at Revali and nodded. "Last one."

"I see you went and found your old sword again. Hopefully, you're more prepared to face Ganon than you were last time."

Link looked at Revali, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Revali asked. "I'm being serious. We already know _I'm_ ready."

"Well, _now_ you are."

"And that's all that matters."

They fell silent again for a time before Revali spoke up again. "So how is the princess doing?"

Link had told Revali about his journey into the castle the night before. Revali, surprisingly, didn't even tease him for it. Even he seemed to understand why Link had done it, despite it being an ultimately useless gesture.

"She's hanging on," Link said, looking back towards the east.

Revali nodded. "You know, I once thought of her as talentless."

Link felt the prickle of irritation at that and looked at Revali. The Rito, however, looked thoughtful and, perhaps, a little regretful.

"If I had known what was going to happen—and what she would do—I… Well, I was mistaken in my estimation of her."

Link relaxed some. "I think she was stronger than any of us, in the end."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Revali crossed his wings, tapping one of his fingers thoughtfully. "We all had our special abilities and weapons. We all wondered if the goddess would eventually deem her worthy. And well, here we are."

Link narrowed his eyes slightly. He could faintly recall… something. It was at the edges of his memory. "Even without her power, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere without her. She was the expert on the Divine Beasts. The whole reason Medoh ever flew after it was dug up was because of her."

"True. Though I wonder if we would have been better off without the Divine Beasts."

"No," Link said. "Ganon still would have had the Guardians. At least we can use the Divine Beasts now."

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't have been relying on them as much," Revali said. "We could have fought back against the Guardians."

"Maybe, but…" Link hesitated and then shook his head. "No. Ganon would have still won. None of us were prepared for him to take over the Guardians."

"And are you now?"

Link looked at Revali with some surprise. But he brought up a good point. The Guardians were strong and numerous. Even with Robbie's weaponry and an army behind him, could they defeat the Guardians if Ganon gained complete control over them again? He hoped that Purah's research would turn something up.

"The Sheikah are working on that," he said, finally.

"Because they were so _helpful_ last time."

"We all made mistakes."

Revali didn't respond, simply gazing out at the land as it passed underneath. Link remained by his side for a time before stepping away and sitting down with his back against one of the pillars near the wing's edge, where he could look over and see their passage.

It would take a while to reach the desert. Roughly five to six hours, according to Revali's estimation. Which was, of course, far shorter a time period than it would have taken Link by foot, or even riding on the back of one of the Rito. Medoh did not move extremely fast—a horse could gallop slightly faster—but it could fly without stopping to rest and without regard to the contours of the land.

He found himself wishing he could speak to Zelda again, or even to just be able to air his thoughts aloud as he had been doing so often lately, but he didn't feel comfortable doing so while Revali was near. So, he removed his Sheikah Slate and opened up the gallery, gazing down at the photographs.

Link found the one taken at the sand seal race—or _a_ race. He had a vague idea of what had followed that event, based on his thoughts on that day and the memory he had of the evening spent with Revali, Urbosa, and Daruk following the Champion Festival at the beginning of the summer that year. He and Zelda had traveled back to the castle after spending a long time in the desert and the king had thrown his false celebration. But what happened between that? Or after?

The Sheikah Slate held few answers for him. There were a number of photographs following the one taken at the race, but none of them seemed to trigger his memories at the moment. Her diary, likewise, held only vague answers for his memories at the moment.

So, he focused on something else. What he'd felt earlier when speaking with Revali. Something about what he'd said had triggered something in Link's memory. He'd learned to listen to those subtle cues in his subconscious. _We all had our abilities and weapons…_

He closed his eyes, chasing the memory in his mind. He reached for the faint familiar feeling, pressing against the mental barrier that kept his memories locked away. Finally, as he strained to recall whatever it was that he sought, the barrier broke. Sensations, feelings, and words rushed in. He remembered.

* * *

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* * *

" _Sav'saaba_."

Link jerked awake at the voice, thrashing to get out from his bedcovers. A tall, shadowy form stood over him, backlit by soft torch light from out in the castle hall.

The person laughed, however, and Link froze, squinting up at the figure. " _Urbosa_?" he finally said.

"It is good you finally awoke," Urbosa said, stepping back so that she was better illuminated by the faint light coming in from the hall. "I stood in here for two minutes. You need to develop some better instincts if you're going to keep following the princess around."

"What…" Link frowned at her, his mind still foggy from being woken up so abruptly. "What time is it? Why are you here?" And then his thoughts sped up. _Princess Zelda._ He sat up abruptly. "Is she okay? Did something happen?"

"Oh, she's fine." Urbosa waved a hand. "She just can't sleep."

Link was still confused. "Then… why wake me?"

Urbosa snorted. "Because she would like to speak with you. Why else? _Voe_."

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow over supper," she said, voice growing sharp. "Yes, now."

"And she sent you to wake me?"

Urbosa placed her hands on her hips, staring at Link. "Honestly, you'd think a knight would be more responsive to a beautiful princess's summons."

Link hesitated for just another moment before silently acknowledging that Urbosa was right. He moved to remove his blankets but stopped, looking back up at her. "Well, could you… leave? I am not dressed."

The tall Gerudo laughed again. "You Hylians and your modesty! Always so embarrassed by the sight of a little skin."

Link felt his face flush. He knew exactly what she was referring to. Finally, gritting his teeth, he threw the blankets off of him and stood, wearing nothing more than a pair of undershorts.

Urbosa's smirk was just barely visible in the dim light before she turned and walked out of the room. She closed the door behind her, plunging his modest interior chamber into darkness. Link felt his way to his dresser and removed a tunic and pair of trousers blindly. He dressed quickly, slipped his feet into his boots, and belted on the Master Sword—one never could be too careful, even at the castle—before exiting out into the hall.

Urbosa still stood just outside in the hall, arms crossed. When Link stepped out, she looked at him critically for a moment before nodding and turning. She walked down the hall with long strides, and Link had to hurry to keep up. _Damn the Gerudo and their long legs._

"You know, I am proud of you," Urbosa said after a few moments of walking. Her voice seemed too loud in the otherwise quiet hall. What time _was_ it?

"Why is that?" Link asked.

"You have done well with her. She is doing better, despite her father's best efforts."

Link felt a stab of concern at that. Speaking in such a way about the king in his very own castle was dangerous. It wasn't that he was a particularly vengeful man, but he was stern, and Urbosa _was_ his guest, just as Link was his knight.

He knew what Urbosa referred to, however—the Champion's Festival that they'd held two days prior. Princess Zelda had been quiet and reserved ever since, spending an alarming amount of time up in her tower. She hadn't spoken much to Link in that time, either, which was part of the reason Urbosa still remained. The other Champions had already departed, but Urbosa remained for an extra few days, spending much of her time in the tower with the princess.

When Link didn't respond, Urbosa looked down at him with a smirk. "It isn't just her. I notice that _you_ seem to be more relaxed now, too."

"We're back at the castle," Link said, slightly more defensively than necessary. "There are fewer dangers here, and more guards."

Urbosa snorted. "Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I mean."

Link _did_ know what she meant, but he didn't feel much like talking about it with her. He _did_ feel more relaxed around other people since the desert. Since he had spoken with the princess about his burden. It wasn't a dramatic difference for him—the burden remained just as it had before, but having even one person to share it with helped.

The Gerudo woman sighed again. "Both of you are exactly alike. _Vehvi_."

Link looked up at her, eyebrow raised. "What does that mean?"

" _Children_ ," Urbosa said.

He pursed his lips.

They walked in silence for a time until Urbosa led him to a door that led out to one of the castle gardens. Link frowned when Urbosa stopped at the door, motioning for him to go out.

"Go on. She wants to talk to _you_."

Link felt his pulse quicken at the words, and he stepped outside. Urbosa closed the door to the garden behind him.

The garden was one of the more secluded locations in the castle grounds. Surrounded on one side by the rock that made up the mountain that the castle had been built into and a castle wall on the other, the only way into the garden was by way of two doorways. He was surprised that the flowers within even got enough light to bloom.

It took Link a moment to find Princess Zelda. The garden was not large, but it was still dark out and there were no torches here. There were, however, several blue nightshades that formed a narrow path to a pond near the back, where a small statue of Hylia stood. The princess sat on a stone bench, looking down towards her hands.

She looked up when Link approached, eyes widening. She stood up quickly. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I _told_ her not to wake you. Honestly, she told me that she was just stepping inside to fetch us something to drink."

Link paused, confused. "Princess, it's… all right. But if you'd rather me not be here…"

"No!" she blurted, and then looked embarrassed. "No, it's… quite all right. You can stay." After a moment, she sat back down and motioned for Link to sit next to her on the bench.

Feeling oddly nervous, Link sat down, making sure to keep a respectful distance between them. What would the servants think if they were to look out of one of the windows and see the two of them out here? It wasn't something Link relished thinking about.

They sat in silence for a time. Princess Zelda had her back turned away from the Goddess statue, looking, instead, at the field of flowers. The nightshades cast a soft blue hue, illuminating her expression. She seemed anxious.

"Princess?" he said. She looked up at him. "Is everything all right?"

Her eyebrows lifted. She looked surprised at his question. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd asked it at all. He forced himself to meet her eyes, despite their difference in station. Despite the fact that everything about the situation he found himself in seemed highly… irregular. Perhaps inappropriate.

She made a decision. He could see it in her eyes, in the set of her jaw, and the way she took a deep breath, like she always did before saying something serious. "I… have been avoiding you."

 _What?_

"Since the Champion's Festival. I know that I shouldn't have been, of course, but… I have been."

Where had _that_ come from? It was true that Link had seen less of her since the festival, but it had only been two days. He had been maintaining his normal duties, including taking watches at her door at times, but the situation at the castle had not necessitated his constant presence, as was required while traveling. He'd even spent some time with his family.

"I apologize," Princess Zelda continued. "In truth, with the Champion's Festival, I… Well, I hadn't much of a desire to spend time with anyone. And I do still, at times, find myself… intimidated."

Link felt a surge of alarm. Heat rose up the back of his neck, and he sat up straighter. "Intimidated? Princess, if I have done _anything_ to—"

She held up her hand, cutting him off. She met his eyes and shook her head, though didn't immediately speak. Finally, she rose and began to pace on the grassy path, careful not to trod upon the flowers.

"It isn't you. It's, really, never been _about_ you. I was…" She sighed, clenching one of her hands into a fist. " _Jealous_. Because you drew the Master Sword."

Link felt a lead weight settle in his stomach. He wondered if she knew that Urbosa told him that very fact. Of course, he'd never said anything, content to know that they had begun to get along.

He noticed that she was looking at him now, as if gauging him for a reaction. When he didn't immediately give one, she began to pace again, looking frustrated.

"It was silly, I know. You and I have different tasks, different roles to play in the coming conflict. But it angered me to no _end_ that you were just able to walk up and… pull it out. Like it was nothing. I'd seen other men try to do it, Link. No one could do so. In fact, many spoke of how they felt physically weakened after trying—as though the Master Sword drained them of their strength for even daring to touch it.

"Yet _you_ just walked up. There was no fanfare, no ceremony… We were just walking together and… you just removed it from the stone. It was like you were just curious what would happen."

"It wasn't..." Link said, haltingly. He was feeling increasingly confused by her behavior. Gone was the sorrow he'd seen earlier, replaced by a kind of fierce determination. He was worried that she would get angry. "I think it _called_ me. Somehow."

She paused, looking at him, and he _did_ see a flash of something like anger in her eyes… but then it faded. It took her a moment before she began speaking again. When she did, she turned away from him.

"See? That. That is what… _bothered_ me so much." She wrapped her arms around herself. "It still does. You have your sword. The others have their abilities and, of course, their Divine Beasts. But I… I have nothing."

Link remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

"When… when my mother died, I thought that the worst part of it would be the inability to see or speak to her again. _Shouldn't_ that be the worst part of losing a parent? Being unable to… be around them anymore?"

It was as if icy fingers had reached into Link's chest and wrapped themselves around his heart. Everything grew still. Silent. He gripped his trousers in tight fists. He could hear her breathing, see the way her shoulders rose and fall with every inhale and exhale.

"But… at times, it feels as though I was never even allowed to mourn my mother properly. No, because then more of the fortune teller's predictions started coming true, and the signs of Calamity Ganon's return grew more apparent. And, suddenly, the worst part of her death was not the loss of a mother, but the loss of a _teacher_. Someone who could have taught me how to harness the royal family's sealing power. Perhaps even someone worthier than I to fight against the Calamity."

She grew silent again. Link remained on the bench, feeling helpless. What could he say to comfort her? To ease her pain?

"I…" he began. She stiffened slightly at his voice, glancing over her shoulder. "I don't know if I ever truly had the chance to mourn my mother either."

She turned, frowning, but didn't interrupt him.

Link sighed softly. "It's just—she passed away so shortly before I drew the sword. My father hadn't even come back from putting the household in order. I had only just recently returned myself."

"And nothing else mattered after you drew the sword," Princess Zelda said, her voice soft.

"Exactly. After that, I stopped being Link, son of Arn and Medilia. Then I was just… the Hero."

She gazed at him for a time and then looked up, as if offering a silent prayer to the heavens. When she looked back down at him, her expression had firmed. "I have devoted my entire life to awakening these powers. You've seen me—you know what I must do each day in order to fulfill my role. I have done these things since I was a child, and I will _continue_ to do them until the Goddess deems me worthy." Her eyes slid past Link to look at the statue of Hylia. "If she deems me worthy."

"I believe she will," Link said, looking at her.

She met his eyes, considering. She came to her decision and walked over, sitting back on the bench next to him. "I want to ask you something."

"Of course, Princess."

"You are my personal knight. Assigned to me by my father. By his order, you will go with me wherever I go, protect me with your shield, and should the need arise, lay down your life in order to save mine. These are the oaths that you swore."

Link nodded. He could remember the day all too well.

"You are all of these things because my father commanded it. You were also chosen by the Master Sword, and are, therefore, the Champion of Hyrule."

"Yes."

"I want to ask you to be something else. Something, perhaps, far less important than either of those other titles, yet… infinitely more important to me."

Link met her eyes, feeling both excited and nervous. What could be more important to her than his place as Champion? His heart beat rapidly within his chest. His hands felt sweaty.

"I want you to be my friend," she said, holding his gaze.

He opened his mouth but found that he didn't know what words he could say. In truth, he'd thought they were already on the path to that. His father spoke of his friendship with the king, albeit with the respectful boundaries dictated by propriety, and Link assumed that, following the desert, he and the princess would have the same.

However, seeing her eyes now, he realized that this was not what she was asking of him.

"I know that this is an odd request," she said after a few moments of silence. "But I will not presume friendship with you, Sir Link, nor all that it would entail."

 _All that it would entail?_ he thought, slightly incredulously. She was still looking at him, waiting for an answer.

"Of course, Princess, I would be your friend," Link said, voice hesitant.

She didn't look convinced. "I know that it was not all that long ago that we were on less than pleasant terms with each other. But I asked you to forgive me and you… seemed sincere in your acceptance. So, I would hope the mistakes of the past no longer stand between us."

Link felt himself beginning to smile. He almost started chuckling. This was, by far, the _oddest_ conversation that he thought he'd had with her—and she'd recently taken to speaking of her studies and experiments to him.

"I'm being _serious_ ," she said, frowning. "Perhaps you are perfectly capable of making friends with whoever you meet, but—"

"Princess, I am _not_ able to do anything of the sort," he said. Then he flushed, realizing that he had cut her off. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

She shook her head quickly, and he fell silent. "If we're going to be friends, then that needs to change."

"What does?"

"The hesitance, the deference, the… _titles_." Her eyes widened. "From now on, I want no more titles between us."

"Your highness, I am not certain if I can—"

" _Zelda_. My name is just Zelda. When we are traveling together or when we are in private, I just… want to be Zelda. Will you please do that for me?" She paused and then added, "Link?"

The impropriety of it raged within him. No titles? No deference? What she was asking him wasn't just odd, it was _outrageous_. He could be severely punished for _half_ of what had already transpired this night. This request was too much. Yet…

 _"I guess we are the same, you and I."_

She had a façade, just as he did. The royal princess. Stern, unapproachable, faithful to a fault. Always focused on the future, but unafraid. She, too, played the role that others around her needed to see. They were the same.

He looked at her.

Her eyes held such hope. They pled with him, and he couldn't help but to imagine what things must have been like for her growing up. Not even just a princess, but someone who was supposed to be far greater. Always surrounded by priests and scholars. Spending every morning and evening in prayer.

And she felt that she could be honest with him. She didn't want to wear that mask around him.

"Zelda." The word carried with it the weight of impropriety, but also friendship. A bond between them. A… " _Link_."

Zelda looked at him, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "What?"

"Our names, they are a… link between us. We're linked. By our names." He tried to smile, but it was bad. It was _so_ very bad. He regretted every single word that had come out of his mouth.

Zelda's eyebrows rose, and her mouth opened in a small O. There was silence for several precious seconds. Link actually wondered if he could run. Just… go back to his room and forget this moment ever happened.

But then she laughed. It was actually more of a giggle. Her cheeks turned pink, and she covered her mouth, but she giggled nonetheless. Link felt his own cheeks burning.

"That was…" she said, as she caught her breath. "That was truly, _spectacularly,_ terrible." But she grinned at him, and Link felt himself grinning back. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Oh, I am," he said, but he no longer felt it. He'd never seen her laugh like that and found that he very much so wanted to see it again.

She met his eyes, cheeks still pink after her giggling. "Thank you, Link. After the last few days, I… I needed this."

"Of course, Princ—" He stopped himself as she raised an eyebrow. "Zelda."

She smiled in satisfaction.

* * *

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* * *

The sun was bright overhead, though it did little to warm Link at this altitude. He watched as they passed snowcapped plateaus and mountains. Because of their height, Revali had been forced to take Medoh even higher, at one point through a series of clouds, which left Link's cloak soaked, though it did keep the water off of his clothing underneath.

When the clouds broke, however, Link found himself looking down on the Gerudo Highlands. They flew above it, but not by much. He could see the remnants of an old village atop one of the plateaus, its roofs long since caved in by thick snow. He could see the hardiest of animals and trees, and even saw what he thought was one of the giant stone Taluses that Boldon had told him about. It was a giant creature made of interlocking boulders with no discernable face. It walked atop one of the plateaus, seemingly without purpose, though it did pause as they passed overhead. Link thought that it was looking at them, despite its lack of eyes.

And then, suddenly, the snow was gone, replaced by rock and sand as they reached the edges of the highlands. The land dropped away from them, falling hundreds and maybe even thousands of feet, to where Link saw sand dunes.

Medoh tilted down gently, though the shift was enough to make Link stand and place a hand against the pillar for additional support. Medoh gradually descended and the land rose up to meet them. As they sank, Link began to see other details. Occasional plants, though they were unlike the plants he was used to—small, shriveled things that remained close to the ground, or spiny cacti—dotted the landscape, as did various desert animals. He saw people, too. A group of tents marked sat next to a herd of camels. As they passed overhead, a tall Gerudo woman stepped out of one of the tents, looking up and shielding her eyes.

Link carefully made his way over to where Revali still stood, unaffected by Medoh's motion. Revali glanced at him when Link stepped up beside him and nodded, but said nothing. They hadn't spoken much on the trip over—Revali had seemed deep within his own thoughts. Link, for his part, had been sorting through his newly remembered meeting with Zelda, which had brought with it a new wealth of details and emotions.

The desert was large, and the flight through the desert took longer than Link had initially expected. As they descended, the day began to grow warmer until he was forced to change out of his warm Rito clothing into his simple tunic and trousers. It only continued to grow hotter, however, and he eventually tied a bandana around his head to prevent sweat from dripping down into his eyes.

Some of the dunes in the desert rose, as if to attempt to meet them, while other areas were long expanses of flat rock and sand. Seeing the desert from this angle, it surprised Link how much variety there was. They passed entire towns and cities, as well as other wandering tribes of Gerudo. They flew over markets, bazaars, and the occasional oasis.

Oddly, Link didn't remember as much being present when he visited with Zelda, but there still remained many holes in his memory of that time. In all likelihood, he just didn't remember such things. Certainly, seeing things from above gave him a much broader perspective than he would have had back then.

Their flight caused a commotion among the tribes of Gerudo, which only grew more apparent as they neared the desert's center and Gerudo Town. As they flew, Link saw groups of Gerudo riding ahead of them on tall, lean horses or riding on sleds pulled by sand seals. Eventually, Medoh outstripped them all due to its tireless flight. Yet they continued to ride, clearly hoping to give some warning.

"Link," Revali said, drawing Link's attention away from some of the riders that they flew over. "Look."

He turned to look where Revali indicated, and that was when he saw it. A towering whirlwind of sand and lightning that reached high into the air. It was difficult to make anything else out, so he brought out his Sheikah Slate, using its magnification to get a closer view.

As the bolts of lightning flashed within the enormous sandstorm, Link saw the faint outline of Divine Beast Vah Naboris at its center. It stood upon four long legs and walked slowly. The lightning appeared to originate from just above the Divine Beast.

Link thought that he could see evidence of the storm's destructive power. The sand rushed and billowed around it, extending far beyond the mechanical creature at its center, and when the lightning struck the ground, it kicked up gouts of sand and rock.

He felt anger bubble up from within him. In the center of that beast of destructive power was Ganon's final piece. The creature that killed his friend and assisted in terrorizing this land. And he felt something else, too. A pull, a _need_ to eliminate the darkness at the heart of that storm. It took him a moment before he realized that the sensation was not coming from within himself but originated from the Master Sword. It… _desired_ to destroy the evil thing just as much as he did.

"Need me to drop you off on it?" Revali asked, looking at Link with a smirk. "Looks like it should be pretty simple fix. As easy as preening a few feathers."

Link shook his head, looking ahead to where Gerudo Town had come into view over the rise of another large dune. The Jewel of Gerudo Desert stood sentinel at the center of the desert, its great stone walls and beautifully tiled aqueducts visible even from a distance. Despite its humble name, it was a city of enormous proportions, larger, even, than the Zora capitol. While most of its buildings were squat stone structures, many rose above the others with multiple floors and towers that reached for the sky. At the far end of the city was a trio of tall rock formations, tapered in the center while expanding near their peaks. Water streamed off these rocks, forming the source for the aqueducts.

A structure had been built—carved—out of the trio of towers that had, apparently, once grown out of a single rock. The structure was large and imposing, with multiple levels and a staircase leading up to its entrance. The palace. It took Link only a split-second decision before he pointed at it. "I'll get off there."

"Brave man," Revali said, angling Medoh to fly towards the center of the city. "Looking to make a splash, I take it."

Link nodded, turning to gather up his gear. "I don't have time to waste any longer. I'm ready to see this finished."

Revali grunted. "Could have fooled me. _You_ were the one who decided to nap for one hundred years."

Link glanced back at him, grinning. "And then I woke up and saved _your_ tailfeathers. Don't forget that."

The Rito harrumphed, crossing his wings over his chest. "Ready?" And Medoh began to sharply tilt to the side.

"Revali!" Link said, alarmed as his footing grew suddenly precarious. He desperately reached for one of the pillars to steady himself. Revali merely laughed, and the ground righted itself again.

Underneath, the entire city appeared to have emerged from their homes to observe the giant winged Divine Beast as it flew straight for the palace. Link saw a disconcerting number of them wielding swords and spears.

 _Hopefully, this isn't a terrible mistake,_ he mused as he prepared his paraglider. It probably was.

"Link," Revali said from behind him, and Link looked over his shoulder. Revali gazed at him for a moment before nodding. "Good luck. Medoh and I will be ready to take on Ganon when you return."

"I'll see you soon," Link said before turning and stepping off Medoh. He opened up his paraglider, which felt somewhat awkward considering the gear attached to his back, but it held his weight as effectively as always.

However, as soon as he stepped off Medoh, he found himself caught in its wake, and it was all he could do to hang onto the paraglider as he was buffeted in all directions by wind. Below, the Gerudo guards began to yell, pointing their spears. Several of them ran inside.

Link wrestled to gain control over the paraglider, but the momentum from his flight combined with a surprisingly strong wind carried him right towards the upper floor of the palace, rather than the courtyard out front—which is where he'd _intended_ on landing.

Swearing loudly, his foot caught the edge of the upper floor's edge, and for a moment, he hung their precariously, still holding his paraglider for dear life. And then another gust of wind caught the glider and pushed him forward, onto solid ground.

Overhead, Medoh turned and rose into the air, heading back north.

Below, the guards yelled in the local language, and Link knew right away that he had made a major mistake. There was an open doorway directly in front of him, which revealed a lavishly decorated bedroom with colorful carpets and drapes, a huge bed in its center, and a girl, no older than a young teenager, sitting upon a couch with her legs crossed, quill in hand and book open on the table before her. She had long red hair in a loose braid that fell down her back and wore some kind of golden ornamentation upon her head that spread out with golden wings. He was fairly certain that it was a crown.

 _Oh, damn._

A group of Gerudo burst out of the building at the bottom of the stairs leading up to this level. He held his hands up to show that he was not a threat, but that did not stop them from tackling him to the ground. A moment later, the butt of a spear struck him across the temple, and everything went dark.


	46. Chapter Forty-Three

**Well, Link certainly managed to find his way into a spot of trouble again... He's learned some lessons from his foray into the castle, but you can't blame him for still being a little rushed. In all fairness, Ganon could literally break out at any time! He's in a hurry. Also, he's reckless (it's canon!), so...** **Fun fact: I originally had him making that unwise landing on purpose, but then I decided that was too reckless, even for him. Still, it would appear the consensus among my readers is that Link is a bit of a moron from time to time... Which is entirely true.**

 **This chapter, naturally, deals with the aftermath of that event. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Plus, it introduces a few important players in the Gerudo arc, including one that might come as a surprise...**

 **iCards: I never claimed Zelda laughed at his puns because they were _good_. And I liked the idea of Zelda stressing over avoiding Link while he just assumed it was because they were back at the castle. I wanted to show how their perceptions of their "relationship" already differed. As for how Link's going to get himself out of this mess... Well, that's what this chapter is all about.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: By now, you should know that literally nothing is ever easy for Link... I find a great deal of enjoyment in writing the challenges that he must overcome. And the Gerudo challenges are just so much fun.**

 **Michy: The banter between Link and Revali was fun. I figure that they won't ever be friends, exactly, but at least they can get over some of their pettiness. Plus I kind of think that Revali likes Link a lot more now than he's willing to trade insults.**

 **SoundMusician60: Good news! Something does _eventually_ go right for Link. It just may take a while to get there...**

 **Thanks for all the comments, everyone! Now, please, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think about this one!**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Three**

Link woke to a dark room and a splitting headache. He was lying on a straw-covered stone floor. He groaned softly, eyes fluttering open and taking in the room around him. It was a small enclosure, with iron bars on one side and stone walls making up the other three. The stale air smelled of sweat, urine, and decay.

He gasped sharply, sitting up and looking around, eyes wide. He was only in his tunic and trousers. His gear, down to his boots, had all been removed. The Sheikah Slate was missing. The Master Sword was _gone_. And he was in a cage.

"Hey!" he said, standing and hurrying to the bars. " _Hey_!"

He was in a dungeon. Other cells lined the sides of the long room, and the only source of light was a single flickering torch hanging off of a bracket on one of the walls.

For a long time, there was no answer. Link looked desperately around the dungeon for anything he could use. Yet the dungeon seemed empty and devoid of life. He couldn't see his gear anywhere.

A door opened down the hall, its hinges squealing loudly as a tall Gerudo stepped into the dungeon. She walked down the hall to stand in front of Link's cage, and he couldn't help but to take an involuntary step back from the intimidating woman.

She towered over Link. The Gerudo woman had her long red hair tied up above her head in a long tail that hung down her back and wore a great deal of golden armor plating. The armor itself appeared more decorative than actually functional, as it contained multiple rubies near the waist, on the legs and arms, and one at the center of her collarbone. She had yet another golden decoration above her forehead, which bore some kind of disturbing face with bared teeth.

She held a two-handed great sword in her hands and placed it, point down, on the ground.

She looked down at him with an expression of fury. " _Voe_. Why did you attempt to enter Lady Riju's room? What was your purpose in coming to Gerudo City as you did, on the back of that… flying contraption?"

"My name is Link and I—"

She slammed the tip of her sword to the ground, cutting him off. "Did I ask for your _name_?"

Link hesitated, staring at her. Finally, he pursed his lips and stepped closer to the bars. "That flying thing is a Divine Beast. I just _freed_ it. And I came here to do the same to yours."

"And entering Lady Riju's quarters?"

"I didn't _mean_ to do that, I just… overshot my destination. It wasn't my intention to stir up any trouble."

"Are you an assassin?"

"What? No! I came to _help_ you, not—"

She brought the point of her sword down again, and Link shut his mouth. The tall woman eyed Link, her expression severe and unchanging. Finally, she lifted her sword and turned, walking back towards the door.

"Wait!" Link said, startled. He rushed to the bars. "Where are my things? Where is my sword?"

The woman didn't answer. She simply walked out and slammed the door behind her, leaving Link alone in the dark cell.

Link grabbed the bars and shook them, but they were solid iron and barely even rattled. He pulled away and began to inspect his surroundings, looking for anything that he could use to escape from the prison. However, the room was empty, save for the straw on the floor and a bucket in the corner.

He slumped down against the wall and sighed, looking up. "So… I seem to have gotten myself in a bit of a bind. Any ideas?"

But, like usual, Zelda did not respond. He didn't even know if she could hear him, considering the state that he left things in following his foray into Hyrule Castle. And now he was in prison. This was the _last_ place that he needed to be right now.

* * *

The Gerudo woman came back three times that day. At least, Link _assumed_ it was all during the same day. It was very difficult to determine how much time he'd been in his cell due to the lack of windows.

Each time she came down, she demanded various answers from Link—what he knew of the Divine Beasts, how he tamed one, had he ever been near the city before, where was his home, and others—and refused to answer any of his own questions. It was obvious from the questioning, though, that she was concerned about Naboris.

"Look, I _told_ you," Link said, gritting his teeth. He was tired, hungry, and thirsty. And _still_ in prison. "I came here to stop your Divine Beast. I've already stopped the other _three_ —yours is the last one!"

The woman, whose name Link still didn't know, glared at him. "If that were the case, then why not travel directly to Naboris? Why attempt to infiltrate the palace?"

"I wasn't trying to _infiltrate_ —that's not—" He sighed, taking a deep breath. He wouldn't get anywhere arguing with this woman. "Each of the Divine Beasts has certain defense measures. From what I saw, I would guess that Naboris uses sandstorms and lightning, correct?"

The woman did not answer but did not stop him from speaking either, so Link continued.

"That is why I came here. I need to find a way to get past or disable the defense mechanisms, and I figured the Gerudo might know a way to do so. At least, that was my experience with the Zora, Gorons, and Rito."

She continued to stare at him for a long time, fixing him with cold eyes. Finally, she said, "Then you are too late."

"What?"

The woman did not respond, however, turning and walking from the prison. Link watched her go, feeling dread settling in the pit of his stomach. What did that mean? He worried about the amount of time that it had taken him to get here. Most of the Divine Beasts had been rampaging since around the time he woke—had it been a mistake to come to the desert last?

He leaned against the bars, sighing. He could hear a soft scratching sound coming from one of the other prison cells—a mouse had made its home in one of them. Other than that, the only other sound in the dungeon was Link's own breathing.

"This is a fine mess that I got myself in," he said, looking at the sand-colored stone floor. "First I charge into the castle to save you from imprisonment, and then I manage to land _myself_ in an actual prison."

Zelda didn't answer, but it made him feel better to speak aloud anyway.

He backed away from the bars, pursing his lips as he looked around his surroundings again. If his Sheikah Slate hadn't been taken, freeing himself from the prison would have been easy. As it was, however, all he had were his bare hands. He had already attempted to loosen some of the stone around the bars, but the prison was made well He couldn't find a weakness anywhere.

Link sat down with his back to the wall, grimacing. "When this is all over, and we're telling the story to Kass so he can write a song about us—you _know_ he's going to do that—let's omit this part. I know you got on me about trying to always act heroic, but this… this is just _embarrassing_."

He closed his eyes, instead focusing on his memories. Sitting with Zelda in the garden. That had been a pleasant memory. It might have shocked him how quickly they both opened up to each other had he not understood his own thoughts. Full of concern over his destiny and loneliness in his new position in the kingdom, he had been desperate for some kind of companionship. The only other person that Link truly seemed willing to speak to before Zelda had been Daruk—and they only rarely saw each other.

Link suspected that his princess felt the same way. In fact, she even had her own close friend that she was unable to see very often in the form of Urbosa. He thought that she and Urbosa might have even been closer than he and Daruk.

Was it any wonder, then, that the two of them, so similar in their burdens, would eventually grow close?

 _But how close?_ he wondered. This, he did not speak aloud. He wasn't ready to share those thoughts with Zelda. Not until he had more of an understanding of what happened following the Spring of Power. _I cared for her. More than I should have, considering my station._

The thought warred with the sense of knightly duty that he felt, even now, long after the feelings risen by his memory had time to settle. Not that there was a kingdom or a social ranking structure any longer. _But there will be,_ he told himself. _After we finish this_.

What would happen when Ganon was defeated? Kass had asked Link that very question, even going as far as to suggest that Link could become a leader in the land. He had implied that Link could even be king. The thought alarmed Link, yet…

Zelda would be queen, would she not?

 _I can't think of this right now_. Link looked up at the ceiling. _It's pure fantasy. There's no guarantee that the kingdom will even be reestablished. At least, not immediately._

He thought of the Rito and their immense pride. The Zora and their lingering mistrust of Hylians. The Gorons and their seeming obliviousness to the world outside of Death Mountain. Would any of them kneel before the royal family again after so long?

Link grimaced. The thoughts weren't getting him anywhere. If anything, they only made his captivity even worse.

He stood and began to stretch his muscles. After a few moments, he began to enter into a series of exercises and katas. As he did so, he felt some of his worries bleed away as he entered a near meditative state, his body moving largely of its own accord.

The cell was small, but it had just enough room for him to fully immerse himself in his movements, as long as he was careful. His arms and legs swept through the air in a variety of motions, both offensive and defensive. Though the majority of his training had been in his weapon of choice—the sword—he had received training in most combat arts, including unarmed fighting.

He couldn't actually _remember_ any of the training, though. He had a vague understanding that he _had_ received such training, and his body clearly knew it, yet the majority of his time spent training was still a blank spot in his memory. Would he _ever_ regain all that he lost?

And what of Zelda? When she spoke to him, she indicated that her own mind had been broken by the years spent fighting Ganon. She was clear and lucid each time Link had heard her, yet those times were so few. Would she be whole again when Ganon was finally defeated?

"What a pair we make," he said between grunts. He felt sweat beading on his forehead, but he kept moving, the motions growing quicker. "An amnesiac hero and a princess who's lost her mind."

He moved faster, his motions fluid and viperous. An image popped into his head. A circle drawn in the dirt, two young men in its center. A fight that ensued. It had been a sparring match. Though the other man was two years older than Link and seemingly closer to knighthood, Link still won handily. He always won. The other squires, at times, hated him for it.

 _Am I so good at fighting because I am destined to defeat Ganon? Or is it the other way around? Was I chosen because of my skill in combat?_

He didn't have an answer. And it didn't truly matter. He accepted his place in all of this. He was chosen by the Master Sword. Within him rested the spirit of the Hero. He was the Child of Destiny.

 _And he was in_ _prison._

Releasing a furious sound, Link spun and kicked the iron bars of his cell. It hurt his bare foot but felt good at the same time. Spent, he forced his body to relax, staring at the bars with contempt.

Sweaty hair stuck to his forehead. It had finally started to grow out again since his haircut prior to traveling to Rito Village. It was probably long enough to pull back in a short tail again. At least he'd been able to shave in Kakariko Village before coming here, though. His travels to the Lost Woods and back to Kakariko had left him with the same patchy growth on his face that Revali had teased him for. It would take time for the facial hair to grow back in—hopefully he would be out by the time he needed to shave again.

Link sighed and leaned his head against the cool bars of his cage. "I need to get _out_ of here."

* * *

The door to the prison slammed open, and Link woke, shooting to his feet. How long had he been sleeping? Expecting the same tall Gerudo to appear in front of his cell, he was surprised when he saw three new Gerudo step up to the door. One of them held a keyring.

"Am I being released?" he asked, stepping closer.

The woman holding the keys did not answer him, but simply reached forward, unlocking the door to his cell. As she opened it, another of the Gerudo entered, holding a length of rope.

"Your hands," she said in a thick desert accent.

Link hesitated, glancing from her to the other two Gerudo. Could he make a break for it? He was confident in his ability to fight, but each of them had deadly-looking scimitars at their waists, and he was unarmed.

"Your _hands_." The Gerudo woman with the rope took a step closer, looking down at Link with a furious expression.

Sighing, Link held his hands out, wrists together, and the Gerudo bound them tightly together. Even if he could fight them, there was no telling how many more guards were nearby. Once satisfied, she walked out of the cage, still holding a length of the rope. She yanked on it, and Link stumbled out of the cage, into the midst of the women.

The Gerudo with the keys slammed the cage door and proceeded past him and the other two, walking towards the door. The other Gerudo holding his rope followed, towing Link behind her, and the final woman brought up the rear.

They emerged from the prison block into some kind of sparsely-decorated building. There were other Gerudo in it, and several doors that led into other rooms. He looked around, blinking a little in the bright torchlight.

Several of the Gerudo stopped what they were doing to watch him be pulled past. He heard several of them whispering. One of them even called out, "Is it normal for a Hylian voe to talk to himself so much?"

Link didn't respond but continued to search the room. He found what he was looking for a moment later—his pack. He took a quick inventory of its exterior. His shield was still attached to it. His boots rested on the ground next to it. The Master Sword—where was the Master Sword?

Link stopped walking, yanking on the rope. "Where's my sword?"

The Gerudo behind him struck him between the shoulder blades, and Link hissed in pain. The woman holding his rope wrenched him forward, nearly causing him to fall.

"I can't lose my _sword_ ," Link said, though gritted teeth.

Still, none of them answered. Instead, they led him to a door, which the woman with the keys opened. The sunlight that streamed in was nearly blinding, and Link gasped, squeezing his eyes closed against the brilliant glare. After being in the dim light for so long, the desert sun was blinding.

Suddenly, still blinded, Link felt the bonds at his wrist cut. Before he could react, however, he was shoved forward, falling onto the hot sand. He spun, squinting up towards the Gerudo. "I need the sword. My gear! You don't understand, it—"

His pack landed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He grunted as his boots followed, as well as his paraglider, surprisingly secured in its leather sheath. And then, finally, something long and metallic landed in the sand next to him.

The Master Sword.

He quickly reached out, grabbing it and pulling it to his chest.

"You think us thieves, little voe?" the Gerudo at the door said, sneering. "We do not steal the possessions of every voe that attempts to sneak into Gerudo City. We only take weapons from those who we perceive as threats—and _you_ are no threat. If you were, you would be dead."

Link didn't respond, feeling an immense relief at holding the Master Sword again. The thought of losing it now, after going so long without it…

The guard stared at him for a moment longer, and then she stepped back, slamming the heavy wooden door. Link heard it lock behind her.

Slowly, Link rose, looking around and taking in his surroundings. He was outside of the city. The guard shack was a stone building, built against the exterior wall itself. He looked up, seeing patrolling Gerudo at the top of the wall, holding spears. Some of them had stopped to watch him.

The sun was high overhead—he had been in the prison for at least a full day, if not longer—and the heat was sweltering. It felt nearly as hot as Death Mountain, and he hadn't even thought to bring any of the fireproof elixir.

He sighed and set the Master Sword down next to him, reaching over and rifling through his pack. Everything seemed to be there, including the Sheikah Slate, which had been stuffed inside. He grabbed his boots, finding his socks inside them, and gratefully put them on his feet. Afterwards, he pulled out his thin, dark blue hood, clasping it around his neck and lifting it so that it shaded his head.

Satisfied, he stood and slipped his scabbard over his shoulder, following by his pack. He began to make his way around the city, hoping to find something to eat and drink and a place to formulate his next steps.

* * *

"Look, I just need to speak to whoever is in charge," Link said, looking up at the Gerudo guarding the entrance to the city. Their spears were crossed, barring him entrance into the city. The rules prohibiting men from entering the city were still very much so in effect.

"No voe may enter," one of the women said, smirking down at him.

"I _know_ that I can't go in. You've told me that half a dozen times already," he said, exasperated. "But I need to speak to your ruler or… chieftain. Whatever you call her. It is important!"

"Oh, do you hear that, Merina?" The woman looked at her companion, grinning. "It is _important_."

"Oh, yes, well… no voe may enter," the other woman, Merina said. She waved her spear in Link's direction. "Off you go. Back to the bazaar."

"I'm here to stop the _Divine Beast_ , for heaven's sake!" Link said, growing increasingly irritated.

"Yes, so you've told us. And once you accomplish this, feel free to come back," Merina said, grinning.

"And we will just tell you to go away again!" The other Gerudo laughed. "No men are allowed within Gerudo Town. That is _law_. No exceptions."

Link glared at the pair of women before, finally, turning around and walking away. The sun was already setting, and the night would bring with it bitter cold. He wanted to be back in his room near the bazaar before that happened.

As he walked, however, he looked over his shoulder to gaze at the city. He had tried to enter it several times over the last couple of days, each time being rebuffed by the rather vigilant guards at its entrances. The wall stretched around the entire city, and there were only four entrances—one on each side. Each one was guarded by two or more Gerudo, with dozens more patrolling along the top of the wall.

He had hoped that he had somehow impressed the woman that had interrogated him while he was imprisoned—why else would she have had him released? However, if she believed in his mission, she made no effort to contact him now. He still hadn't even been able to learn what her name was or what position she held in the city's hierarchy.

It wasn't that the Gerudo were unworried about Naboris, however. No, Link had quickly discovered that there was a great deal of fear over the Divine Beast's recent rampaging. As Link suspected, Naboris had begun terrorizing the Gerudo around the same time as all the others, though it had not yet threatened the Gerudo's capital city. It had, however, driven many of the nomadic tribes out of the deep desert, and destroyed several smaller settlements.

Currently, the Divine Beast appeared to be wandering aimlessly with no specific destination or direction in mind, but most of the people suspected that it would eventually turn towards them. And, when it did, they had no way of defending themselves against it.

As he made his way back towards the bazaar on the path worn in the sand by hundreds of years of travelers, he looked to the east to see what appeared to be the front of another sandstorm. Summers in Gerudo desert, he found, brought extreme heat, powerful winds, and frequent sandstorms, even when not being terrorized by a Divine Beast.

Grimacing, Link pulled his scarf up to his face—he would not be able to reach the bazaar before the sandstorm arrived. He could have turned back—the large grouping of tents that he'd stayed in during his last stay in the desert was, surprisingly, still present outside of the city. However, he did not relish the idea of waiting out one of the storms in a tent—he was certain that it would be just as unpleasant as having to walk back to the oasis in one. Besides, there was no guarantee that any tents would be available for him to rent.

He passed other travelers on the road heading the opposite direction. Mostly Gerudo merchants going back home after a day peddling their wares at the bazaar, though he spotted a few Hylians as well. Hylian women— _vai_ , as they were called in the native Gerudo tongue—were more than welcome in the city. All women were.

Gerudo Town was, as Link had found out over the last few days, the largest trading city in the country. Despite the dangerous roads through central Hyrule, many of the merchants came to the desert to trade with the Gerudo. While many Gerudo left their homeland during their life, most returned, and as such, the people thrived on outside trade. Link expected that merchants like Telma made an incredible amount of rupees bringing things like Hateno dyes and fabrics from the east, not to mention the ore from Death Mountain. If something was made by the Gerudo, it was usually colorful and had some kind of gemstone embedded within it.

Of all of the cultures he had visited since waking, none of them had thrived like the Gerudo. He wasn't sure what to make of it. He hadn't remembered the Gerudo being so _vibrant_ one hundred years ago, even though they had still been a powerful culture within Hyrule.

He wondered if, somehow, the Gerudo's power and influence had actually grown since the Calamity. The Guardians hadn't traveled out this way, and with the Hylians scattered to the four winds, the Gerudo appeared to have taken over as the dominant race in the country. The Zora likely could have challenged them, true, but they remained isolated in their domain, unwelcoming to outsiders until Link had saved them.

The Gerudo, by contrast, welcomed all people, as long as they were female. They tolerated males in their outskirts, however. Men were welcome to peddle their wares in the bazaars and tents outside of the city, and many men even lived in the tents semi-permanently, having married Gerudo women and followed them back to their homeland.

The wind picked up, and Link squinted his eyes as the coarse sand blew across his exposed skin. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, but it did little to keep the dust out—everything had already begun to grow hazy. It made his eyes burn, and he felt grit between his teeth.

A barking sound from behind him caused Link to look around, surprised to find a Gerudo woman riding a sand seal sled pull up to a stop beside him. " _Vasaaq_!" she called, raising a hand in greeting to him. "Would you like a ride?"

Link eyed the wooden sled, which was shaped like a shallow bowl. A rope attached to the sand seal's harness attached to one side of the sled while another rope attached to the sled had been tied around the woman's waist. She held a pair of reins in her hand. He hadn't ridden one of these sleds yet and hadn't planned on doing so. In truth, he _had_ hoped to be able to rent one of the Gerudo stallions, but quickly found out that those were far less common than sand seals and, therefore, _not_ available to outsiders—especially voe.

He glanced back towards the oncoming sandstorm. It looked like a nasty one. The one the night before had coated much of his room in dust, and that had even been with the shutters closed. He hadn't yet been unfortunate enough to walk back in one, though. Finally, he stepped towards the Gerudo woman, who thumbed for him to climb on the sled behind her.

Once behind her, he hesitated, looking at her waist. She, like most Gerudo, was much taller than him with long legs and wide hips. Also, like most Gerudo, she wore clothing that exposed a great deal of her dark skin, especially around her midriff. Should he just… grab hold?

She glanced back over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Finally, likely feeling more embarrassed than he needed to, Link placed his hands on her waist. For a moment, the Gerudo woman herself seemed somewhat flustered, but then she clucked her tongue. Her sand seal barked and began forward, using its fins to propel them forward with surprising speed.

Suddenly, the sand seal dove beneath the surface of the sand, and the sled lurched beneath Link's feet as it got pulled along at an even faster rate. He held tight, lest he fall off, gritting his teeth.

The Gerudo glanced over her shoulder as they rode, looking down at him. "Never traveled by sand seal, voe?"

Link glanced up at her. She seemed perfectly stable, shifting her weight easily with the motion of the sled. Of course, she had a cord tying her to it to prevent being thrown if she lost that stability. "No," he said over the sound of the wooden sled sliding over sand. "I haven't."

"It is my first time picking up a voe!" she said, laughing. "Perhaps the ancestors fated this meeting, hmm?"

Link wasn't sure how to respond to that, but the woman didn't appear to expect a response, simply continuing forward towards the distant Kara Kara Bazaar.

They arrived just as the sandstorm did, blocking out the remaining sunlight and reducing the visibility to little more than arm's length. The Gerudo placed her veil over her mouth, and Link kept his scarf in place as well, though his eyes still stung.

She rode her seal to the entrance of the bazaar and then they both dismounted. The woman unhooked the sled from the seal, though she left its harness on, and then began to pull the sled by its rope.

Link followed, squinting against the blowing sand. She set the sled against the side of one of the stone buildings that made up the small community built around the oasis and stepped up to the door, pausing and looking back at Link.

"You are staying at the inn?" she asked, having to speak loudly to be heard over the howling wind.

Link nodded, glancing in the inn's direction. He couldn't even see the next building in the line of structures, much less where the inn was.

The woman considered for a moment and then opened the door to her home, waving for him to follow. Link did as she suggested, not looking forward to pressing forward through the storm.

The building was a small, squat structure with a single room. In one corner, he could see a small kitchen setup and in the other, he saw a bed built into a recess in the stone wall. Other than those things, however, he saw a shocking amount of colorful fabrics and garments hanging on various racks throughout the room.

The woman sighed, reaching up and pulling one side of her veil down. She walked over to a barrel of water next to her kitchen, dipping a rag that hung off it in the water and using it to wipe some of the sand from her face. When she finished, she tossed it to Link, who did the same, after removed his scarf.

"What's your name, little voe?" the woman asked as she took a piece of flint and began to light her small open-fronted stove.

"Link. Thanks for the ride, uh…"

"Rhondson," she said as the sparks managed to catch. She leaned over, breathing into the embers until a small fire grew.

"Well, thanks for the ride, Rhondson. I didn't realize how bad this storm would be…"

She stood up, taking a small copper kettle and filling it with water from the barrel, followed by some fragrant tea leaves and other herbs. She set it atop the stove. "It is a bad one. Mama tried to convince me to just stay in the city, but…" She shrugged. "I like to work in the evenings."

Link glanced around at the colorful fabrics and other tools of her trade, noting scissors and sewing thread. "Tailor?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, walking over to inspect a piece of fabric, running it through her fingers. "I set up down here since most of the others compete with each other in the city."

 _If only Hudson could see this,_ Link thought, a bemused smile appearing on his lips.

"What is that smile?" Rhondson asked, frowning at him. "Did I say something funny?"

"No, not at all, just… I was thinking about something else."

Rhondson continued to eye him curiously for a moment. "And what brings a voe like you to Gerudo Town? You're no merchant. Are you one of those who thought to come to our city to find a mate?"

Link felt his face flush deeply. "What? No. I—do men actually _do_ that?"

Rhondson raised her eyebrows. "Yes. Of course. All the time. I believe they consider us Gerudo to be exotic."

"And that actually works?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes. I've known a few to choose husbands from such men, but most usually just have their fun with them and send them on their way." Rhondson eyed Link curiously. "So, if you aren't here for that, then why _are_ you here?"

"It's complicated," Link said, looking down at the wet rag quietly for a moment, wondering how much he should say. "I'm here about your Divine Beast."

"Naboris?" Rhondson said, tilting her head to study him. "And why would it bring a Hylian like you to the desert?"

"I'm here to stop it. To tame it."

She looked at him in some confusion for a few moments before a look of comprehension passed over her face. She smirked. "Ahh. I see now."

That wasn't the reaction Link was expecting, to be certain. "What do you mean?"

"Your true reason for coming here." Rhondson's smirk only grew. "I thought you said you weren't here to look for a mate."

" _What_?" How had they gotten back to _that_ subject? "I'm not—I just told you!"

"Well, if you are hoping to take me to bed with your tales of heroics, then you should know that I have already decided that will not happen. Mama would have a problem with such a delicate voe such as you."

" _Delicate_? I don't know if—" Link stopped himself, pursing his lips at Rhondson's amused expression. "I'm _not_ here to… do anything with any Gerudo women. I'm here to stop Naboris from raging, and then I'm going to use all four of them to destroy Calamity Ganon."

"Yes, I am sure that line works quite well on your Hylian vai," Rhondson said. "But if you are hoping to impress some of my sisters, I hope you know that we Gerudo prefer action over words. At least when it comes to heroics. Now, if you are also a _poet_ —well, then there are a few that I know that might be interested."

Link opened his mouth and then shut it, trying to formulate his words more carefully. There was no point in getting drawn into a conversation about his appeal to women. He needed to redirect the conversation back on track or give it up entirely.

"Look, you saw the flying Divine Beast the other day, right? I know it caused a stir."

"Yes, of course," she said. "I am not blind."

"Well, that was me. I flew on it to get here from Rito Village to the north. I _just_ freed it, as well as the other two Divine Beasts at Death Mountain and Zora's Domain. Naboris is the final beast that must be dealt with."

"Then… you are the voe that attempted to infiltrate the palace?"

"I didn't _mean_ to do that, it just… well, that was an unfortunate accident."

Rhondson considered him for a long time, narrowing her eyes shrewdly. Finally, she turned and walked over to her kettle, pulling it off the stove and pouring the amber liquid into a pair of porcelain mugs. She walked back and set them down on her small table, before clearing it of some of the sewing implements that lay scattered across it. She nodded to one of the two chairs before taking her own seat.

Link walked over and sat, taking the mug and lifting it to his lips, though he then hesitated. It had a familiar, spicy smell. He recognized that smell and looked down at the tea warily.

"Fire brew tea?" he asked.

"Of course," she said, taking a long draw on her tea.

Link hesitated a moment and then took a careful sip. His lips and tongue immediately burned with the sensation, but it wasn't as bad as it had been with Telma so long ago. He knew what to expect this time. It still nearly sent him into a coughing fit, though he managed to control it.

Rhondson laughed. "Is it too spicy for your delicate tongue?"

Link felt his cheeks flush, and he lifted the mug to his lips again, taking another sip and refusing to show any reaction to the spiciness. He could handle spicy food just fine—he had even cooked up a curry with some Gerudo spices the other night—but this tea was just… Why would _anyone_ want this?

Silence fell between them for a time before Rhondson spoke again. "Naboris has caused a great deal of trouble for us as of late. There is great concern that she will turn towards the city."

Link nodded. "That's what I've heard. But that's why I'm here—to prevent it from happening."

"So, what is your plan?"

He grimaced. "I don't know yet. I had hoped to get into the city to see what the chieftain knew about it. There _should_ be a way to get past its defenses."

"You cannot. Voe are—"

"Not allowed. I know." Link sighed. "I've been told a few times now." He glanced up at Rhondson. "I don't understand, though. What about when Gerudo have male children?"

"A voe born to a Gerudo? That is extremely rare. I have never actually seen it happen, though my _vaba_ said a friend of hers once had one."

"And what do you do with it? Throw it out?"

"The child?" Rhondson raised her eyebrows. "Of course not. We are not cruel. We allow him to grow until adolescence, and then he leaves the city. Usually to join with a nomadic tribe that allows voe in their midst."

"There are other Gerudo tribes that allow men?"

"We are a varied people, and we do not hate men. The law states that no voe are allowed within the walls of Gerudo Town, but they are not forbidden from our lands. However, few foreign voe are willing to endure the desert sun for long."

Link frowned, leaning back in his chair and considering. So, he couldn't enter the city, and the guards made it clear that the chieftain would not be coming to _him_. It really only meant that he needed to find a way to get to the Divine Beast, himself, and try to find a way to get aboard.

"Rhondson, do you know a way I can get ahold of a sand seal?"

She watched him for a few moments, considering. Finally, she sighed. "You cannot."

"Because I'm a voe?"

"Partially, yes, but more because the only place to rent one near here is in Gerudo Town. You would have to travel all the way back to the desert gateway to rent one." She pursed her lips. "But that is something that, perhaps, I may be able to assist you with."

He looked up hopefully. "Really? You could get one for me?"

"You are serious about this… mission of yours?"

"Yes."

"Then, yes. I will rent a sand seal for you in the morning. After that, you may do as you wish."


	47. Chapter Forty-Four

**Slightly earlier post today, but that's because I got to get to bed early today! That being said, this next chapter has something that, from the comments,** ** _many_** **of you have been waiting for! I won't say what it is, but needless to say, this chapter was just so much fun to write. After all, as I have said before, I do take a disturbing amount of pleasure in making things difficult for Link.**

 **Also, before I respond to comments, several of you mentioned Ocarina of Time in regards to Link's being thrown into Gerudo prison. You are correct! The last chapter was entirely inspired by sneaking into Gerudo Fortress in OoT. I figured there was no way that Link would just be ejected from the town after** ** _that_** **entrance. I wanted the Gerudo in my story to have some teeth. And to punish Link for moments of idiocy.**

 **Klynnw: Welcome back! Don't worry-I spend a great deal of time in Link's head when he must go through certain... challenges.**

 **Lord Halcyon: Yeah, I can only imagine what Zelda would have done if she found out about Link's earlier adventures in Gerudo Town...** ** _HMM..._**

 **Saphura: Yeah, I like making Link talk to Zelda when he's alone. The fact that he knows she can (sometimes) hear him, along with his more recent memories, gives me some opportunities to build their relationship in other ways outside of just memories. Plus, now that he doesn't have Kass around, he needs someone to chat with (even if it's entirely one-sided)!**

 **In other news, my viewer count keeps growing! We just broke through 30,000 total hits, and over 10,000 of them were last month alone! This month, this story is trending to shatter that record again. This might call for another bonus chapter soon... For now, however, please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! I do love reading all the comments.**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Four**

Link could vaguely remember a Gerudo woman trying to get him to ride a sand seal a hundred years ago, when he'd first visited the desert with Zelda. He'd refused her at the time.

He now knew that was the right choice.

As the seal barked and dove through the sand, it was all Link could do to stay upright on the sled, even with the rope tethering him to it. The seal swam through the sand with an undulating movement, occasionally leaping above the sand and then back down, which only jerked the sled under his feet.

Cursing, Link held tightly to the reins, resetting his stance and glaring at the animal, which seemed perfectly happy to keep moving at its infuriatingly inconsistent rate. All around him, sand passed by in a blur.

Rhondson had been true to her word. After the storm passed, Link went back to his space at the inn, which was little more than a bed set into the wall with a curtain covering the opening for privacy. The next morning, Rhondson came and found him, taking him to a seal that lounged in the sands just outside of the bazaar. After giving him some simple pointers, she pointed Link southeast—the direction that the Divine Beast had last been seen—and sent him on his way.

He reached up, wiping some of the sand away from the goggles that he'd purchased from one of the traders at the bazaar. It, with the scarf around his mouth and nose, helped to keep the sand from irritating him quite as much, though it provided little relief from the sun. By mid-morning, the sun had already begun to bake the land. Now, in the middle of the afternoon, Link felt as though he were back on Death Mountain.

The worst part was that Link feared that he was acting just as rashly now as he had when he tried to raid the castle. He had an idea of what Naboris' defense mechanisms were, of course, but had no idea how to get past them. He just hoped that, somehow, he would be able to figure them out. Perhaps seeing it would spark a memory. If nothing else, then this would be a scouting trip. He couldn't just keep begging the guards at the city entrances to help him.

"Now would be a great time to start talking to me again, Zelda," he muttered. If anyone knew how to get past it, it would almost certainly be her.

In the distance, he could see the hazy beginnings of a sandstorm. He was getting closer. Grimacing, Link pulled down his scarf and took a drink of water.

There was a small barrel of water tied to the sled, so he hoped he would be able to sustain himself on this trip. He had yet to come across a Sheikah Shrine, so the only real way to get back would be the same way he came, unless he wanted to teleport somewhere else entirely. He would prefer it didn't come to that. It had taken him far too long to get to the desert in the first place.

The further Link got out from Gerudo Town and civilization, the stranger and more alien the desert became. He saw oddly shaped rocks and huge sinkholes, strange plants and even stranger creatures. On one of his rest stops, he was even attacked by strange green worms with mandibles that emerged from the sands. His sword made quick work of them, but when more emerged, Link opted to get back on the sled and keep moving.

Now, as he neared the place that his Sheikah Slate listed as the East Barrens, he began to see the remnants of ancient structures. He passed by a broken archway, most of its hard angles weathered smooth by the ages. Another structure looked like it might have once been some kind of temple, though it, too, was barely recognizable outside of what might have once been a statue of a person at its front.

The air grew hazier the deeper Link got, and the wind began to pick up as well. He could see the sandstorm's front now—a massive cyclone of sand and debris, occasionally lit up from within by bolts of lightning. At its center was a hulking figure walking about on four long legs.

He pushed his sand seal on, leaning into the wind as it began to buffet him. His visibility began to drop, and blowing sand stung any exposed flesh on his face and hands. The wall of sand grew larger… and _larger_. In a shockingly short time, the sandstorm towered over him and stretched to either side.

Lightning cracked through the air and thunder rumbled behind it. Gouts of sand and stone erupted up from where it struck, deep in the depths of the storm. Link caught another glimpse of the Divine Beast, standing tall and majestic within the storm's heart.

It was the tallest of any of the Divine Beasts, from what Link would tell, with four segmented legs, each glowing with red light along its length. Vaguely shaped like a desert camel, it had two protrusions rising up from its back like a camel's humps and a long neck ending in a wide, flat head.

As Link watched, lightning began to form in a sparking ball of light between the two humps, and then suddenly it forked out, slamming into an old structure surprisingly close to Link. The structure shattered as if it was struck by a Goron's hammer, and the sound of the explosion left him dazed. His sand seal barked in terror and tried to turn to the side, away from the source of the light and sound.

With a sigh, Link let it, though he turned his head to watch the Divine Beast within its storm. Already, another bolt of lightning gathered between its humps, and it struck a moment later, again seemingly in Link's direction, though this one landed somewhat further than the previous one. The warning seemed clear to him.

The sandstorm, he could likely withstand. However, he wouldn't be able to get close without some way to counter the lightning.

* * *

"Back so soon?" Rhondson asked him as Link walked up to her stand on the outskirts of the bazaar.

He gave her a tired smile. It was the next day and the sun was already well past midday. He'd been forced to spend an uncomfortable night in the desert. The East Barrens were not close enough to go there and back in a single day. Though the sand seals had surprisingly strong endurance considering the amount of flopping about they did, even they needed to rest at some point, as did Link. Standing all day on the sled had left his legs and back sore.

To make matters worse, his water had run out a couple of hours prior—he hadn't, apparently, rationed it as well as he thought he had. Thankfully, the bazaar had barrels of water placed in various locations, and he nearly gorged himself on it when he first arrived.

"I don't suppose you've managed to solve all of our problems?" Rhondson asked after looking at him for a few moments.

"No, but this was just about scouting it out," Link said, eyeing some of her wares.

Rhondson had set out a variety of examples of her work. Not only did she have some finished garments, each made with the gauzy, near-sheer Gerudo fabric, but she also set out several other bolts of fabric featuring different colors or patterns.

"Do you have a plan?"

Link pursed his lips and shook his head. Despite spending the entire trip back thinking about it, he had been unable to come up with anything to get him past the lightning. That wasn't his only challenge, either. He also had to figure out a way to climb those legs. He'd briefly thought to use Medoh again, but the sandstorm would make it impossible for him to steer his paraglider. He'd also be far too exposed.

There was silence for a few moments before Link asked, "Are you having much luck selling anything?"

Rhondson sighed. " _Sa'oten,_ no." She reached out, picking up one of the garments and inspecting it critically. "I moved out to the bazaar to try to distinguish myself from the tailors within Gerudo Town, but most still seem to prefer going there for their clothing needs."

"What about men? They can't get clothes from the city, right?"

She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "Does it look as though I make many clothes for voe?"

"Good point."

"It isn't that I am unable to make voe clothing, but most voe do not travel to the bazaar with the intent on purchasing clothing." Rhondson sighed, shaking her head. "Most of them are either merchants, who only buy and sell with established business partners, or they are here for… _other_ reasons."

For some reason, Rhondson scowled even deeper at this, tapping one of her long nails on the wooden table that held her wares. "Yet, regardless of the reason they come to the desert, few of them ever pay me any heed."

"I don't know why you wouldn't be able to find buyers," Link said, picking up one of the garments on the table. It was a green top that, like most Gerudo outfits, would only cover the breasts while leaving a woman's shoulders and midriff exposed.

"Why, are you interesting in buying something?" Rhondson asked, smirking. "I think that would look quite good on you."

Link flushed and set the top down. "No, I—"

 _"I never guessed you would look so good in that. If only the princess could see you now!"_

He paused as Urbosa's voice, suddenly remember, flashed through his mind. It was followed by images, sensations, and feelings. Frustration, embarrassment, and determination. Memory bloomed in his head.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link stood outside of one of the side entrances to Gerudo Town, leaning against the wall. The two guards watched him with amusement, likely thinking him foolish to wait so long. Still, what other choice did he have? It was either wait here or sit in his tent. There wasn't much for a royal knight to do when his princess was holed up in a city where men weren't allowed.

That thought sent a shiver down his spine. What was the princess doing now? Was she safe? He'd heard some disconcerting rumors as of late. Unknown figures stalking about in the night. Members of the Yiga clan. It was likely nothing, yet…

Despite the difficulties he had with his charge, he disliked being away from her for so long. He supposed that she was _likely_ safe within the walls of Gerudo Town, but as she refused any of his requests to see or speak with her, he didn't actually know. She refused to even tell him when she was going to see the Divine Beast with Urbosa.

He sighed. The woman was maddening. Why were they so unable to come to a common ground? He didn't expect her to _like_ him, but to treat him like this… He just didn't know what to do anymore. Maybe he _should_ just leave. Go back to the king and request that he assign a different knight, for she clearly would have nothing to do with him. Did he have that right as the bearer of the Master Sword? Didn't he have more important things to do than sit outside of Gerudo Town while the princess played keep away?

 _What would my father say?_ he wondered, morosely. _He served the royal family for years and years. He only retired now to take care of Aryll and because I was able to carry on his legacy._

Giving up now would be like a slap in the face for his father. Yet what was he supposed to do? How much longer could he really keep up like this? She'd told him to stop following her—could he just… obey?

The guards near the entrance to the city gasped and stood up straighter as a tall figure emerged. Urbosa, wearing her golden crown and Champion's garment, which had been made into a skirt, stepped out, looking around and spotting Link.

She smirked and walked over to him. "Sav'saaba, Link. Still causing my guards trouble, I see."

Link flushed. He _wasn't_ causing trouble. He'd just asked them to inform Urbosa that he would like a meeting. And then refused to leave until one of them at least delivered the message. It had only taken a couple hours. He was quite used to waiting around for hours.

Urbosa considered him for a few moments and then raised an eyebrow. "Well? You asked me to meet you. What can I do for you?"

Link glanced towards the guards, who were listening keenly while trying not to look like they were. He glanced at Urbosa, wondering how much he could ask of the woman. They were, in a strange way, equals as Champions. However, she was also a leader of her people, equal in rank to someone like the king of the Zora.

"Could we… speak in private?"

Urbosa considered and then glanced back towards her guards. "Inside."

"Lady Urbosa, the entrance—" one of them started.

"I think I'm more than capable of preventing a voe from entering the city. Remain close by, and I'll get you after my conference is finished."

For a moment, the two Gerudo hesitated and then they both saluted Urbosa before disappearing into the city.

"I… thought that we would just walk further away," Link said.

"It's good to keep them on their toes from time to time," Urbosa said, smirking at him. She walked over to the wall, leaning against it and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now, what is it?"

Link stared at her for a moment, wondering how to put this. It was embarrassing to even bring it up with her, yet… "Can you make an exception and allow me into the city?"

She stared at him for several moments in silence and then shook her head. "Of course not. No voe are allowed within Gerudo Town's walls."

His face flushed in irritation. "Then how am I supposed to keep the princess safe?"

Urbosa tilted her head. "You must know that the princess is quite safe within my walls. My guards are the best that the Gerudo can offer, not to mention that I am often with her myself."

"It's not…" Link reached up, rubbing his forehead. "The king gave this task to _me_. I know she isn't pleased with it, but I _am_ still her knight. Yet, since arriving her, she has refused to even tell me when she is leaving the city walls."

"Ahh… Yes, I had wondered why you have not accompanied us on our research trips to Naboris." Urbosa pursed her lips. "Actually, she assured me that the two of you were in agreement that your presence was unnecessary during them."

Link's heart sank. "I would be more comfortable if I could, at least, make sure she was safe with my own eyes."

"Is that genuine concern I hear in your voice?" Urbosa gave him a small smile. "From the way she speaks, one would assume you do not care at all."

He flushed deeply. "It's… my duty to keep her safe. I made an oath."

"Spoken like a knight in the truest of senses."

Urbosa reached up, twirling one of her long red locks in a finger, thinking. "I could probably help make sure you know where we're going to be and when we leave. She would be very angry at me for doing so, but I am no stranger to the wrath of teenage girls."

"That would be great." Link felt a small bit of relief. It was something.

She continued to watch him, her eyes seemingly taking in his appearance from head to toe. Link shifted his weight uncomfortably. Why was she looking at him like that?

"Tell me…" Urbosa pushed off from the wall, taking a step closer to him. She was still looking at him with narrowed eyed. She tapped her lip thoughtfully. "How much body hair do you have?"

" _What_?" He took a step back from her, alarmed.

She lifted her angular face to the sky, laughing throatily. "Oh, just answer the question! So _shy_. Do you have a great deal of chest hair?"

Link looked at her, feeling utterly bewildered by the line of questioning. "I… no. I don't."

"Then I have _another_ idea." Urbosa had a very mischievous glint in her green eyes. "I think there may be a way we can get you into the city while still maintaining the rule forbidding voe."

Link looked at her, feeling suddenly anxious. He wasn't sure that he liked where this was going at all.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Link?" Rhondson said, looking at him curiously.

Link blinked himself back to the current time as the memory—and others that followed it—dispelled. He felt his back break out in a cold sweat, as he remembered Urbosa's suggestion. _But it worked, didn't it?_

He glanced over at Rhondson and wondered just how she would react to the request. Would she be willing to help him? If not, he wouldn't be in any different situation than he was already in.

"I… need to buy some clothing off of you," he said, keeping his voice low, lest others hear.

Rhondson raised one eyebrow. "I already told you that I don't usually make voe clothing. I could likely put something together for you, but you would have to give me some time. Besides, the fabrics I used tend to be more favored by vai."

"No, it's not…" Link sighed, reaching out and picking up the green top again. It looked like it would be the right size and fit. He would have to pad it some, but he thought it could work. "What do you think would go well with this?"

* * *

Link would assume that this could be counted among the worst ideas he'd ever had if not for the fact that it wasn't even his idea to begin with. As he looked at his own appearance in Rhondson's small mirror, however, he had to admit that he thought the illusion might actually work.

It was a very grudging admission.

A blue shawl covered most of his hair, save for his bangs, which had been brushed and styled with wax. A matching veil hid the bottom half of his face while some light make-up had been applied around his eyes. Similar fabric covered most of his arms as well, with the exception of his bared shoulders. With the green, midriff-exposing blouse and puffy purple pants that only stretched to his knees, the effect was… something, at least.

Rhondson walked a slow circle around him, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Then she walked over to a small chest of drawers, removing a few items of jewelry—bangles and cuffs. She walked back over to him and placed the jewelry over his neck and arms before stepping back.

Finally, she smirked. "You make a _very_ cute vai." Link felt his face grow red, and she laughed. "Even more so when you blush!"

"This is just—" Link began.

"You need to do something about your voice, though. It is already higher in pitch than most voe I know, true, but a little higher _would_ help."

Link snapped his mouth shut, glaring at her. He wondered if this was more or less humiliating now than it had been a hundred years ago. Likely around the same. Then again, _Urbosa_ had been the one to do this last time.

 _I'm doing this to save Hyrule¸_ he told himself.

He'd told himself that repeatedly.

"It is a good thing you are so slender. I don't think some of the other voe I've seen would be able to make this work." Rhondson walked back around him, pausing as she looked at him from behind. "If it weren't for the scars, I might have even doubted your proficiency as a warrior."

He'd worried about the scars at first, but she assured him that they would not be a cause for concern. The Gerudo were a race full of warriors, and they were not unfamiliar or bothered by scarred flesh. Still, though, Link thought that it must be abnormal to see a Hylian woman with so many scars.

"Now, say something," she said, stepping back and crossing her arms.

Link cleared his throat, looking back at her. Finally, he sighed and said in a high-pitched falsetto, "How is this?"

"No. That was painful."

"How about now?"

"Do your Hylian vai _really_ sound like that?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Link hesitated, thinking. Finally, he tried again, this time adopting more of a softer tone that wasn't as high pitched. He even attempted to add a bit of Zelda's refined accent into it.

Rhondson nodded. "Better. Though… it would still probably be better if you didn't talk much."

Link relaxed some and turned to face her. He reached up and pulled the veil down. "Why are you helping me with this? If this is traced back to you somehow…"

She shrugged. "It is not so uncommon for a vai to try to sneak a voe into the city. This is… somewhat different, true, but the punishments for such things are rarely severe. The teasing is usually enough to ensure someone doesn't try it again."

"But why risk it for me? We only met yesterday."

"Because, if you are telling the truth, then now is not the time to worry about ancient tradition. If Lady Riju knows a way to get you onto the Divine Beast, then it will be for the best." She paused, considering. "However, please do not tell anyone else about this. If this gets out, then other voe will likely start coming to me for vai attire. This is _not_ the kind of attention I am looking for from voe."

Link smiled. "Well, thanks. Hopefully this works."

He reached down and picked up the Master Sword, which has likewise been disguised. He'd been able to pick up a worn leather sheathe from the market and wrapped the hilt and cross-guard in cloth. It wasn't much of a disguise—the Master Sword's hilt had a fairly distinctive shape that was difficult to hide—but Link didn't dare let the sword out of his sight.

"Oh, I think it will," Rhondson said, still smirking. She was enjoying this far too much.

Link gave her a flat look and then replaced his veil. He strapped on a small pack at his waist, where he hid the Sheikah Slate—that would be a dead giveaway of his identity if it was seen—and then exited her house.

The day had grown late, but the sun was still visible over distant sands to the west. Some of the shop owners had already begun to pack up their wares, though others still remained open, despite the lack shoppers. A few new people appeared to have arrived—a number of men that had set up a large tent near the water, rather than staying in the inn.

One of them eyed Link as he passed, though it was not with suspicion, as Link first worried. No, he had a much more… interested expression.

Grimacing beneath his veil, Link forced himself to walk faster, the thin slippers on his feet kicking up a great deal of sand as he did so. He made his way to the sand seal that he'd ridden earlier, hooking it up to the sled. A few minutes later, he was on his way back towards Gerudo Town.

* * *

 _This isn't going to work_ , he thought as he stared at the archway that led into the city. He'd unhitched his seal, leaving the sled leaning against the outer wall of the city, next to quite a few other sleds. The seals, themselves, lazed in the evening sun. They were well-trained and would not wander far.

A number of other people were heading into the city, though as Link watched, one of the guards suddenly reached out, grabbing a man by his upturned hood. He had, apparently, been trying to sneak in with the small crowd entering now. "No voe!" She threw him to the sand, and her companion chuckled.

Swallowing his fear, Link adjusted his blouse and glanced down to ensure the padding wasn't showing. Satisfied that his costume was in order, he got in line to enter. As he approached, one of the women at the entrance glanced at him appraisingly and then looked away.

Feeling a sudden rush of relief, he continued past the guards.

"Wait!"

Link froze, stiffening. He glanced over his shoulder to see one of the guards approaching, casually holding her spear against her shoulder.

She looked Link up and down before meeting his eyes. "Where did you get that outfit? I like the coloring."

"Oh— _oh_!" Link quickly tried to mask his voice, raising his pitch higher than it likely needed to be. "Down in the market—erm, bazaar."

"Who sold it to you?"

Link swallowed. Rhondson had asked that she not be tied to this endeavor, but… well, he knew from previous experience that he really _was_ a terrible liar. "Rhondson."

"Ahh! Maybe I'll go down there after I get off work and see her…" The guard looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she focused on Link again. "Is this your first time in the city?"

"Yes," Link said, trying to remain calm.

"Good! It's always good to see new vai. There is an inn right over there—" She pointed to a building with a sign depicting a crescent moon over its door. "And some very good restaurants down that side street there. I recommend the meat skewers."

"O-oh, thanks! I'll try them."

The Gerudo woman smiled at Link and nodded before turning back to resume her post at the entrance.

And, with that, Link was in.

He followed the flow of the crowd as it exited onto the city's main avenue. Shops lined the wide street, which was paved with brick on the sides, while the center, which was raised up a few inches, had decorative tile and gemstones that shone in the sunlight. Palm trees and shallow pools of clear water lined the central walkway, and Link saw that benches had been set up for people to sit and rest underneath the shade of the trees.

Gerudo Town was a place of color and beauty. As he made his way down the street, Link saw street venders selling various foods, stores that sold elaborate gold and silver jewelry with majestic gemstones, tailors that sold colorful clothing not unlike his own, cobblers that sold various styles of shoes, and a dozen other types of shops.

Most of the buildings were made of the same sandstone as the exterior wall, but they were adorned with colorful signs and gemstones to set them apart. Doorways and windows were lined with a rainbow of colors, and elaborately woven rugs covered the floors inside the buildings.

At several places along the interior wall, the aqueduct that ran along the city walls made small waterfalls that fell into some kind of drainage system that ran underneath the ground, likely filling the pools of water along the central walkway.

Link couldn't remember ever seeing so many _people_ in one place, even in his vague memories of Gerudo Town. While the other cities he visited could occasionally get crowded, Gerudo Town was a melting pot of people. Gerudo women of all shapes, sizes and skin tones, from the very old to the very young, milled about, each of them bearing red hair of various shades. They were joined, however, by women of other races. Link saw many Hylians like him, but he also saw a great number of Rito in the crowds. He also thought that he saw some Sheikah mixed in, though it was difficult to tell. Oddly, he even saw a Goron.

 _How did_ he _get in?_ Link wondered, frowning as he watched the apparently male Goron interacting with one of the street venders selling jewelry. _Have I ever even seen a female Goron?_

A peal of raucous laughter drew his attention away from the Goron, and he turned to see several Gerudo women lounging on a couch in front of a restaurant, colorful drinks in hand. They appeared to have just finished a meal.

Link continued on, feeling distinctly out of place. The city had a strangely boisterous air to it that he didn't think had anything to do with its all-women policy. The Zora, Rito, and Gorons had all, in some form, shown anxiety over their Divine Beast's disruptions. The Rito had remained huddled in their homes and refused to fly, the Zora had become increasingly militant and distrusting of outsiders, and the Gorons had mostly retreated underground into their mountains. The Gerudo, it would seem, were perfectly content to act as though nothing at all was wrong.

"If you want to know the best place to get drinks, look nowhere else other than the Noble Canteen!" one of the Gerudo stood by a branching street, grinning and waving at some of the foreigners in the town. Link could see the bar in question behind her, which was up on the second floor of a building. One of the walls was open, revealing a number of couches and women within.

"Little Hylian, would you like to feel younger and more alive than you ever have before?" The voice caused Link to look around, spotting another Gerudo woman looking right at him. She grinned broadly when they made eye contact. "Come to Hotel Oasis! Enjoy our spa treatment—I shall give you a special rate!"

"O-oh, no, thank you," Link said and then quickly hurried away. Somehow, he didn't think his disguise would hold up under a _spa_ treatment.

The city was large, and its side streets were like a maze, each with its own alleys and shadowy corners. Thankfully, however, the main street formed a straight line through the center of town, right to the foot of the palace. Link made his way in that direction, hoping to avoid any more contact with the Gerudo women.

As he ventured deeper into the city, he found that the buildings grew more elaborate and decorative. There were fewer street venders and shops, but more of what appeared to be homes, some that had been painted with various colors. There was less bustle here, though quite a few people still walked on the roads. Few of them were foreign, however, and Link felt some of the Gerudo's eyes on him as he made his way down the street. None of them stopped him.

He reached the palace after the sun had dipped below the buildings and walls surrounding him. Lanterns had been lit along the street and in front of most of the buildings. As he stepped up to the palace, Link saw one woman use a long pole with a flaming tip to light a lantern on the exterior wall of the palace.

Steps led up to the palace entrance—an open doorway lined with colorful mosaic of tile and the symbol of the Gerudo placed above it—and a pair of Gerudo stood on either side of the entrance, spears held at the ready. Link hesitated, his eyes drawing up to the upper floor, where he'd landed earlier. He could just make out the chief's doorway over the lip of the staircase.

Steeling himself, Link looked up at the guards and began up the stairs. He raised a hand and, in his _best_ vai voice, said, "Sav'otta!"

The two Gerudo looked at each other and began to snicker. Link faltered, hand lowering. Had he said it wrong?

"The correct greeting is _sav'saaba_ ," one of the guards finally said. Her eyes crinkled above her veil with mirth. "Unless where you come from, this would still be considered morning."

"Oh," Link said, cursing himself. "Well… sav'saaba."

"Sav'saaba, Hylian," the other guard said. "What is a little thing like you doing here at this hour? Are you lost?"

"Oh, no, I… Actually, I wanted to know if I could meet the chieftain."

Both of the women at the door stood up a little straighter, looking at Link with raised eyebrows. "Lady Riju? Why do you wish to speak with her?"

He'd worked this out, at least somewhat, with Rhondson. "I've just heard so much about her grace and beauty… I heard that she meets with outsiders from time to time and thought I would see if she would be willing to meet me."

The two Gerudo relaxed some, though they still looked wary. Finally, one of them spoke up. "Lady Riju is very busy with… Gerudo matters, but she does hear from outsiders around midday. If you come back tomorrow, I am sure that you would have your chance then."

"Oh, of course." Link had hoped, perhaps, for a more private meeting with her, but he'd known it was a stretch. Hopefully it would not be so crowded tomorrow that he didn't have the chance to speak to her.

"Little vai, I hope you know that, if you are planning on asking Lady Riju to grant your husband special access to the city, she will not grant such a request," the Gerudo said.

"I… I _wasn't_ —" Link stammered.

The two Gerudo looked at each other and then shrugged. "If you say so. That is usually the most common request that foreign vai bring before Lady Riju."

" _Oh_ , I'm not even—I'm not married. No voe with me!" Link ended with a chuckle that sounded far too nervous to his own ears.

"Then you traveled here alone?" the Gerudo asked, eyebrows raised. Link nodded, though he immediately wondered if it was the wrong response. The women appeared to approve, however. "Good! You Hylian vai are much too reliant on your _voe_ most of the time. It's good to see one of you traveling of your own strength, despite your small size. And you carry a sword, I see—are you a warrior?"

"I… a bit," Link said. Did she have to keep referring to his size? No, he wasn't as tall as one of the giant-like Gerudo, but he wasn't _that_ short. Was he?

"Even better. Keep your steel sharp. These are difficult times for us all, but I am confident that our ancestors still watch over us."

 _Oh, you have no idea_ , Link thought with a wry smile beneath the veil. Out loud, he said, "I will. Thank you, um… ladies."

The Gerudo nodded to her. "Sav'orq."

Link responded in kind and proceeded back down the stairs, feeling frustrated, but not surprised. He hadn't truly expected that the chief would meet with him in the middle of the evening, but he'd heard that she was still willing to meet with outsiders. And now he knew when.

With that knowledge, he turned and made his way deeper into the city. If he wouldn't get his chance to see this Lady Riju until the morning, then he might as well take in the sights while he could.

* * *

He became aware of the pair of women tailing him some time later. He'd come out from the alley that he'd gotten lost in, glancing around, and saw them. For a moment, the pair of women—who could have been either Sheikah or Hylian—looked surprised, though they quickly entered a jewelry shop. Link almost didn't even think anything of it, were it not for the fact that he caught sight of them leaving the shop and following after him after he passed by. They were vaguely familiar, and he thought that he might have seen them at the entrance to the city.

Someone had likely found him out, or worse. They weren't Gerudo guards, so he doubted it was due to his deception upon entering the city. The alternative, however, was even less desirable. _It's not as though my entrance to the desert was exactly subtle_ , he thought as he turned down another side street.

Link turned into a jewelry shop, stepping up to a pedestal that housed a beautiful sapphire circlet. It was actually very much like the one he'd seen Zelda wear in his memories. The Gerudo shopkeeper smiled and walked over to him, but Link ignored her, watching the open doorway out of the corner of his eye.

As expected, the pair of women stepped into view a moment later, though they did not head for the jewelry shop. Instead, they went to the opposite side of the street, stepping into another shop there. Link waited for a few heartbeats before looking up at the shop owner and giving her a polite nod and a whispered, "Sav'orq."

He went back outside and moved down the street in the direction he'd come. As he turned down another street, he caught sight of his pursuers. _That confirms it_ , he thought, pursing his lips.

The women did not look particularly dangerous, but he knew all too well that looks could be deceiving among the Yiga.

He continued to make his way deeper into the city, eventually coming out onto a large courtyard of sorts. Surprisingly, it was packed full of tents and a large number of Gerudo women and children. These did not wear the colorful clothing that the others wore, however, opting instead for more functional garments made from wool and other materials. Refugees from the Divine Beast.

Link didn't spend a lot of time dwelling on this, however—he had hoped to find a deserted section of the city—and hurried down another street. His pursuers continued to follow him, no longer doing much to pretend they weren't. They knew that he'd found them out.

Link turned down another street and then down an alley. This alley was dark and ended in a dead end some ways down. There was a noticeable pile of refuse at the end, including a large number of melon rinds, for some reason. Water trickled down the wall, originating from a crack along its upper lip that allowed water from the aqueduct to escape.

He glanced quickly around but found only a door locked from the outside. No light shown out from underneath it, and he hoped that it was deserted. Satisfied that he was properly alone, he turned around to face the mouth of the alley and waited.

One of the women appeared a minute later, silhouetted by the moon. She stood at the alley's entrance, looking in at him. He couldn't see her face, but he thought she was smiling. For a few moments, they stared at each other, and then she reached into the pack at her waist, pulling out something round and concave. She placed it on her face.

"Yiga," Link said, not bothering to disguise his voice.

She said nothing, but just stood in the alley, watching him. Waiting.

A loud crack resounded through the alley, and white light burst in front of him, blinding him. He jumped back just as the other assassin appeared, swinging one of her curved sickles at Link's head and narrowly missing their target. He swore and continued to back away, his vision still impaired by the white after-image left behind by the Yiga's flash bomb.

He caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye and ducked, thrusting a fist out. He caught the assassin in the stomach and heard her grunt. Still mostly blind, he swept out with his foot and tripped her. Before he could follow through, however, he heard the other assassin running towards him.

Link rolled to the side, blinking rapidly as he stood and retreated. His vision was clearing, though the after-image still remained in the center. The alley seemed too dark, and the assassins seemed to move too quickly.

He reached back, pulling the Master Sword free of its leather sheathe. He discarded the wrappings on its hilt and held it at the ready. Both of the Yiga attacked.

Link parried the first attack, which came high, and reached out, grabbing the wrist of the second one, yanking forward and throwing her off-balance. As she stumbled forward, he caught her neck with his arm and twisted, wrenching her around and into her companion.

They both fell in a heap, and Link struck, slamming his heel down one of their outstretched hands. Even though he only had a slipper on, he still heard bones crunch. She grunted in pain. He kicked her sickle away. The other one had lost her blade when Link threw her.

He stepped back, still holding his Master Sword at the ready and staring at the pair of assassins on the ground.

Slowly, the pair disentangled themselves, rising up off the ground. Both had been disarmed and neither seemed to have a second blade, though Link wouldn't be surprised to find that they had managed to hide it somehow. One of their masks had broken, revealing the lower half of her face.

"Leave," he said, voice hard. "I _will_ kill you if I must." They looked at each other and then back at Link. _Please, go._ He didn't want to kill. Not now. Not here, in some back alley. Not when he didn't need to.

They took a step back and each, as one, threw something to the ground. The small objects exploded with a flash of fire and smoke, and when it cleared, the two Yiga were gone.

Link remained still, waiting. After a few quiet minutes, however, he finally relaxed. He sheathed the Master Sword again and wrapped its hilt the best he could. It was sloppier than when Rhondson did it, and he doubted it would fool anyone. At that moment, however, he didn't care.

He stepped back out of the alley, looking around for anyone that might have been watching, but found no one. Satisfied that he was alone, he made his way back in the direction that he hoped the market and main street was. He was eager to get out of the city.


	48. Chapter Forty-Five

**Well, I told you I felt a bonus chapter coming on! I'm excited to share this one, too, as I'm very happy with how it turned out. Let's just say some very important events take place in it. I'll be frank-after this chapter, the rest of the story is pretty much non-stop. There are fifteen chapters after this one (plus a few "non-chapters"). It's a _ton_ for me to still work through and edit, so don't expect a lot of bonus chapters like this one! But I got this one edited a little early and figured, "Why not?" Like I said-very excited to share it!**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Oof. As a 5'4" man, myself... _oof!_ But seriously, I recently found out that people theorized Link to be around 5'4" as well. Feels good to know that. Gets me through many painful nights when I'm reflecting on all the giants around me. It's probably the reason I enjoy bringing up Link's height so much. It has very little to do with anything-his character, the plot, or anything else-but it's fun. Also, I'm glad you like Rhondson so much! I'm _very_ happy with how her character turned out. I poured over her dialogue in the game to try to get the right feel for her. She's fun because the majority of other Gerudo we encounter in the story are warriors. Rhondson, in the meantime, is something completely different. **

**Sketchachu: Thanks a lot! I feel as though my writing has improved over the course of the story. Makes me itch sometimes and when I read over earlier chapters, I'm so tempted to go back and start rewriting scenes. But I try to hold off on that (mostly). At least for now. Who knows what the future will bring. On the flow of the prose, that's something that I've definitely tried to cultivate. My wife (who doesn't post stuff online) is a master of flowing prose. One day, I shall be her equal...**

 **iCards: The Gerudo are fun. They're arrogant, like the Rito (and even the Zora), but for an entirely different reason. They are _the_ dominant race in Hyrule at this point. They have no interest in expansion-their culture is still very much so insular-but they have that self-important air that expects others to come to _them_. But, at the same time, they send their women out to find men, even though it is established that men flock to them as well. I've tried to be very careful about how I approach their culture, as I feel it could get pushed too far one way or the other very easily. They were a challenge, but so much fun. **

**Now, please, enjoy this bonus chapter and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Five**

"I wish you didn't have to go," Aryll said.

Link looked up at his sister as he pulled on his boot and smiled, reaching out and mussing her blonde hair. "You know I have to."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're going to miss my _birthday_."

"So? You'll have plenty more to come. I promise I'll be there for at least _some_ of them." Link laced his boot while looking up at her.

Soon to be twelve years old, Aryll still looked very young, yet there were hints at the woman she would become. It was strange, since he could still remember her being a baby. He even remembered trying to teach her to walk—and how to run, much to their parents' dismay. And now she was slowly becoming a young woman. He already felt as though he'd missed too much of it.

"I know, I just… I hate when you have to leave." She puffed out her cheeks, frustrated. "You're never around anymore."

That hurt, but it was true. She and their mother had remained in Hateno Village, looking after their interests there while he and his father spent most of the year at the castle, coming home during the harvest and parts of the winter. Following their mother's death, however, Arn had decided to retrieve Aryll and bring her to live in Castle Town, leaving their small holding under the care of a steward for the time being. Though he had decided to retire from service shortly thereafter, he hadn't been ready to leave Castle Town, it would seem.

Not now that Link had become one of the few that the entire nation pinned their hopes on.

"I know, but I do try to see you when I can." He tried to give her an encouraging smile. That was why he'd taken leave from the castle for the last few days, leaving Zelda in the hands of other capable guards. "And I'll be back soon."

In truth, he didn't know how long their trip would take. They would visit Death Mountain before continuing on south to the Faron Rainforest and the Spring of Courage. It would take at least a month, if not longer.

"And then you'll probably just have to leave again," Aryll said.

Link sighed, though he silently acknowledged that she was probably right. Zelda seemed excited by the prospect of leaving again—she really did like being out in the wild, where there was no one around to stare at her.

"I'll try to spend more time at home," he finally said. "We'll go out on a long ride together when I get home. Maybe even spend a couple nights under the stars."

Aryll's eyes lit up. "Will you let me ride Epona?"

"We'll see," Link said. "She still doesn't really like other riders very much."

"She likes _me_. Sometimes I go see her at the stables and bring her treats."

"So _that's_ why she's started to look a little round in the middle. I've got to tell the stable hands not to let you anywhere near her."

Aryll slapped his arm, and Link laughed, reaching out and drawing her into a tight embrace. He kissed the top of her head and released her, standing up. "I actually have something for you."

"A birthday present?"

Link looked at her and smirked. "Well, yeah. I didn't forget!"

He _had_ forgotten, actually. But a quick trip into the market rectified that mistake when he realized it the day prior.

He walked to the small dresser in the room that he called his own when visiting his family in the city, opening it and pulling out a small object wrapped in brown paper.

Aryll clapped her hands together and ran up to him, eyes shining with child-like excitement. Link smiled and held the present out to her, which she opened with nimble fingers.

Inside the package was a small, wooden boat. When Link had seen it, he'd marveled at its craftsmanship. The deck and masts were carved masterfully, and actual cloth had been used to make the sails, dyed to match the sails on the royal barges.

" _Link_ , this is… beautiful!" Aryll gently lifted the ship out, turning it over with wide eyes.

She had always loved going down to the sea and watching the ships float by the Hateno Bay. While he knew she still went down to the docks in the city from time to time, the ships that floated by on the river were usually flat-bottomed barges, not the massive seafarers that she'd been able to see before. It wasn't the same.

Aryll threw her arms around Link, squeezing him tightly. Link bent down to hug her tightly, but both of them paused when they heard a knock at the front door.

Frowning, Link stood back up, looking at Aryll with a curious expression, and then they both walked out. Arn, their father, reached the door first, however, pulling it open to reveal Zelda.

She was dressed in her blue traveling outfit, hair pulled up in her typical style. Link could see her horse standing just behind her, the travel bags already packed and ready to go, along with a pair of guards.

"Princess?" his father said, confusion registering in his expression and tone. Briefly, he looked past her, frown creasing his forehead. Arn's posture grew straighter, and Link saw his hand lower to where the hilt of his sword would have once sat on his hip. No sword rested there now, however. He seemed momentarily confused by this and spared Link a brief glance. Finally, he went down on one knee, lowering his head respectfully.

Link quickly moved past Arn, meeting Zelda's eyes and then those of the guards. "Princess, is everything all right?" Link asked, eyes darting warily. He recognized the guards—he'd personally assigned each of them to duty this morning. One of them looked at him and gave him an apologetic smile.

"It's all right!" Zelda said, raising her hands quickly. "Sir Arn, please—please rise. I am at your home. There is no need for such formalities." She met Link's eyes, a slight flush appearing on her cheeks. "I… came here to find you. I wished to see if you were ready to set out."

 _Oh, for—_ Link forced his face to remain calm, though his heart raced in his chest. If something had happened—if they had been attacked or ambushed… He trusted the guards with her in the _castle_ , but out and about, in the city, he trusted only his own sword. "Princess, that isn't… You could have sent a _messenger_. I would have returned at once. There is no guarantee that the streets are safe."

Zelda's expression cooled, and Link swore internally. _That_ expression was never a good thing. He glanced at the guards behind her. "You two—go back to the castle. Inform the others that we will setting off from here." He hoped that Zelda had, at least, gathered some food supplies. He had some here that he could pack up for their trip, but if she hadn't secured any, he would have to start hunting quickly.

Zelda turned to look at her guards, giving them each a warm smile. "Thank you for accompanying me."

For a moment, the guards seemed confused. Finally, they each said, "Yes, your highness," before saluting Link and hurrying off.

Link watched them go, lips pursed. He would address that when they returned. The _next_ time that Zelda wanted to go off into the city, he had _better_ be sent a fast messenger.

"Oh, _stop_ ," Zelda said, giving him a disdainful look. "I'm fine. I am quite certain that they would have been able to protect me from any rowdy merchants we passed in the streets."

"Zel—" Link stopped himself, taking a quick breath. It would _not_ do for his father to hear that. "Your highness, I _would_ have come to you." He tried keeping his tone even. He didn't want her to hear his irritation. Or his worry.

She appeared to take notice, anyway, and her eyes flashed with defiance. "Yet now that is quite unnecessary, Sir Link, for _I_ have come to _you_." She paused. " _Are_ you ready?"

He'd known she was excited for the trip, though this was… surprising. But, then again, as he thought about it, perhaps her impatience to begin was not shocking. For the last week, Zelda had been set upon by priest after priest, instructing her in prayers, mantras, and other things she should do at the Spring of Courage. He could tell how much it had been agitating her.

"I… almost. Why don't you come in?" He glanced around, anxious about the number of other townspeople that had taken notice of her. "I just need to finish packing a few things."

"Thank you," she said, with that prim tone she used when she was irritated. That wasn't the best way to start their trip.

She stepped inside, and he followed, closing the door behind them. He was aware of his father's eyes on him, and Link didn't meet his gaze. Instead, he found Aryll standing several feet away, looking at Zelda with wide-eyes. Link tried to remember if his sister had ever actually met or even _seen_ Zelda. His sister spent very little time around the castle, even now.

Zelda glanced around the house curiously, and Link felt an uncomfortable urge to start cleaning things. His father was not a slovenly man—the decades spent as a knight in service to the royal family meant he preferred things to be neat and orderly—but he also never had to keep a house in order before, either. Link's mother had done those things. Aryll helped, but she getting into mischief out in the city. He knew how much of a handful she could be for his father.

The princess, however, did not look disappointed. She smiled at Arn, who still looked tense, despite his intimate familiarity with the royal family. He'd likely never had one of them at his home. "You keep a neat home, Sir Arn. Now I know where your son gets it."

"Oh, I'm afraid that he didn't get that from me, your highness," Arn said, relaxing some. He glanced back towards Link. "Any neatness the boy has comes from his mother."

 _He still calls me a boy,_ Link thought with a wry smile. He found that he didn't mind. It was good that someone could look at him and not only see the Master Sword.

"Perhaps, but the discipline he shows during our travels must surely come from you." A small smile graced Zelda's lips. "He is rather stubborn about fulfilling his duty with absolute precision. His heritage is clear."

The words had their desired effect. Arn stood a little taller, broad chest expanding. "Thank you, Princess. It is good to know that he is performing his duties well."

Zelda shot a glance at Link, and he saw the mischievous glint in her eye. Link kept his face carefully controlled. Ever since that night in the garden, she had been merciless about making sure Link was relaxed around her. She scolded him for even a hint of formality.

He hadn't shared any of that with his father, though he wasn't entirely certain why. Likely because this friendship between them felt… different than the one his father had with the king.

"Princess, have you had the opportunity to meet my sister?" Link asked as he stepped around behind Aryll and placed both hands on her shoulders.

Zelda turned and smiled broadly. "I think I have, actually, but you probably don't remember. You were only a toddler at the time."

 _And you weren't much older,_ Link thought. Zelda, he'd found, had a keen memory. She could remember events from even when she was barely older than a baby with vivid detail. It was no wonder that she was so knowledgeable.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't—" Aryll cut off as Zelda suddenly thrust her hand out. Aryll stared at it for a moment, seemingly horrified by the prospect of actually _shaking_ her hand. Link gently pushed her forward, and she finally broke out of her trance and took Zelda's hand, shaking it quickly before letting go.

"There. Now we've met properly," Zelda said. "You know, Link has told me a lot about you."

"He has?" Aryll sounded mildly horrified.

"Mm-hmm. He said you have a fondness for being outdoors—" Link saw her eyes dart down to the small ship held in Aryll's other hand. "—and that you want to be a ship captain in the future."

"He _did_?"

Link didn't even remember telling her those things. It must have come up in some of her rapid questioning sessions back in Gerudo Desert. He wondered if she just remembered everything he'd said, or if she wrote it down in one of her many journals. Did she… _study_ his answers?

"Personally, I think it sounds like a wonderful idea. If I weren't a princess, I think it would be fun to set sail at sea. I've never actually been on a ship before."

"I have," Aryll said, clearly excited by this line of questioning. "I got some of the fishermen to take me out with them back in Hateno Village."

"I'd like to hear about that," Zelda said. She glanced up towards Link and raised an eyebrow. "But aren't you supposed to be getting ready for our trip?"

Link felt his cheeks grow warm. "Of course. If you'll excuse me, Princess…" She gave him a slight smile and nodded. He quickly withdrew back to his bedroom to finish getting ready. Behind him, he could hear Zelda and Aryll begin discussing the finer points about sea vessels in depth.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

The cool early morning breeze ruffled Link's hair as he looked to the southeast, where Naboris and its sandstorm lay, still too far away to see from here. He sat atop of the mushroom-shaped stone pillar that rose above the inn. It had a series of ladders that allowed people to climb up to this peak, though Link had never seen anyone do so.

He wasn't sure what had triggered the memory of his father and sister, and now that Link had it, he didn't know if he was happy to have seen it or not. The memory had been a happy one, full of such hope for the future, yet Link knew that his sister never saw her next birthday. She never became a ship captain, as she'd hoped.

And he'd promised her that he would be around more often.

Had he done so? Did he make up missing her birthday to her, like he promised? Did Aryll die, wishing that she got a chance to spend more time with her older brother, whom she looked up to so much? He feared that he knew the answer. He knew, based on other memories, that he and Zelda had spent a great deal of time those last few months on the road and rarely at home.

He shed no tears any longer—those had long since dried on his cheeks. He'd been sitting there for well more than an hour. When he awoke, the sun hadn't even begun to rise, though he was now beginning to see the first hint of color on the distant horizon.

 _It was better not knowing,_ he thought, bitterly. _It was enough to know I had a family. A sister. I didn't need to know…_

A lump formed in his throat, and Link shook his head. No. That was wrong. He _wanted_ to remember his sister and the bond they'd shared. He just… didn't want to face the truth.

He'd failed her. He'd failed her, and she was killed by Ganon.

 _Ganon._

The name was like a curse. Link felt hatred and rage at the mere thought. Ganon had taken everything from him. His home, his family, his friends. His _life_. And it seemed supremely wrong that the creature still lived.

And so, he looked to the southeast, towards where the last remaining piece of Ganon remained. He would destroy the creature within. For his sister.

From deep within his mind, he felt the Master Sword thrum with agreement. It, too, felt the urge to destroy the evil that inhabited this land. The spirit within the sword felt as though she, too, had failed when she was needed. And she wanted to right that wrong.

 _We will,_ Link thought, clenching his hands into fists. _We will._

* * *

Something had changed in the city since the night before, though Link wasn't sure what it was. The guards at the front seemed more alert. They were tense and curt with those entering. They did not stop Link, however—his disguise still held. He wondered how the Yiga had seen through his disguise. Perhaps being so good at disguises themselves made them capable of picking out other disguises. Or perhaps they had been watching him ever since he entered the desert, waiting for the chance to strike.

Once inside, he found that the market was not unlike it had been the afternoon before, yet he thought he also saw more guards. While people shopped and enjoyed what Gerudo Town had to offer, its policing force was on high alert.

What had happened? Did someone get wind of his encounter with the Yiga? But no—no one had seen him fighting them, from what he'd been able to tell, and what evidence had he left behind other than their weapons? Would those cause such a stir? Would the Gerudo even know who the Yiga are?

Feeling increasingly anxious, Link made his way through the busy market without pausing. He would be arriving earlier than the guards indicated their chief met with outsiders, but he wanted to meet with her as quickly as possible. The sooner he got the information he sought, the sooner he could destroy the creature within the Divine Beast.

And the sooner he could kill Ganon.

When he arrived at the palace, it was still morning, though the day had already grown incredibly hot. Though his Gerudo attire was light and airy, Link still felt sweat trickling down his forehead and back. He took a drink of his waterskin as he looked up towards the palace, and the pair of guards standing at the ready in front of its entrance.

They were a different pair than last night, but that wasn't to be unexpected. Other than them, however, Link noticed a number of other guards in the area. Many of them spoke to each other in hushed tones, keeping a wary eye out. Several of them were watching Link.

"What brings you here, Hylian?" one of the guards asked when Link approached.

"I was here last night," Link said. "I was told to come back today if I wanted to see your chieftain."

Both of the guards stiffened, and he felt even more certain that something must have happened after he left last night. What was going on?

"Lady Riju is extremely busy with Gerudo business. Why is it so important that you meet with her? What purpose brings you to Gerudo Town?"

Link swallowed. "I…" He hesitated. With how tense the Gerudo were, would they really let him in just to meet their chieftain? The truth, then. Or something closer to it. "I am a researcher who has been studying the Divine Beasts. I understand that yours is causing you trouble, and I wished to offer my assistance in calming it."

The two Gerudo looked at him suspiciously for a few moments before one of them turned and went inside. The remaining guard continued to watch him closely. Finally, she said, "You are a researcher and wield a sword?"

"I research Sheikah technology," Link explained. "Sometimes that requires me to travel to dangerous locations."

He worried that his nervousness would give him away, but the woman seemed to accept that. She spoke again after a few moments. "I suppose that to mean you have traveled to many places in Hyrule."

"I… yes. I have."

"Have you… met many voe on your travels?"

 _What?_ Link thought, surprised at the question. "Sometimes."

"My sisters say that there are fewer towns outside of the desert than there used to be," the woman said, not focusing on Link. "Now they must often travel very far to meet voe, unless they come across one on the road."

"Why… do you wish to meet a voe?" Link asked, perplexed.

The Gerudo sighed, relaxing some. "I wish to meet someone to fall in love with, of course. Many of my friends have traveled east to meet voe. Some of them even have husbands, though few brought their husbands back to the desert." She paused. "Do you have a husband?"

"No," Link said quickly.

"Is it difficult for you to woo a voe? We go through so much training on how to do so, yet it just seems so _complicated_."

"It's… not so complicated," Link said, feeling awkward. _What does she mean by training?_ "You are a… beautiful woman. I am sure there are many men that would be happy to, um… marry you."

The Gerudo smiled underneath her veil. " _Sarqso_. That is a very nice thing to say. You, too, are very beautiful. I am sure that you shall find someone one day as well."

Link was spared any more of the awkward conversation, when the first guard stepped back out and motioned for him to follow. He bade the woman farewell and followed the other guard into the palace.

The interior of the palace was lavish. The floor of the entrance hall was covered with thick rugs, and the walls were likewise covered with beautiful drapes of a deep red color. Light streamed in through windows higher up on the wall, illuminating beautiful gemstones that had been set into the wall between the drapes.

The guard led Link down a hall, which came out into what he assumed was the throne room. This room was even more majestic than the other, if not more lavish.

The entire room had clearly been carved directly out of rock, or perhaps it had once been a cave. While the walls were smoothed and supported by sandstone, the ceiling was still mostly just rough stone. The walls contained several arches that led deeper into the palace structure or out onto the grounds, each of which was outlined in gemstones. Two stone statues of Gerudo stood atop pedestals near the room's entrance, each adorned with golden armor. Beyond them were pools of water on either side of the carpeted walkway.

Past all of this, atop a raised platform, was the throne. It stood tall and imposing, with gold-plated arms and legs. Gerudo text had been carved into the stone back of the throne and likewise inlayed with gold. Above the letters was the symbol of the Gerudo, which looked vaguely like two circles side-by-side within a soft-edged diamond.

The imposing image of the throne was slightly spoiled by the sight of who and what sat in it. A wooden _booster_ seat of sorts had been made to hang suspended between the tall arms of the throne, and sitting on this seat, was the young girl he'd seen in the palace bedroom when he first arrived.

She leaned to one side, fist tucked up under her chin, and legs crossed at the ankle. Though she was dressed more formally now than before, she wore the same crown that she did when Link first saw her. Golden hoops covered her neck, upper arms, wrists, and ankles, while the outfit she wore revealed her midriff and ended in a loose skirt. She had on a lot of makeup—deep blue lipstick and dark eyeshadow—but none of this did anything to hide the fact that she was far younger than Link had expected.

 _I'd thought that maybe she was the chief's daughter,_ Link thought, heart sinking. _She looks to be barely older than Aryll was in my memory._

And to make matters worse, the Gerudo that had interrogated Link while in prison stood directly beside the Gerudo chieftain, sword point to the ground, looking at him with a fierce expression.

Link hesitated, looking at the woman nervously, but she did not say anything to suggest she actually recognized him. Not yet, anyway.

"Speak quickly, Hylian," the tall woman said as Link slowly approached, banging the tip of her sword on the stone ground to emphasize her words.

 _That can't be good for the sword_ , Link thought.

The woman continued. "You are in the presence of Lady Riju, Chief of the Gerudo Desert and all her people. You say you have information about the Divine Beast?"

Link stopped walking when he saw the woman's eyes flash with a warning. That was close enough. "I am—"

"Hmm…" the young girl said, cutting him off. She tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "You know, Buliara, this one looks familiar, doesn't _she_?" She placed an emphasis on the last word.

Link sighed.

The tall woman, Buliara, narrowed her eyes, looking at Link. Finally, she said, "Lady Riju, I don't—" She stopped, glancing at the sword hilt sticking up from his back. She stared at it for a moment and then her eyes darted back to his face. He saw her knuckles turn white. "Remove your _veil_."

Link met her eyes, pursing his lips. He did as ordered, however, knowing that any hope of hiding who he was had passed. He reached up, unclasping one side of his veil, and letting it fall.

Buliara's eyes widened and nostrils flared. " _You!_ " She yanked her sword up off the ground and quickly moved to stand between him and Riju. "Guards! To me!"

"Wait, please!" Link said, speaking quickly. "I'm here about the Divine Beast—I can _tame_ it!"

Behind him, he heard the chinking of gold armor and footsteps on carpeted floors. He raised his hands, keeping them away from anything that could appear as a weapon.

"I let you go once, but not again," Buliara said, her eyes a tempest of rage. "I will remove your head _myself_ , you damnable—"

"Stop!"

The guards behind him stopped immediately, responding to the girl's voice behind Buliara. The tall woman stiffened and spoke in a lower tone, though she did not take her eyes from Link.

"Chief Riju, this _v_ —"

" _Vai_. This _vai_ is an _ally_ of ours, Buliara. And the Gerudo have always treated their allies well." Lady Riju stood in her throne, which allowed her head to peak out from over Buliara's shoulder. She smiled at the guards, who stood behind Link. "It is quite all right. Just a misunderstanding. Please, return to your duties."

"Lady Riju, I do not advise this course of action," Buliara said, teeth clenched. "At the very least, I request the presence of the guards for your safety."

"Nonsense. I do not think our friend here is any danger to me. Besides, you are _more_ than capable of keeping me safe, Buliara."

There was a tense moment, during which Buliara's eyes did not leave Link's. She looked as though she were ready to take her great sword and cleave him in two. Finally, however, she glanced at her guards and nodded. "Back to your posts."

Link heard them depart just as quickly as they came. After another moment, Buliara stepped to the side, though she still held her sword at the ready. Lady Riju smiled and eased herself back down in her throne, which Link noticed had padding with an odd design on it. _Is that a sand seal?_

"Now," the girl said, clapping her hands together. "You might wish to put your veil back on. If word of this got out…" She whistled softly. "It is a great crime."

Link tore his eyes from Buliara, who looked ready to administer the necessary punishment where he stood, and glanced at Riju. He nodded and reached up, replacing the veil across his face.

After a moment of silence, the girl cleared her throat. "Well? You say you're here to help us. I would advise that you tell us how you plan to do so—though perhaps you should start with who you are…"

"My name is Link," he said, no longer bothering to disguise his voice. Buliara flinched. "I am the Hylian Champion who fought alongside Urbosa one hundred years ago."

"What is this _nonsense_?" Buliara spat. "All of the Champions were killed."

Riju's eyebrows rose high on her forehead, but she said nothing.

"No," Link said. "Princess Zelda survived, and… so did I, though narrowly. I was placed in an ancient Sheikah chamber that restored me to health, though it took one hundred years to do so. I woke three months ago and have, thus far, tamed each of the Divine Beasts, save for one."

"Naboris," Riju said, breathlessly. Link nodded. She looked at him, a spark of what he thought might have been hope in her eye. "If this is true, then… what proof do you have?"

Link considered for a moment and then reached down to his Sheikah Slate, pulling it off of his hip. He opened the gallery and found the image of the six of them standing together. He gazed at it for a moment and then stepped forward.

Buliara moved like a viper, intercepting him and holding her sword out, its point inches from his neck. "That is far enough, _voe_."

Link hesitated, glancing around her to see Riju. And then he turned the Sheikah Slate around to show them the image. Riju gasped softly, and even Buliara seemed to waver.

"I trust that you have at least some kind of portrait of Urbosa around?" Link asked, hoping it to be the case.

Riju nodded slowly, speaking softly, as if to herself. "In my bedchamber…"

"Then I am sure you recognize the woman in the photograph. The others are Mipha the Zora, Daruk the Goron, Revali the Rito, Princess Zelda, and… myself."

"Buliara, it's all right," Riju said, her voice soft. "Let him come closer."

The tall woman hesitated for just a moment, and then she lowered her sword, taking a step back to stand just beside the throne. Riju met Link's eyes and held out her hand. Dutifully, he took a single step forward and leaned forward, handing her the Sheikah Slate to inspect. He stepped back.

Riju gazed down at the photograph for a long time. Finally, she held it out to Buliara, who took it and inspected the photograph before stepping forward and handing it back to Link.

The young chief looked at Link shrewdly, tapping her fingers thoughtfully. He saw her eyes flick up to look at the covered hilt above his shoulder. "Is that the sword, then? Lady Urbosa spoke of it in her diary—the sword that seals the darkness. Is that it?"

Link hesitated, glancing at Buliara, and then decided to take another step back—just in case. He reached up and grasped the Master Sword's hilt, sliding it free of its sheathe. Buliara tensed but said nothing. He gently placed the sword's tip on the ground and unwrapped the hilt, revealing the spotless purple hilt and the yellow gemstone in its center.

Riju looked towards Buliara, biting her lip. But a moment later, she stopped doing so, and her expression firmed. She looked back at Link and sat up straighter. "It is good that you have come, then. Do you have a plan with which to tame Naboris?"

Link hesitated. "I… had hoped that, perhaps, _you_ would know a way to get past the lightning."

Buliara snorted. "So. You expend so much effort to sneak into the city and confront Lady Riju, and you do not even have a _plan_?"

"I am _one man_ ," Link said, growing irritated. "With each of the previous Divine Beasts, I have received assistance from the races they belonged to. I don't see why the Gerudo should be any different."

"You admit that you do not know how to tame the beast!"

Link took a step forward, and Buliara moved to intercept again. "Look, get me on Naboris, and I _will_ bring it down. But each Divine Beast was designed to only be approachable by a member of the race it belonged to. Each one could only be overcome by the abilities or technology possessed by a Zora, Goron, and Rito. I _assume_ the same applies here."

"So, you are _useless_. Lady Riju, I think that we have heard enough. We should eject this voe immediately and be _done_ with it."

Something snapped in Link. "I'm trying to _save_ you! You don't know what I've been through to—"

" _Enough!_ " Riju's voice cracked like a whip, silencing them both.

Link stepped back, breathing deeply, and flushed with anger and shame. He knew he was growing too emotional, but with the short time left and the memory from this morning…

Buliara, too, looked contrite. She took a step back, resuming her normal pose, her sword's tip against the ground.

Riju tapped her fingers on her throne, looking at Link. Finally, she sighed. "There is a way to approach Naboris, however… it is no longer possible."

Link's heart fell. "What do you mean?"

"There… is an heirloom, passed down from chief to chief for generations," Riju said, her voice soft.

An image popped into Link's head, and his eyes widened. "The Thunder Helm."

"Yes," Riju said. "You know of it?"

"Urbosa told me about it. She always had it nearby, and I asked her once. She said that it gave her power over lightning."

 _Urbosa held the golden helmet with reverent fingers while sitting in the grass. She tapped it with a long fingernail. "I've used it for long enough that I no longer need to wear it," she said. "But my power is strongest when it is near. With the way things have been going lately, I feel it necessary to keep it close."_

"It was stolen," Riju said.

The memory in Link's mind popped.

"What?" he said. "Stolen? How?"

"The Yiga clan," Buliara said, her voice dangerously low.

Link closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. Sabotage. Of course, it made sense. Really, it was genius. He opened his eyes again, meeting Riju's.

"They did the same at Zora's Domain. They attempted to sabotage attempts to stop the Divine Beast before it flooded the entire river."

Riju glanced at Buliara again. "Then it wasn't just to steal the heirloom, as we suspected. They truly are attempting to destroy us."

"Yes," the taller woman said. She looked furious, though her anger was no longer directed towards Link.

"When did they take it?"

Riju looked at him, pursing her lips. "A little over a month ago. We knew they had a base somewhere nearby, but they rarely caused problems for us, so we left them alone."

"You left them _alone_?" Link asked, incredulous. "They serve _Ganon_! They've been sending assassins after me for weeks! Hell, _two_ of them tried killing me _last night_ in your city."

" _What_? Impossible. No Yiga are within our—" Buliara started, but then she stopped herself, realizing the flaw in that statement. There _had_ been Yiga within their walls, after all. A little over a month ago.

"There were," Link said. "I dealt with them. But what do you mean they have a base near here? You know where they are?"

Riju nodded. "We didn't before the Thunder Helm was taken. After, however, we sent Gerudo out searching everywhere for any hint at where the thieves might have taken it. We found them last week. We attempted to lead an attack on their base last night, but they fought us off."

That explained the increased tension within the city. They were preparing for a counterattack. But the Yiga would not launch an attack like that. No… They would attack from the shadows.

"They'll try to kill you," Link said, his voice grim.

"They can _try_ ," Buliara said.

"They're crafty," Link said. "Masters of disguise. And they have… abilities. I'm not sure if it is trickery or actual magic, but they are able to appear and disappear at will."

"I trust in my guards," Riju said. "They shall keep me safe. However, the problem remains. The Yiga clan has the Thunder Helm. We believe that it is being held in their hideout."

"Can you attack again? With higher numbers?"

"It is not that simple," Buliara said. "Their hideout is at the end of a narrow canyon, which is very defensible. We've been able to sneak scouts in, and they found out that the Yiga are hiding in a series of caves and tunnels."

"If they can get that far, can't they get into the base?"

"You think we have not tried that already?" Buliara snapped. "Several of them have been killed attempting to infiltrate. That is why we attacked last night—the attack was merely supposed to be a distraction to allow another infiltration attempt."

Link shook his head. "No, that's the same tactic they used in Zora's Domain. That won't work."

"Clearly."

"So, you now understand our problem," Riju said. She looked smaller now. More childlike. It was interesting how, for a time, she had seemed so much older. "We need the Thunder Helm to board Naboris, but it has been stolen."

"We have to get it back," Link said, grimacing. "Do you know how many Yiga there?"

Buliara sighed. "We have not been able to get a proper estimate, but they fought back with at least two hundred warriors yesterday. We sent a force of four hundred."

Link closed his eyes, thinking. If what they were saying was accurate, then the Yiga's fortified position would be incredibly difficult to attack. And, even if they did successfully get past the Yiga's defenses, he was sure that they had other escape routes planned. Or they could just destroy the Thunder Helm, if they hadn't done so already.

So, if they couldn't attack the Yiga, then what? The Gerudo hadn't been able to infiltrate the base, but of course they hadn't. The Gerudo were so distinctive. There was no way they could go unnoticed…

His eyes snapped open. "I have an idea."


	49. Chapter Forty-Six

**Here we go: the beginning of the end... for the Yiga. Maybe. Either way, this chapter was a great deal of fun to write. I had to split the Yiga infiltration into two parts, though-the original chapter ended up being the same length as two full-length chapters, and it had a good middle point to split it. So if you're hoping to see Link fight Kohga this chapter, sorry! That will come on Thursday. But, that being said, I think this chapter has some good twists and turns, too.  
**

 **Michy: I'm glad that the scenes with Link and Rhondson made you laugh! I'll be honest, I'm never sure of how good at humor I am at writing. I can make myself smile and laugh, but my ability to make others do the same can be hit or miss. But the Gerudo stuff practically writes itself. Much of Rhondson's dialogue in her introduction was based entirely off of her actual dialogue in the game-she had a lot more than I remembered, too.**

 **SoundMusician60: Two words: Write Ahead. I started on Part Three right around the time I was posting the beginning of Part Two! I managed to stay ahead of my two-a-week posting schedule, too, and often outpaced it, especially in Part Three, when I couldn't stop writing for how close I was to finishing it. My weekly and monthly word count average, especially near the end, was... probably bordering on the obscene. Also, I... have no idea what windbreaker is, in reference to your question, so no! Unless you meant Wind Waker, but got auto-corrected. If so, then... yes!**

 **iCards: Yes, I love me some Wind Waker. Aryll's original conception did not include such references (originally, she was going to be obsessed with cuccos), but as I started writing that scene, I changed my mind. And then went back and edited her brief appearance in the Lost Woods to be consistent! I just felt that this made her a more interesting character. Also, Zelda writes in her diary almost as if she is studying Link like a book. I decided to run with that!**

 **Sorry if I couldn't get to your comment, but I figure I've stalled enough! Please, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! Next chapter will be up Thursday, and trust me, you won't want to miss it.**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Six**

It didn't take long for Link's plan to come to fruition.

He wore his Champion's tunic, which was too heavy during the heat of the day but felt quite nice as the sun set and the sky turned a twilit orange. He had remained at the bazaar all day, shopping and mostly being visible, wearing the Master Sword prominently on his back.

Now, however, he chose to start walking in the direction of the city.

Before too long, he caught sight of two people following behind him, and it appeared as though a person in front of him had stopped walking towards the city as well.

 _Three? Word must have gotten out_ , he thought with a wry smile.

Of course, there could be even more out there, but he hoped that wouldn't be the case. If the numbers grew to be too much, however, then he had his escape route secured. One of the guards, having been told that he was a Sheikah researcher, had led him to the nearest Sheikah Shrine, which had been not far from the city at all, though it had been hidden from view by a pair of boulders.

Being bait hadn't been his initial plan. Actually, his original plan was to teleport back to Kakariko Village and inquire with Impa about the Yiga that had attacked her and Paya and see if any of their garments remained. He did just that, surprising both of the Sheikah women when he arrived so soon. Unfortunately, their bodies, clothes, and masks had all been burned.

Impa had wanted to muster a force of Sheikah to infiltrate the base, but Link had refused. A bunch of new Sheikah in the Gerudo desert wouldn't go unnoticed. And the Sheikah were needed in Necluda. The force of monsters at Hateno had begun to conduct raids against the village. They had been fought off so far, thanks to the timely arrival of some Gorons, but the situation there was growing dangerous.

Which meant that Link needed to be bait.

Link stopped walking, reaching up and drawing the Master Sword. He didn't relish the idea of setting a trap to kill these people, but he would do what he needed to do. He calmed his mind, focusing only on the coming fight.

They fanned out to surround him on three sides, and as one, they donned their white masks.

 _Good_ , Link thought, readying himself. He reached up and pulled down the pair of goggles over his eyes.

They attacked, rushing him from all sides. He waited until they got closer and then reached down, pressing the screen of his Sheikah Slate. A bomb appeared in front of him and he kicked it towards the nearest Yiga, who looked at it in confusion before it exploded a moment later.

The bomb kicked up a huge cloud of sand and dust, and Link rushed forward, ignoring the two Yiga behind him for the moment. He passed into the dust cloud and found the third Yiga lying in the sand some five feet away, stunned. Link thrust his sword down into the Yiga's chest.

He whirled, seeing the dark shapes of the other two Yiga in the dust cloud. He froze one of them with stasis and then leaped forward, slamming his sword against the other's sickle blade with a strong two-handed chop that actually snapped the blade in half and continued on, cutting a deep gash in the Yiga's torso.

Two of the Yiga downed, Link spun just as the final one came out of stasis, stumbling. Link attacked before he could regain his bearing, bringing his sword down on the Yiga's wrist, slicing off the hand that held his weapon. The Yiga cried out in pain, but that cry became a choked gasp as Link threw his right arm around the Yiga's neck from behind and squeezed.

The assassin struggled for a time, trying to pry Link's arm off his neck, but his hold was secure. Within a minute, the Yiga had stopped struggling.

Link let the final body drop to the floor, breathing deeply. Around him, three bloody corpses lay, staining the sand red. He felt sick to his stomach but knew that it had been necessary. There was no time for finesse—scout reports said that Naboris had turned in the direction of Gerudo Town. If it didn't turn, then he didn't have much time at all.

Link bent down to remove the mask from one of the face of the Yiga he'd choked to death.

An arrow shot through the air and took him in the shoulder.

Crying out, Link leaped away, rolling as another two arrows stuck into the sand where he'd been kneeling. The arrow shaft in his shoulder snapped, sending a flare of agony through his right arm.

He looked up and saw two Yiga atop a nearby dune, each pointing wicked-looking bows at him.

Swearing, Link ran as another series of arrows flew at him. As he did so, he reached back and yanked the shield free of its place on his back. He didn't have the time to secure it on his arm properly, so he just grabbed its handle and held it out in front of him. An arrow deflected off of it.

Link turned towards the archers, who appeared startled by his sudden advance. One of them fumbled with an arrow, dropping it.

Before he could reach them, however, a pair of arrows from another direction zipped through the air and struck each of the Yiga archers in the chest. They fell, and Link stopped running, sighing.

He turned as two Gerudo women approached from their own hiding places, each holding a beautiful golden bow. They were on loan to him by Captain Teake from the city. She had bristled at the thought of having her soldiers taking orders from a Hylian voe, but Buliara carried an order directly from Riju. None of them, of course, knew that Link had been in the city just the day before.

"Sa'oten," Liana said, lowering her veil and looking around at the bodies in the sand. She looked impressed.

Kotta, the other Gerudo, nudged the body of the one Link had choked with her toe. "They really wanted you dead," she said. "How did you know they would attack?"

"This was the…" Link hesitated, thinking. " _Fifth_ time they've tried to kill me. Well, fourth—one of those times they were actually trying to kill someone close to me. They're becoming predictable." He paused, thinking back to his memories. _Sixth, if you count the time they tried killing Zelda._

"Impressive." Liana raised her eyebrows, fixing Link with a difficult-to-read stare.

Before she could say anything else, however, Kotta cut her off. "Do you… have a vai? Back wherever you are from, I mean."

" _Kotta_. Now is not the time to be trying to find a voe!"

"It was just a _question_ ," Kotta protested.

Link flushed. "I, uh… Kind of."

"Oh well," Kotta said, shrugging. "I'm going to need to leave the desert soon to go find a voe. I didn't know that Hylians had such strong warriors…"

Link left that alone, turning to look at the bodies again. As he did so, however, his shoulder flared with pain again, and he gritted his teeth, glancing over and seeing the broken shaft still sticking out of his shoulder. The arrow had passed right through his shoulder, and the fletching had been broken off.

He glanced back towards the women, grimacing. "Can one of you pull that out?"

Liana stepped forward, reaching forward and bracing a hand against Link's back. She reached up and yanked the arrow free. Link hissed in pain, closing his eyes tightly until the worst of it faded. A moment later, the Gerudo raised his arm while Kotta approached with a cloth, which she used to wrap the shoulder, looping it under his arm.

When it was finished, Link nodded. "Thanks. Erm… Sarqso."

His arm taken care of, he finally stepped up to the Yiga that he had choked, reaching down and pulling the mask off. The face underneath was that of a sandy-haired man. He couldn't tell if he was Sheikah-blooded or Hylian. Link turned the mask over and place it against his face.

Though the mask had no discernable eye holes, he was able to see through it just fine, though colors appeared to be somewhat muted.

It would do.

* * *

"It is through that canyon," Liana said. She had volunteered to bring Link to the canyon where the Yiga clan had holed up. "Scout reports suggest that the canyon is a couple miles deep. You'll know you're getting close when you start seeing their decorations."

The canyon was nondescript—just a narrow gap between two tall, snow-capped plateaus. The moon was already growing low in the sky. There was close to thirty miles of nothing but sand between Gerudo Town and this canyon to the north. He was grateful for Liana's assistance—they had passed through a heavy sandstorm on the way here, and it had, oddly, interfered with his Sheikah Slate's navigation capabilities. Liana, however, like most Gerudo, had a keen sense of direction in the desert.

"Will my sand seal be all right out here?" Link asked, glancing down at the creature, which had already fallen asleep. How could they seem so lazy, yet be capable of such good endurance? Then again, how was it that their fat bodies could so easily swim through sand? Zelda probably could have told him the answer.

"She will be fine," Liana said. "She will likely sleep the entire time you are gone."

Link nodded, taking an uneasy breath. This wasn't anything like what he was used to. It wasn't even like infiltrating Hyrule Castle. The castle, for all its fearsome appearance, was not actually that dangerous once inside—at least not until Ganon discovered him. This, however… He was walking into what very well may be an elaborate trap.

"Link," Liana said, her voice growing tense. "I am not sure if they told you this, but we have lost many Gerudo to these—" She said something in Gerudo that Link didn't understand. Afterwards, she paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Many of my close friends were killed when we attacked them. And some of our scouts are still unaccounted for."

He grimaced. "I'm not sure how many of them I will be killing, Liana. In fact, I'm hoping to go completely unnoticed."

Liana nodded stiffly. "I know this—I am no fool. But… if you come across any of my sisters still alive in there—"

"I'll get them out."

She looked at him again and then held her hand out. Link moved to shake her hand, but she grabbed his forearm, instead, holding it firmly. He'd seen this greeting among the Gerudo and mimicked it, grasping her forearm as well.

"May your ancestors watch over you this night," she said.

They released each other, and Liana boarded her sled. A few moments later, she and her sand seal were speeding away. She'd offered to stay and wait for him, but there was little point in doing so. Either he would be victorious, or he wouldn't. There was nothing more that she could do for him.

Link turned back towards the canyon and drew his cloak tightly around him. He wore some nondescript clothing, much like the other Yiga that he'd seen, and had on one of their dark red bodysuits underneath it, taken off the body of one of the Yiga that he'd killed that day. He reached into his small satchel and removed the mask, looking at it with some disgust before donning it.

At once, the night seemed to brighten. Though the mask dulled the colors to the point of being nearly colorless, it was also considerably brighter than it had been. He wasn't sure what kind of magic or technology went into making the mask, but it was impressive, nonetheless.

He touched the pair of sickles that hung from his belt. He'd been forced to leave the Master Sword behind in Buliara's care. While she still did not appear to approve of this venture, she swore to him that she would watch over the blade. The rest of his gear had either been left at the inn or with Rhondson. He hadn't told her what he was doing—it appeared that knowledge of the Thunder Helm's theft was not widely known outside of the palace guard.

He felt naked without his blade, but there was nothing he could do for it. The Master Sword was not something he could hide very easily during this infiltration—especially since none of the Yiga he'd encountered so far wielded swords in that style.

Finally, he began forward into the canyon. As soon as he passed between the walls, the moon disappeared from view, plunging him into darkness. His mask allowed him to see, however, without any problem.

As he made his way through, he kept an eye out for any Yiga, but it appeared that, for the moment, he was still alone. He spotted several ledges high on the canyon walls, however, that could hide watchers. He knew that there had to be some. No one had challenged him yet, so he hoped that meant his disguise would work.

 _This canyon would be a killing field for any attackers_ , Link thought as he eyed a particularly wide ledge some forty feet up on the canyon. A dozen or so archers could post up there and rain arrows down, and the Gerudo would be nearly helpless again it. The canyon had such narrow confines, they wouldn't even have to really aim—just point in the general direction and fire at will.

It was ironic, he thought, that he had inadvertently stumbled upon the location of the Yiga hideout. They had been a thorn in his side for so much of his journey, and he'd gone to great lengths to avoid entangling with them. Yet, here he was, sneaking into the very heart of their base.

It was pure foolishness. But he did not fear it as he once might have. Everything he had done so far had been near-suicide. He still lived despite his poor odds of success. He truly hoped that this would be no different.

Link continued deep into the canyon until it finally curved. After rounding the bend, he began to see some signs of the Yiga's presence. Some of the walls had been painted with odd symbols. The upside-down Sheikah eye featured prominently on much of it.

The canyon grew narrower as it gradually began to slope up. As the canyon walls closed in, he began to see small red and white banners that flapped in the wind. Further in, statues not that unlike the frog statues in Kakariko Village littered the ground and some of the ledges, though their faces had all been covered in a white cloth bearing the Yiga eye.

The canyon ended abruptly, the slope growing too steep to progress. There was a simple cave entrance here. It could have been a simple cave, but Link knew from the descriptions he'd been given that this was it. The Yiga hideout.

Taking a deep breath, he moved towards it. There was a flash of light and smoke behind him, and he whirled, finding a member of the Yiga clan in his red bodysuit standing just behind.

"Welcome home. I hope that Ganon smiled upon your endeavors this night."

"Yes," Link said, in a slightly stilted tone. "It's… good to be home."

The Yiga tilted his head, appearing to be waiting for something.

 _Oh, damn._ Link thought. _He's waiting for a pass phrase_. He ripped one of the sickles off his belt, plunging it into the Yiga's chest. His cry of alarm became a death rattle before his body grew still.

Cursing himself, Link looked around, eyes darting as he searched the ledges above. No alarm sounded. No one else appeared to challenge him.

Satisfied that he was alone, Link wiped his sickle off on the body and clipped it back onto his belt before taking the Yiga under the arms and dragging his body over to a large rock near the entrance. He stashed the body on the other side, out of sight from the entrance and, hopefully, from anyone approaching. He kicked fresh sand over the trail of blood.

Taking one more glance around to ensure no one was watching, Link walked into the dark entrance of the Yiga hideout. He walked through a short cave that opened into a large, circular room with a surprisingly tall ceiling. The walls here were not made of roughly-hewn rock, but of carved stone, and seven identical banners hung above seven identical doorways along the walls. There was a raised pedestal in the center, lined by flickering torches.

Link hesitated, looking around at the variety of choices. The doorway he passed through was, like the other seven, was identical in every way, even down to the way the passage beyond it looked. They all appeared to have the same cave-like passages.

Grimacing, he stepped up to the central pedestal, looking around for any indication of which door to take. There were no signs, however, that indicated which was the right one. It was as if the designer of the room had intended on confusing those who entered it.

That was it, of course. This room was another security measure, just as the guard outside with the pass phrase had been. He would bet that there were two viable doorways in this room—the one that led deeper into the hideout and the one that exited it. The others would almost certainly hold traps.

 _Clever_ , Link thought, but then sighed. He had no idea which of the doorways was the correct one. _Should I just pick one at random?_ That seemed reckless. He had no idea what kind of traps the Yiga would have set, but he really didn't want to find out. But then what? Was there some kind of trick to figuring it out, or were the Yiga just expected to know?

He eyed the eight torches that lined the central pedestal. Each of them was exactly like the others, with no distinguishing features. Other torches lined the walls as well, and Link tried to determine if there was any way of determining the correct path from the pedestal. Everything looked the same, however.

Link stepped down from the pedestal and began to walk in a slow circle around the room. However, even as he stepped up to peer into one of the dark halls, he couldn't come up with any way to determine the correct way. In fact, he likely would have even lost sight of the exit, had it not been for his own footprints in the light coating of sand on the floor that led up to the pedestal.

He paused, frowning. _Wait._ _Sand_?

He began to circle again, paying close attention to the ground now. The sand grew fainter the further he passed from the exit, where he expected that sand occasionally blew in, but it was still there. He could even see his own footprints, showing the path he first walked around the room.

He finally found the barest hint of a set of footprints near one of the doors. It was clear that they tried to keep the room clear of sand to prevent this very method of discovery, but it was likely that the recent sandstorm had blown some of this in, and they hadn't yet cleaned it. However, _someone_ had, indeed, left through this hall.

Feeling triumphant, Link edged up to the door, peering into the hall beyond. It was just like the others he'd seen with no apparent ways of telling the difference between them. It seemed to Link that this was the best option he had, however, short of waiting for someone else to enter or exit.

He hesitantly stepped into the dark hall and waited. Nothing happened. He cautiously crept forward, half-expecting the floor to give way beneath him or an arrow to shoot out of a wall, but the hall appeared to be nothing more than a hall.

Creeping forward, he soon reached a place where the hall curved. Once out of sight of the doorway, the walls shifted from rough rock to dark-colored bricks. The hall was nearly pitch black, too dark, even, for the Yiga mask to clearly show, leaving him with shadowy impressions of the walls and floor. This didn't last long, however, as another bend in the hall brought a dimly-lit room into view.

Link hesitated before entering the room beyond, taking a deep, steadying breath. And then he stood up straighter and walked forward into the light. He emerged onto an upper landing that overlooked an open room.

A room with at least five other members of the Yiga Clan.

Three of them sat at a table together, a deck of playing cards laid out before them. One of them glanced up at Link when he neared the edge of the landing, nodded, and then focused back to his cards. The others at the card table appeared too engrossed in their game to even notice him. Another of the Yiga sat under a softly glowing lantern, sharpening a long, slightly curved blade like the one Link saw the one wielding in Kakariko Village. The final Yiga, oddly, was eating a banana. She lifted her mask just enough to take a bite of the banana before lowering it again while she chewed. She watched Link but made no move to challenge him. The other four Yiga also wore their masks, which helped Link relax somewhat.

The room itself was not large, but it appeared to be a common room of sorts. There were several tables set up like the one the card players were sitting at, as well as other chairs of varying styles. He also saw more of the frog statues, faces covered with their version of the Yiga mask. There were also a series of weapon racks to one side of the room, bearing various weapons—the same types of weapons that Link usually saw them wielding, along with a few others that he hadn't seen, such as spears and a wicked-looking war axe.

The walls were covered in white and red banners bearing the Yiga eye, and those colors were used extensively in other decorations as well—table clothes, chair upholstery, and even a few rugs. The walls and floors not covered were all made of the same cut black stone.

Link glanced briefly around, but the landing that he stood on appeared to serve little purpose other than to overlook this common room. After another moment's hesitation, he rounded a wooden railing and walked down the stairs into the room below.

He selected a door at random, not wanting to appear unfamiliar or lost, and made his way down the hall beyond. He passed other doors and other rooms, none of which were terribly surprising. He passed what appeared to be a long barracks room, filled with at least two dozen beds, most of which appeared to have members of the Yiga clan still sleeping in them. There was a room apparently devoted to sparring, based on the sand pit in its center and racks of wooden weapons on the walls.

There was apparently space for many Yiga in this area, but nothing like the numbers described by the Gerudo. The other halls must have led to other living areas. How large _was_ this place? And how long had they been located here?

 _The Yiga attacked Zelda in the Gerudo Desert. This hideout might have even existed then._ It was a disturbing thought. How had the Gerudo let them remain here for so long? Did they really not know until recently?

Another thought concerned him. If this hideout was as large as he feared it might be, then how was he to locate the Thunder Helm?

Ahead, a door opened, and a Yiga stepped out, closing the door behind him. He glanced up at Link and nodded before walking past him down the hall. Link hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder and then at the door. It was one of the few doorways with an actual door. It even appeared that it was able to be locked.

Link reached out, testing the door and found it to still be unlocked. Glancing back over his shoulder once more to ensure no one was looking, he pushed the door open slightly and peered in. It appeared to just be an individual bedroom of sorts. He saw a bed along the far wall, and red-colored paper lanterns hung from the sides. There was a chair and a small table as well, covered in papers.

He let the door close and continued down the hall. Eventually it reached a T-intersection, and Link turned left. He passed by what looked like a large dining hall, with rows of wooden tables and benches. No one was in there at the moment, however. The next room, predictably, held a kitchen. There _were_ members of the Yiga in here, who appeared to be preparing for the morning breakfast. He saw one counter devoted to a small pile of bunches of bananas.

 _They really like their bananas,_ Link thought before moving on.

The early hour likely helped him move more quickly than he would have been able to otherwise. While there were some people awake, most still slept. That wouldn't last more than another couple of hours, however. It would be morning soon. He hoped to be out of here by then.

He reached another intersection and turned left again but stopped short as he came face-to-face with two members of the Yiga clan. They each paused for a moment before Link tried to move past them, but one of them thrust a hand out, stopping Link.

"Why are you still wearing your disguise?" she said.

Link tensed, preparing for a fight, but then he realized what she meant. All of the Yiga that he'd seen in the base were all wearing their simple bodysuits. He was still wearing his clothing and the cloak.

"Oh, I… forgot to take it off," he said, lamely.

She grunted in irritation. "What, did you just come back from a mission?"

Link hesitated but then nodded.

"Did it at least go well?"

He nodded again.

"Good. At least you can do something right. Go check on the prisoner, and then get out of those clothes. The master is holding a meeting this morning by the pit. He wants everyone there."

 _Prisoner?_ Link thought. _Perhaps one of Liana's scouts?_

"Right. I'll be there," he said and then attempted to move past the Yiga woman.

"What are you _doing_? I said to check on the prisoner."

"Oh, sorry," Link said, turning around and heading back in the opposite direction. He walked past the intersection and was pleased that she didn't call out to him again. This, at least, appeared to be the right direction.

He continued down this hall, which had lanterns spread out more widely than the other halls, until he reached a wooden door. He glanced back over his shoulder, satisfied to see that the two Yiga members had moved on down the hall Link had originally come from.

He carefully opened the door, which revealed a dark room with a table in the middle of it. Straw covered much of the floor, and the straw at the room's center appeared to have been stained by some dark fluid. The walls held various tools. Narrow hammers, long knives, hooks, rope. Chains.

Link closed the door, feeling sickened, and moved down the hall to the next door, which had a barred window. Through the opening, he could see a series of cages within the room's dark interior.

He pushed this door open and stepped into the room, his mask piercing the darkness enough that he able to make out a huddled form in one of the small cages. It was a Gerudo woman, her red hair spilling loosely down her back. She wore normal Gerudo clothing, though they were covered in filth. The floor of her cage was covered in straw, like an animal's cage. In fact, the cages themselves looked more like animal cages then actual prison cells. He doubted she would even be able to stand up straight in her cage's narrow confines.

When he entered the room, her head whipped around to give him a hateful glare. He could see bruising on her face, and cuts along parts of her body. She said something that he assumed was a vile curse in Gerudo, though it was nonsense to him.

Link reached up, lifting his mask and pulling back his hood. "Are you one of Liana's scouts?"

The woman's face registered shock and then confusion. "What? Where did you hear that name?"

That was confirmation enough. Link approached the cage, finding the lock—a heavy iron padlock. He looked around the room for a key but saw nothing hanging on the wall. _Of course_ , he thought wryly. _They only keep keys near the cells in stories._

"Who are you, voe? What are you doing here? Are you one of the Yiga?"

"No. I'm here to get the Thunder Helm back for your people."

"My people would _never_ send a—"

"Does it _matter_?" Link asked, exasperated. "I'm not a Yiga, and I'm here to help. Do you know where they keep the keys?"

"Do not be foolish. You will be killed if you try to infiltrate this place. You should leave now—I am more than capable of taking care of _myself_."

Link sighed and reached into his pack, removing a narrow rod from within—the hilt of a new Ancient sword, courtesy of Robbie. With the Master Sword, Link wasn't sure if he would need it any longer, but he figured that it would never hurt to be prepared. He ignited the blade, which bathed the room in bright blue light.

The Gerudo shied away from the light, wincing and raising a hand to shield her eyes. Even Link had to admit that it was far brighter than was comfortable, considering the darkness of the room. The light would probably be very visible out in the hall, thanks to the barred window.

He moved quickly, holding the padlock in one hand and carefully touching the shackle with the blade. It resisted the blade, but Link pressed down, grunting softly. The metal where his blade touched began to grow red hot, and suddenly, his blade slid down and through the thick iron, cutting the shackle off the padlock entirely. He disabled the sword and shoved it back into his pack before carefully removing the shackle from the cage door and opening it. The door squealed loudly.

He froze, listening. He heard footsteps out in the hall. Cursing silently, he removed the sickles from his belt and hurried to the door, ducking down in the corner, just underneath the barred window.

A moment later, the door opened and three Yiga hurried into the room, weapons drawn, prepared to fight the escaped prisoner. None of them looked back to see Link until it was too late.

When the Yiga were dead, he looked at the woman in the cage, who slowly stepped out, stretching her back while wincing. He heard her vertebrae cracking as she did so. She bent down to pick up one of the Yiga's sickles, looking at it with disgust.

She finally looked up at Link. "Tell me truthfully—were you sent by Liana?"

"No," Link said, wiping his sickle off on one of the bodies. "I was sent by Riju, but there's no time for that now. Do you know where the Thunder Helm is?"

"Of course not. We never made it far into the hideout before we were captured. But I assume it is with their master. This Kohga that they speak of."

"We? Are there more of you?"

Her expression darkened. "Not anymore."

Link thought of the previous room and grimaced. "Do you think you'll be able to slip out unnoticed?"

"Of course," she said, haughtily.

 _No, she won't,_ Link thought. _Not with that room full of Yiga standing in her way._

He hesitated, but then reached into his pack, removing the Sheikah Slate. He found the icon for the Shrine outside of Gerudo Town and pressed it. A blue circle appeared on the ground. He handed the slate to the Gerudo.

"Press that icon again and it will take you back to Gerudo Town," he said. "Do me a favor, though, and… tell Liana that I'll probably need some backup. A distraction."

The Gerudo woman looked at him uncertainly. "This… this was your method of escape?" Link said nothing. She glared at him and moved to hand it back. "No, I will not use this—this… whatever it is. I can get out myself."

"Are you going to fight your way out?" Link asked, voice growing clipped. He didn't have _time_ to argue with her. "I have a disguise—no one knows I'm here. In fact…"

He paused, thinking. And then he quickly removed his cloak. He carefully clipped it onto one of the dead Yiga's neck. He would have become noticeable to the Yiga he passed due to his clothing. Clearly, they did not walk around in their disguises around their base. With this, however, they might assume the member of their clan that had just returned had been killed in the dungeon. It likely wouldn't pass close scrutiny—the ones that he passed in the hall, at least, would have seen his clothing underneath the cloak—but it may buy him more time.

"What are you doing?" the Gerudo asked, frowning at him.

"I'm disguising myself even further." Link quickly removed his outer clothing, stripping down to the bodysuit underneath. He glanced around the room and then wedged the clothing between one of the cages and the wall, squishing them under his boot. They wouldn't be noticed by a cursory glance of the room, he hoped.

There was silence for a time while Link worked. Finally, the Gerudo said, "What is your name, voe?"

"Link. Yours?"

"Barta."

"Great. Nice to meet you, Barta. I'm going to go find the Thunder Helm now." He crossed towards the door, lowering the mask over his face again. Immediately, the room seemed brighter. "Press that icon and tell Liana that I might need a distraction to get out. Maybe an attack. Don't actually try to engage—just make them think you're going to attack."

"I am not going to—"

Link whirled to look at her. "They're going to start _waking_ soon. I only know of one exit out of here, and there's several _dozen_ Yiga between us and it. You can't fight your way out, and you _definitely_ can't sneak out." He smirked, despite the gravity of the situation. "You're too damn tall."

Barta pursed her lips, giving him a dark look. She did not argue, though.

"Good. Please pass my message on to Liana. I have a feeling taking the Thunder Helm is going to be like kicking a hornet's nest."

Link slipped out the door but paused just outside, glancing down each hall. A moment later, there was a flash of blue from within the dungeon. He turned and looked into the dark room. Barta was gone.

 _Well, there goes my escape plan,_ Link thought, smiling wryly. _I think Zelda might call this one reckless._

There was a memory there, but he didn't have time to try to recall it right now. He began back down the hall, continuing down the way he had tried to go earlier before being stopped.


	50. Chapter Forty-Seven

**I hope you're ready for some bananas to hit the fan... But, seriously, I'm glad that, so far, my interpretation of the Yiga Clan and their headquarters has met with approval! Of course, this is the part that _really_ needs to nail it. There are, perhaps, some surprises in store! Either way, this chapter and the last were incredible fun to write, and oh-so-satisfying to finish. **

**iCards: Oh, I have no doubt that Link has been sitting on that one for a hundred years. He probably hates being shorter than everyone, but the children. Also, he definitely toes that line between courage and recklessness. But that's canon for his personality, according to Zelda, so I'm happy to work with it.**

 **SoundMusician60: Honestly, I _wish_ I knew how to write lyrics! I've never been any good at poetry and song lyrics, and it drives me crazy how some fantasy writers can apparently just write them as they please in their novels. Or maybe they have special helpers-I don't know! Either way, I wish I could do the same. For my own writing speed, I'm just glad that my current situation has allowed me the time over the last eight months to work on this story. It's been an absolute dream to write. **

**echo009: The Yiga predictability in the game starts to grate on my nerves after a while, which is part of the reason I tried to keep them mostly as a background threat in the novel, showing up relatively unexpectedly. Having assassins show up every few chapters would have been ridiculous! Also, having Link in disguise seemed to me like it was the only way to pull it off. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that the game didn't go that route, considering you had to wear a disguise to get into Gerudo Town. It would have fit!**

 **Now, please enjoy this conclusion to the Yiga arc! I won't spoil what will come next for Link (or the Yiga, for that matter), but I can't wait to share it with you all on Saturday.**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Seven**

The Yiga Clan began to slowly wake up as Link made his way deeper and deeper into the hideout. Thankfully, it seemed that the constant presence of masked faces made small talk to be something of a rarity among the Yiga. Or perhaps they were all still surly for it being so early in the morning. Either way, Link was grateful for the chance to blend in, though his skin crawled at the thought of being so surrounded. All it would take was one misstep.

No one had apparently noticed the bodies in the dungeon yet. Or, if they had been noticed, the alarm had not gone up yet in Link's section of the hideout.

The hallway he was in now was deserted, thankfully. Many of the awake Yiga had, apparently, gone to eat. As he made his way down the hall, he saw one open doorway with a pair of lanterns on either side of it. Thinking that it appeared out of place, Link glanced into it and was surprised to find what seemed like some kind of chapel within.

Though the room was small, there were several benches facing a kind of altar. Behind the altar was tapestry hanging from the back wall, which depicted a large, blue creature. Piggish face. Three-bladed swords held in each hand.

A shiver ran down Link's back. It looked different than the depiction found in Impa's tapestry, true, but it was undeniable what he was looking at. This creature was Ganon—or, at least a rendition of him.

He glanced around briefly and then slipped into the chapel. A few candles burned low near the back wall, casting their flickering light on the tapestry. Other than it and the benches, the only other thing of significance was a handful of the frog-like statues against one wall, each covered by the cloth.

He walked over to one of them, eyeing it curiously. Now that he inspected it, it looked somewhat different than the frogs in Kakariko. The shape was very similar, yet… He lifted the cloth and gasped, stepping back while feeling intense revulsion.

Rather than a frog, the statue was a grotesque approximation of a pig's face, with brutal-looking tusks and black eyes. It was far more disturbing than the tapestry.

Impa had told him that they had rejected the royal family, choosing to serve Ganon instead. This, however, was far more disturbing.

These statues and the tapestry told him that the Yiga didn't just serve Ganon—they _worshiped_ him. How could anyone revere that vile creature? How could anyone like the amicable Dorian think this was the way to live, however long ago he had believed such things? The two women that attacked him in Gerudo Town, Delilah, the nameless Yiga that had been killed in Kakariko Village and in the desert—did they all worship Ganon as a deity?

Link left the chapel and its unsettling imagery, moving in the direction he had originally been traveling. He found another common room—there were several of these open rooms spread out through the hideout, just as there were several barracks, dining rooms, and kitchens. He worried that the Gerudo's estimates of this place were even less accurate than they had feared. This one had far more Yiga in it than the previous ones. They were dressed similarly to himself and the others he'd seen, but their bodysuits bore more ostentation. Belts with golden buckles, and white cuffs around their wrists.

 _Higher ranking Yiga?_ Link thought, frowning. That could mean he was moving in the right direction. _And it might also mean I'll stand out more._

Setting his jaw, he moved on past the common room without stepping in, continuing down the hallway he'd been traveling through. It was hard to tell, in a way, which way he was even going. Each of the hallways looked just like the others. Black stone walls, doorways made of wood, tapestries of the Yiga eye hanging from various places. If he got turned around, then he might not even realize it.

"Where do you think you're going?" said a voice behind him.

Link froze, looking over his shoulder. One of the Yiga stood behind him. She was tall and wore one of the higher-ranking outfits. Her mask even appeared different than the others. More angular and pointed.

When Link didn't answer, she continued. "The master has called all to the pit. Did you not hear?"

He turned fully to face her and shook his head. She cocked her head, looking at him. Link tried to steady himself, remaining relaxed, yet ready to spring into action, should the need arise.

"Well, go. He will be starting soon."

Link nodded and moved back in her direction, passing her. She watched him as he walked by, and he felt the hairs on the back on his neck raise. Did she suspect?

She didn't stop him, however, as Link continued down the hall until he found the common room that he passed earlier. He saw some of the Yiga moving together through one of the other doorways, and Link fell in behind them. He glanced behind himself as he passed through the door and had to stifle a gasp when he saw the tall Yiga woman standing in the common room, arms folded.

Watching him.

The group of Yiga shuffled down this hall. Several of them spoke to each other in low tones as they did so, and Link was able to pick up snatches of conversation. They wondered why their master had called this meeting and when the Gerudo would next attack.

Startlingly, he even heard _himself_ come up more than once. Reports that the latest group sent to kill him had failed, and that another team was being groomed. They would try attacking from a distance this time—corner him and rain arrows down on him.

 _Well, as least now I know,_ he thought, glumly. He would have to be extra cautious and make sure he carried a shield on his person at all times. And keep an eye out on top of buildings and walls.

They passed a room with a partially opened doorway, and Link hesitated. He watched the group continuing down the hall—none of them appeared to have noticed him. He looked back behind, but no one was behind him, either.

He glanced into the room, heart beating quickly in his chest.

 _"_ _Some chose to defy the royal family and kept some of their technology, deciding that, if the royal family would not have them, perhaps another master would."_

Impa's words played back in his mind. He hadn't paid very much attention to that at the time, but he should have. If he had, this sight would surprise him nearly as much.

A half-built Guardian sat in what appeared to be a large laboratory. It looked different than the others he'd seen. More menacing, with horns coming up from a boxy head, and a dark red Yiga eye painted on its black surface. The head was held suspended by ropes over the base, which had not yet been completed. Its legs hadn't been attached yet, though he saw them sitting over to one side of the room. There were only four of them, each ending in a set of wicked-looking claws, far longer and sharper than the ones on other Guardians.

The room had other things, too. Diagrams that hung from walls depicting Ancient technology. He saw the four Divine Beasts, with notations written in a tight scrawl that spoke of their unique powers. He saw other creatures too—things that looked like other Divine Beasts, though these were not as detailed. Could there be others out there, still waiting to be rediscovered?

Link continued to search, grimacing. He found depictions of the Sheikah towers, with text that seemed to confirm Robbie's theories. Were they planning on trying to take control of the Guardians for themselves? But they didn't have Sheikah Slates, or… did they? Purah had been able to build one—could these Yiga do the same?

He wished that he had his own Sheikah Slate still to take photographs of the room. Perhaps there were things in here that could help Purah and Robbie with their research. He settled for removing several of the diagrams from the wall and shoving them into his pack. He found a small book on a shelf that contained a great deal of hand-written notes. This, too, went into his pack.

Link surveyed the room, feeling agitated. There was so much here. They were clearly more advanced than he had suspected. Perhaps even further along in their research than the Sheikah. And some of the books on the shelf looked _old_.

He had an idea, though he was certain that Purah wouldn't like it. Still, though, he couldn't bring all of these with him.

He carefully removed a couple of the smaller tomes, stuffing them into his now-overstuffed satchel before walking over to where a series of candles burned on a desk. With a flick of his hand, he knocked one over onto a stack of papers containing the interior diagrams of Guardians. As he papers caught fire, he picked up the candle and carefully walked over to another section of wall that contained papers hung by some kind of wax. He lit a line of these papers on fire, watching as the fire rose up the pages and began to spread.

Next, he started a fire on the bookshelves containing the ancient knowledge. Silently, he prayed that Zelda would forgive him for this as well. He suspected that she would have loved to see this. Hopefully she and the Sheikah would be able to use what he'd been able to gather.

Finally, Link walked over to where the ropes that held the Guardian head suspended had been tied off on the wall. He lifted the candle's flame to the rope, watching as the threads began to catch. The rope shifted. Cracked. Weakened. He walked to another of the ropes and did the same.

Suddenly, the first rope snapped, followed by the second one. Overhead, the Guardian's head suddenly swayed dangerously on its side as two of the four ropes that held it were gone. The ropes on the other side of the room creaked under the strain. He doubted they would hold very long.

That would hopefully be enough. He tossed the candle away.

Link peeked his head out of the room, looking around for anyone in the hall, but found no one. Satisfied, he backed out and closed the door behind him. Inside the room, the walls and bookshelves burned, black acrid smoke already rising to the ceiling.

* * *

He found the procession of Yiga a short time later and fell back into step with them, slowly filtering out of the hideout and out into daylight. They entered a patch of flat rocky ground surrounded on all sides by rock walls. It appeared to be a kind of depression in the middle of one of the plateaus.

Link could see several other doorways and openings around the wide circle, and Yiga came walking out of several of them. There were a _lot_ of members of the Yiga clan. Easily five hundred, if not more, had already filtered out into the circle, and there were more still coming out of each entrance.

 _So many, and no one knew of their presence?_ Link wondered, grimacing. _How could that be?_

They all gathered in a circle around a deep pit in the center of the circle. As the crowd filled in around him, he found himself near the front. He glanced down into the pit but couldn't see its bottom. He backed away from it.

The crowd around him, each dressed nearly identically, rustled. It seemed that it wasn't common that they were all called to be addressed as a group. Seeing how many of them that there were, he wasn't surprised.

Perhaps he should have remained inside the hideout. He could have used this opportunity to search without worrying about running into as many Yiga. He did have a particular reason for coming out here, however. The mysterious Master Kohga—the very man that had ordered Delilah, and likely the others, to assassinate him—would be making an appearance. Link wanted to see him, for one, but he also suspected that it was this man that would have the Thunder Helm. If he could determine the direction of Kohga's quarters, perhaps…

A hush fell over the crowd of Yiga, and Link looked around. The circle around them seemed complete, though. And where would the Yiga master address them from? They were all around the pit…

And then he saw him. Floating above their heads, legs crossed underneath him, Master Kohga looked down at his clan as he approached the pit. He _flew_ through the air with apparent ease, finally coming to rest in the center of the pit, seemingly unperturbed by the bottomless drop beneath him.

He wasn't quite what Link had expected. Though he wore a bodysuit and mask like the rest of his Yiga, his was far flashier than theirs. His mask had six wavy horns rising up from it, three on either side of his head, and he had a wide white and gold collar that fanned out behind his head. His belt had three large eyes emblazoned upon it in white, and Link saw two more of the white eyes on each of his shoulders.

He was also, oddly, rounder around the midsection than Link would have expected. Perhaps not _fat_ , but Link would say that he was distinctly pear-shaped.

The Yiga around the pit all began to kneel and raise their masks, exposing their faces to the sunlight. Link kneeled like them and, after a moment, reached up and lifted his mask, keeping his face lowered. With so many around it, it was unlikely that anyone would recognize him, yet…

"My Yiga," Master Kohga said in a booming voice. He threw his arms and legs wide as he spoke. "For long, we have hidden in the shadows, working to prepare this nation for the great Calamity Ganon's rise! But the time grows near that we shall no longer hide and plot.

"The Calamity will soon rise again and, when it does, we shall take our place as rulers in this country. Each of you will be rewarded for your bravery, your willingness to leave behind homes and lives to serve this greater cause."

Link looked up at the flying man. Kohga gesticulated with his arms as he spoke, spinning around in a lazy circle so as to address the entire crowd. Link had hoped that he might be carrying the Thunder Helm, but no. He didn't appear to carry it, or even any weapons, unlike most of the Yiga around Link.

"But those that _fail_ me… Those that show cowardice instead of courage, that flee instead of completing their duties…" Kohga's tone grew menacing. "They will not prosper in our new land. They will _not_ rule. They will not _partake_!" His voice rose in pitch and volume as he thrust a finger into the air.

Across from Link, some of the crowd rippled and shifted, parting. Four people walked through the gap, approaching the pit. Two of them were in full Yiga garb, though these were dressed in all black, rather than the red and black of the other bodysuits. The other two were women without masks, dressed in rags.

"As many of you know, there is one that attempts to stand in our way," Kohga said. "One that tries to foil our plans. The one that some even claim to be the _hero_ of legend! The Hylian Champion that was believed killed when our glorious god first rose one hundred years ago."

It took Link a moment, but he gasped softly when he recognized them as the two Yiga women that had attacked him in Gerudo Town. The two that he had let go.

They had clearly been beaten, and it looked as though the one whose hand he'd broken had not received proper treatment. She held her mangled hand to her chest. It looked red and swollen. Infected.

"We have lost many of our clan to this so-called _hero_ , their bodies left to rot after being murdered by his trickery. These are the true heroes, though. They fought to their deaths, serving our lord until their dying breath!"

Kohga gestured towards the two women. "But these two did not willingly give their lives, as the righteous among us have done. They. _Did. Not. Serve!_ " His voice rose again, growing manic. Link thought that he sounded half-mad. "Instead, they _ran!_ Like cowards, they chose to run rather than try to face him—one man!

"They came back here, hoping to placate me with stories of his skill in battle and with promises to kill him, if I would only give them another opportunity. But why should I? _Why should I, when I have hundreds of others who would die, rather than run!?_ " He screamed the last sentence, arms and legs spread wide, motioning for his kneeling Yiga clan.

And then his voice dropped again, becoming low and dark. "No. There will be no second chances. They chose to run, rather than attack when they had our enemy cornered. By doing so, they have sealed their fates. They shall _die_ for their cowardice, and you all shall watch, so you know— _so you know_ —what fate awaits cowards in my new world."

Link gritted his teeth, clenching one of his hands into a tight fist. They were Yiga, true, but they were also helpless. Neither of them looked up or around at their fellows. And no one spoke up for them.

He wanted to fight. He wanted to attack. But he was, quite literally, surrounded by an _army_ of his enemies. He would die in seconds and, in doing so, would seal Hyrule's fate. What could he _do_?

The two black-clad Yiga shoved the two women forward, to the edge of the pit. One of the women stared stoically forward. The other looked down, and Link saw tear tracks on her dirty face.

 _You bastard,_ Link thought, looking away from the two women and up at Kohga, who watched with an eager posture, hands outstretched and fingers curving in like claws. If he could reach him now…

"Master Kohga!"

A voice from the crowd. The members of the Yiga clan rippled near him as someone ran up, waving his hands. Kohga looked over in Link's direction, and he ducked his head.

"Master Kohga, the prisoner—the Gerudo! She escaped!"

" _What?_ " Kohga demanded, floating closer. "Escaped _how_?"

"The lock was cut," the Yiga said, lifting his mask in respect for his master. "Three of our number were killed."

"And the prisoner? How could she have made it past the other guards?" Kohga said, his voice a snarl.

"We don't know, master. We—"

" _Master Kohga!_ " Another voice. An elderly woman's voice.

Again, the crowd rippled and parted to allow an elderly woman dressed in a robe and leaning on a walking stick to hurry up to the pit.

"What _is_ it?" Kohga said.

The woman gestured back towards the entrance to the hideout, eyes wide. Strangely, Link thought that she looked vaguely familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place it. "The laboratory! Everything has been destroyed. A fire set, the Guardian—it's all _gone_!"

Silence fell for a time, as Kohga floated, absorbing this news. And then he shot into the air, his voice shrill and loud.

" _He's here!_ " he cried, arms and legs thrown wide. "Our enemy has made his way into our base. Go, my Yiga! Search every room! Find him! Bring him to _me_!"

The crowd broke into motion, and Link rose with them, pulling his mask down, as they did. There was chaos for a few seconds as the Yiga raced towards their entrances. Link glanced around, seeing that the black-clad Yiga had pulled their prisoners back from the edge of the pit, apparently unwilling to carry out the execution until Kohga gave the order.

Master Kohga, however, appeared to entirely forget about his prisoners. He floated high above, screaming orders, demanding that his Yiga find Link and capture him. To not let him escape.

 _Like a hornet's nest, indeed,_ Link thought, smiling wryly under his mask. He kept near the back of the crowd, watching Kohga. And he was rewarded for doing so when Kohga began to float towards another of the entrances. _Got you._

Link made his way around the circle, using the chaos as hundreds of Yiga tried forcing their way back into the hideout to mask his movements. He fought and jostled with them, trying to stay close as Kohga merely floated over their heads, passing into the tunnel. He rode the crowd into the hideout entrance, until they made their way into one of the large common rooms.

Here, he caught sight of Kohga passing down another hall, and Link pushed to follow, gritting his teeth as he was shoved this way and that.

He wondered if Kohga even realized the gift he'd given Link in his pronouncements. He had assumed that Link was still inside, causing problems while most of the Yiga were outside. It may not have even crossed his mind that Link could have been right there in front of him all along. And now, with the chaos, it was highly unlikely that anyone would be able to guess who he was until it was too late.

Link continued to follow until he saw Kohga enter a door with an elaborately carved doorframe. The door slammed behind him, showing the red Yiga eye emblazoned upon its surface.

He waited, allowing the crowd to shuffle around him. They checked other nearby rooms, and Link just allowed himself to be drawn this way and that, though never letting the door out of his sight. And gradually, the crowd lessened. The searching Yiga left to search deeper in the hideout, unaware that the one they searched for stood in their midst.

Soon, he was alone.

He made his way back down the hall to the door, nearing it when it suddenly opened. The same tall Yiga woman that he'd seen earlier stepped out and froze when she saw him. Link tensed, clenching a hand into a fist. She looked at him quietly for several moments and then closed the door behind her. And then she nodded, turning and walking in the opposite direction.

Link watched her go, frowning under his mask. Could his disguise be that good? Could no one really suspect that Link could be disguised as one of their own? Or… _did_ she know, yet didn't want to stop him?

He couldn't waste time worrying about it. He approached the door and opened it, stepping into the room.

Inside, Kohga was sitting on a large, plush throne in the high-ceilinged room. His fingers were steepled over his round belly. Beside him, on a tall pedestal, sat the golden Thunder Helm. It had a large faceplate with two sets of three green gemstones that formed vertical lines over the face of the mask. Odd protrusions near its top looked almost like clouds, and there was a golden halo that sat behind the mask, with lightning bolts shooting out from it.

He recognized it from his memory immediately, nearly flashing back to his conversation with Urbosa on Naboris. He pushed the memory away, though, as Kohga spoke.

"Haia? What are you—" Kohga looked over at Link and paused. "Wait, you're not Haia. Who are you? What are you doing in my chamber? You are supposed to be looking for the intruder!"

Link closed the door behind him and stepped forward, reaching up and removing his mask, dropping it to the floor. He lowered his hood as well, revealing his mop of messy blonde hair.

Master Kohga shot to his feet, pointing. " _You!_ You shouldn't be here, you—" He stopped, growing stiff as he seemed to realize what Link was here for. And then, strangely, he began to laugh.

Kohga laughs rose in pitch, echoing off the stone walls of his large throne room. He threw his arms out wide and bent backwards, face lifted towards the ceiling.

"All this time, I have been looking for you, and you came to _me!_ It is just as the dreams showed me—I merely needed to send assassins and you would eventually come. And now you are _here_!"

He laughed again, and Link reached down, pulling one of the sickles off his belt, glaring at Kohga. He didn't know what the Yiga master meant by dreams, and he didn't care. He would kill this man and take the Thunder Helm back once and for all.

Kohga rose into the air, doubling over with maniacal laughter. "It all worked just like I knew all along! You're here now and I, Master Kohga, will _kill_ you. And then I will be rewarded, just as promised. I will be _king_ over this land."

And then Kohga stopped laughing, straightening and looking at Link. All mirth was gone from his posture and voice. "Or do you think yourself able to defeat me with your feeble weapons? _Foolish_ boy."

Link heard enough. He rushed forward, but Kohga disappeared in a puff of smoke. A split second later, he reappeared behind Link and struck him between the shoulder blades with his palm. The blow sent Link flying forward, pain flaring through his body. He crashed to the ground, rolling and coming to land against the opposite wall.

Kohga appeared again next to him, his boot positioned over Link's head. He brought it down, but Link rolled out of the way, shooting back to his feet and swiping at him with the sickle. Yet, Kohga wasn't there any longer. He reappeared from behind again, and Link spun out of the way of another of his blows.

The Yiga began to laugh again as he disappeared. Link froze, waiting, but the only sound was Kohga's laughter, echoing off the walls. He reappeared on the other side of the room, arms raised.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, _boy_!" he cried.

Suddenly, Yiga weapons hanging from the walls began to tremble in their racks. Kohga laughed as they broke free, floating towards him, the sharp edges of the sickles, spears, and swords all pointed towards Link.

"I am a _god_ among men," the Yiga said. And then he thrust his hands forward. The weapons all shot towards Link.

Link swore, dodging out of the way of a spear that nearly skewered him, and then swung his sickle, sending a sword spinning away from him. He felt some of the weapons graze his arms and sides, but he managed to avoid being run through by any of them.

"Oh, we can't have _that_ ," Kohga said. He began to laugh again. His weapons rose into the air again, being pulled back towards him. And, suddenly, Link's own sickle jerked from his hand. The other sickle at his waist yanked forward too, pulling free of his belt, to join the other weapons.

 _Magnesis_ , Link thought, staring darkly at Kohga. Link hadn't expected to be facing someone who had apparent mastery over Sheikah runes.

Link broke into a run, sprinting towards Kohga, who started in surprise at his aggressive motion. He began to fling weapons towards Link as before, but Link focused his mind and held his breath. The weapons grew sluggish as time slowed around him.

He still didn't know where this strange ability came from. He didn't know how he did it. He didn't know _why_ he could do it. But that hardly mattered at the moment.

Link easily dodged around a spinning sickle and ducked under a long sword. As he neared Kohga, he reached into his satchel, removing his Ancient sword and igniting it. He thrust it towards Kohga's chest.

Moving with a surprising speed, considering Link's ability, Kohga moved out of the way, thrusting an open palm towards Link and striking him in the shoulder. Link gasped as sudden pain flared where he'd been struck. He flew backwards, spinning through the air. The flying weapons all clattered loudly as they crashed into the far wall as time sped back up.

"What is _this_?" Kohga demanded as he looked down at Link, who groaned slightly and shook his head. He reached up to touch his right shoulder. It felt as though it had been dislocated.

 _So strong_ , he thought, grimly. _And too fast_.

"Why didn't anyone tell me you could dilate time?" Kohga wondered, sounding angry. "Someone should have _told_ me! You could have—but no. _No_. I'm too fast, even for that!" He began to laugh again, throwing his head back.

"You talk too much," Link said through gritted teeth. He lifted his right arm above his head until he felt the shoulder pop back into place. The arm still hurt terribly, but at least he could move it now. He pushed himself back to his feet and got into stance, holding his glowing sword out in front of him.

Kohga grunted at Link's comment, all signs of mirth disappearing again. _He's not stable at all, is he?_ Link thought, readying himself. Apparently content to use the same tricks, Kohga sent the flurry of weapons towards Link again, this time from the side. He sprinted forward, keeping one step ahead of the spinning weapons. As he expected, Kohga eventually stopped sending them towards Link as he got closer, lest one of them hit the Yiga instead.

"Why won't you stay still!?" Kohga said, spinning out of the way as Link tried again to catch him with the glowing blue blade.

Link prepared himself for another barrage of flying weapons, but Master Kohga, instead, settled to the ground, holding his hands before him. He began to wave them in the air, and his hands began to shine with a red light that trailed behind them in the air as he made a circle. Then he brought them together… and split into six other beings, three each appearing on either side of him.

Link swore as, suddenly, they advanced. Any hope of it being a mere illusion faded immediately as two of them struck him, one right after the other, sending him sprawling to the ground. One Kohga appeared in the air above him, holding one of the spears, and drove it down towards Link, but he rolled out of the way.

He lashed out at the next Kohga to rush him, swinging his sword through its neck and causing the figure to disappear in a puff of smoke. He backflipped over an attack by another copy, kicking him in the face in the process. This too, surprisingly, disappeared.

 _They hit hard but can't take much damage,_ Link thought, rolling underneath a sickle. He swung his sword out at the copy's leg. It disappeared.

He took quick stock of the room. Three more Kohga's prepared to attack. One, however, hung back, watching.

Link snatched up a sickle from the floor in his right hand and whirled, throwing it, spinning, towards another of the Kohga copies. As another appeared above him, Link jumped back and then immediately stabbed forward as it fell, his blade cutting up and through it. That left only two—a copy and the real one.

He sprinted forward, narrowing his eyes and focusing. The copy appeared directly in front of him, but Link didn't stop, thrusting his Ancient sword straight through its heart. It disappeared, and suddenly, Link was there, in front of the real Kohga, who looked startled at the speed of his approach. He moved to deflect Link's blow, but Link was ready this time.

As Kohga threw out a glowing hand, his movement slowed by Link's ability, yet still surprisingly fast. Link pirouetted, spinning out of the way of his hand, and brought his sword around.

He released his hold on breath as Kohga's clothing and flesh hissed and charred as his sword cut deep into his side. Kohga spun away, but tripped as he did so, crashing to the ground. Groaning, he reached down, placing a hand against his side, blood oozing through his fingers.

"No," Kohga said, his voice a whisper. " _No_! I won't be defeated by you!" He rose on unsteady feet, still keeping a hand pressed to the deep wound on his side. "I am Master Kohga. This is _my_ realm. This will be _my_ kingdom!"

He thrust out a hand, and a sickle wrenched off the ground, flying towards Link. He cut the blade in two with his sword and began to walk towards the Yiga. A sword flew towards him now, and he slapped it aside with the palm of his hand. Kohga took a step back, face unreadable under his mask, but posture showing panic.

Link continued to walk towards him.

This man, this… _organization_ was the one that sent assassins after him. Delilah, those killed at Kakariko Village, those in the desert, the two women that Link had allowed survive. They caused him no end of problems, terrorized his friends, and attempted to destroy both the Zora _and_ Gerudo. And they had tried to murder Zelda. He could still remember the look of terror in her eyes as she prepared to die.

No more.

"You are nothing before me! I _am_ the Yiga Clan, I am—"

Link slowed time and leaped forward, sweeping his blade to the side and separating Master Kohga's head from his body.

He released his breath, and the body fell to the ground in a heap. Link stood over the headless corpse, a look of disgust on his face. After a few moments, he turned and made his way over to the Thunder Helm. He hefted this in his free hand, looking at it critically before glancing around. He spotted a Yiga banner on the wall and used his sword to cut the bottom half. He used this to wrap the Thunder Helm. It was a poor disguise, but it would at least be less conspicuous than carrying the golden helmet around in the open.

Out in the hall, Link heard the sounds of alarm. He deactivated his blade and picked back up his mask, replacing it over his face and walked to the door. Sparing the fallen Yiga master one final glance, Link then slipped out of the throne room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The Yiga were in a panic. Their research burning, a prisoner's escape, and an imposter in their midst were enough to cause them distress, but shortly thereafter scouts reported a large force of Gerudo approaching the base. No one appeared to have noticed Kohga's death yet, but Link knew that was only a matter of time.

As the Yiga prepared for battle, Link was able to make his way back through the hideout without being challenged. No one cared to notice the blood on his outfit, which closely matched the dark red fabric, anyway, nor did anyone question the wrapped object hanging from his waist. Their attention was directed elsewhere.

He didn't use the main entrance, knowing that Yiga would likely be lining the canyon walls, preparing to rain arrows down on the Gerudo as they tried to attack. Instead, he followed a group of archers through a side passage as they emerged onto one of the canyon ledges. With luck, it ended up being one close to the entrance of the canyon. He could see the cloud of dust being kicked up by the approaching Gerudo, even if he couldn't quite make them out yet.

 _Thanks, Liana,_ Link thought, smiling grimly.

The archers began to prepare themselves for battle, eyes on the approaching dust cloud. Link looked around. There were other ledges that were occupied by Yiga nearby, but… well, he needed to escape some way and would rather do so now than in the confusion of battle, when a Gerudo might decide that he was still dressed too much like one of the Yiga.

Link removed the sickles at his waist and attacked; the archers didn't stand a chance, their focus turned towards the coming Gerudo. He cut them down, a bitter expression under his mask. He took no pleasure in the butchery.

An alarm went out, as Yiga from another ledge finally noticed him. Swearing, he sprinted forward, leaping off the side of the ledge and sliding down the steeply sloped canyon wall. He landed on the sand with a roll and began racing for the canyon's mouth as arrows began to fly down around him.

Link tried again to slow time to aid him in his escape, but nothing happened. He felt… _tired_ , inside. Much like he did when he used too much of Mipha's healing abilities in quick succession. There was a limit to how much he could do at once, it seemed.

An arrow zipped by, landing in the sand by his feet, and Link changed his direction of travel. He heard more cries of alarm as other Yiga took notice.

"Murderer!" one of them cried. "For Master Kohga!" another screamed.

 _Ahh, so they know about Kohga now, too,_ Link thought, smiling grimly.

Yiga began to pour out of hidden ground entrances, wielding various weapons. That served Link just fine, though—the archers would hesitate to fire at Link if their own fellow Yiga were on the field of battle. Wouldn't they?

He got his answer a moment later as another arrow zipped by him, clipping his shoulder. He _really_ wished he had a shield.

He continued to zigzag, hearing the cries of the Yiga behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the Yiga chasing him on foot were rapidly gaining. They weren't simultaneously running and avoiding arrows. Some of them, however, paid the price for that. As he watched, some of the arrows fell short, dropping some Yiga.

Link angled towards his sand seal, which still lazed on its back in the morning sunlight. Could he reach it in time? Could he get it _moving_ in time?

"Hey!" he called, trying to wake it up. The sand seal didn't move. " _Hey!_ "

Still nothing. Cursing, Link glanced back once more, startled to see just how much the Yiga had gained on him. There wasn't enough time. His mind raced as he considered his options. The Gerudo dust cloud gained rapidly, yet they were still too far to aid him against the ground forces. He needed to buy time.

Gritting his teeth, Link reached up, ripping his mask off before whirling, kicking up a spray of sand as he did so. He grabbed his Ancient sword out of his pack and one of the sickles in his other hand. If he could stay alive long enough for the Gerudo to arrive, then _maybe_ he would survive this day. If not… well, at least they would have their heirloom back.

The Yiga sprinted at him, moving on light feet, crying aloud their fury. Arrows fell around him, though he had gotten far enough away that they were no longer accurate. Some even fell among the Yiga force. A _lot_ fell among the Yiga. In fact…

Link looked around behind him again, eyes widening as he saw a cloud of arrows arcing through the air from the Gerudo. _They can use bows with those seals?_ he thought, incredulously.

And, it would seem, they could do so well. The arrows streamed over Link's head, falling among the Yiga with fatal accuracy. Somehow, even far away and moving as they were, the Gerudo were a force to be reckoned with. As the arrows dropped dozens of Yiga in a single volley, the force finally broke. Some turned and began to run while others scattered, trying to find cover.

Link turned and continued running towards his sand seal, which had finally woken. As he reached the sled and quickly wrapped the rope around his waist, the Gerudo arrived, riding their own sleds and wielding swords and spears. They fell upon the exposed Yiga force with brutality, ululating their battle cries, and leaving the sand stained red in their wake.


	51. Chapter Forty-Eight

**Here we go! Stuff gets intense from here on out. Or, well, I guess from the last couple chapters! The reaction that the Yiga Hideout chapters received has been awesome. I know I took some heavy liberties with pretty much everything Yiga, so I'm thrilled that it went over well! I wanted them to come off as _strange_. We rarely see people truly _serving_ Ganon. A lot of times, they are brainwashed or something of the like. So to have a group of people that genuinely serves him-it fascinates me. The fact that they originated as Sheikah makes it even better, as they are so often depicted as firmly loyal to the royal family. **

**And lemme tell you-it is so _satisfying_ to finally get them out of the way. The Yiga plot is one of the primary sub-plots of the story, after all! Just a few more to resolve before the end... And I like to think that, if you liked how this one ended, you'll like what I've got coming up... As far as _this_ chapter goes... well, it's a ride. Quite literally.**

 **God of Twilight: I'm amazed that _anyone_ can binge this story in a week, at this point. Part Three is, by far, my favorite part, too. All of them have special places in my heart, but Part Three just felt so _good_ to write. So many satisfying moments for me-and, hopefully, for my readers! And I'm glad you like the contrast in the Yiga! In a way, I imagine that a lot of them are fairly normal people. Some may have gotten drawn in before they truly realized what was happening, while others are drawn to power. I like to imagine that they are still _people_. They have their reasons. They may not be _good_ reasons, but reasons, nonetheless.**

 **Michy: You picked up what I was putting down! I intentionally made Kohga use repeated tactics _and_ stole some moves from the Maz Koshia fight to add some spice to the conflict. Very observant! And that part with Link walking towards him... well, that was just fun to write. So often, I have Link barely keeping his head above water. Sometimes, it's fun to let him just get in the zone and wreck someone. Who better than Master Kohga?**

 **iCards: Never mess with a bunch of angry Gerudo. And yes, Kohga was definitely very psychotic. Regarding the dreams... well, I always like the concept of someone else pulling the strings... But who? _Hmm..._ And you're right! The tall Yiga was, in fact, Haia from Side Quests I. I haven't really shown much about her yet, but you'll have to read on to see what comes of her... And the old woman? Yeah, I'm not talking about her yet, either. And, yes! Link's Flurry Rush is, in fact, his "Champion Ability". That's a theory out there among Zelda theorists, and I shamelessly acquired it for my own story. The main reason for it is that it is actually _mentioned_ in Daruk's Journal. Link acknowledges that he has a strange ability to slow time that he doesn't understand.**

 **All right, I've written enough of a wall of text here. I'll let you all get to the wall of text that you _want_ to read. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Eight**

 _This just isn't right_ , Link thought. _Didn't I do enough to warrant some relaxed rules?_ At this rate, they'd probably still refuse to allow him entrance, even after he tamed their Divine Beast. Maybe even after he'd saved Hyrule.

He glanced around at the market, which despite the early evening, was surprisingly empty. Even several of the merchants had packed up their carts and stands. The marketgoers had, finally, begun to realize the danger of the Divine Beast, now that Naboris had turned towards the city. Hopes that it would turn had not yet been realized—it continued its slow, steady pace across the land.

A day. Maybe a day and a half, at most. The Kara Kara Bazaar had already largely emptied—it would strike there first, before the next day would be over with. The Gerudo living there had begun traveling back towards Gerudo Town, while many of the outsiders fled the desert entirely.

 _Tomorrow,_ he thought, grimly. _It needs to be done tomorrow morning, at the latest_.

He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The Yiga infiltration had only happened earlier that morning. The battle had gone well for the Gerudo. Though Link hadn't expected an actual fight to break out, his killing of Kohga had left the Yiga far more reckless than they normally were, it would seem. They skirmished with the Gerudo outside of the canyon, which left the Yiga at a severe disadvantage. They had been slaughtered, their corpses left to stain the sand and be picked apart by scavengers. It had been… chilling to witness, despite their violent nature.

The trip back to the town had been a victorious one, though few of the Gerudo warriors truly seemed to know what to do with Link. He found some acceptance among their ranks, despite his gender, and more than one of them had suggested… well, _suggestive_ activities, which Link quickly declined.

However, when they reached the city, they turned him away, just like any other day, though Liana did tell him that she would tell Buliara of his contributions that day.

So, Link disguised himself for the second time that day.

"Ahh, little Hylian!" one of the Gerudo guards at the entrance to the palace said as he approached. It was the same one that Link had spoken to the day prior—Reeza. "Go on in. Lady Riju made it clear that you were to be allowed entrance without question."

There was a twinkle to her eye—a knowing look that made the hair on the back of Link's neck stand on end. But if she knew his secret, she said nothing. As he walked into the palace, he saw other Gerudo guards giving him strange looks, though none stopped him.

When he walked into the throne room, he found the lavish space to be mostly empty. The throne was unoccupied, though Buliara stood near one of the Gerudo statues. When she saw him, she gave him a nod, motioning for him to approach.

Link walked over towards her, and Buliara turned, walking past the throne to where the back of the room was left open to look out onto the desert beyond. He followed, walking past the throne and the burbling fountain behind it, moving to stand beside her.

For a few moments, Buliara was silent, but then she looked down at him. "I owe you an apology." When he didn't respond, she continued on. "When you first arrived in our city, I assumed you to be, at best, a foolish voe and a liar. I very nearly ordered your execution due to your… entrance. I am glad I did not, though."

"So am I," Link said. "That would have really gotten in the way of some of my _nefarious_ plans."

Buliara grunted. "Regardless, I acknowledge now that your intentions, however foolish, were noble. You've done a great thing this day."

"Hopefully I will do even greater tomorrow," he said.

"Indeed. Now that you have recovered the Thunder Helm, we shall work with you to tame the Divine Beast. I have been in conference with Lady Riju on this matter. We have… some disagreements on how this shall be accomplished."

"I don't know if there is much time for disagreements, Buliara." He looked up at her. "Naboris is coming. There is only one way to tame it. I need to get aboard it."

The Gerudo woman pursed her lips but did not argue. She remained silent for a time before sighing. "Lady Riju would like to speak with you in private. In her quarters."

"That's… okay?" Link asked, hesitantly.

"No." Buliara paused. "But she is insistent. But you will treat her with _respect_. Understand that this is a great honor that is reserved only for Lady Riju's closest companions."

"Right. Why… doesn't she just meet me down here?"

Buliara glared at him, nostrils flaring.

"So, should I just go up now? Do you need to announce me or something?"

She pointed towards the stairs on the opposite side of the room, which were guarded by another tall Gerudo wielding a spear. "Take those stairs. Lady Riju already knows you are here."

Link hesitated a few moments before nodding and following her directions. The Gerudo at the top of the stairs eyed Link suspiciously but allowed him passage. He stepped through an arch, out onto a staircase that he recognized from when he first arrived at the city.

 _Funny that I'd end up back here,_ Link thought with a wry smile as he climbed the stairs. At the top of the staircase, he found Lady Riju sitting upon another set of stairs that led up to the entrance of her room. She held the Thunder Helm in her hands, fingers tracing the green gems that were set into its face.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get here," she said, patting the stair next to her.

"Well, you know, I had to freshen up," Link said, sitting down beside her. "Got to look my best before meeting with the chief."

Riju glanced at him, grinning. "Well, you _do_ look very cute." Link snorted, and she laughed. When her laughter subsided, she looked up at him, eyes twinkling. "Thank you for retrieving this. I am sorry for sending you on an errand like that—it would have been far better if we had been able to do it ourselves. But after our last failure and with things as they are, I had no choice."

"I had some unfinished business with the Yiga that I needed to take care of," Link said.

"Regardless, it's silly to make you sneak into the city here." She looked up at him. "The guards know who you are. I made Buliara tell them."

"So… I _don't_ need to wear this anymore?"

"No, you do. But the palace guards, at least, and some of the soldiers know the truth."

 _That explains the strange looks,_ Link thought. "Well, at least I know I won't get thrown in prison again…"

"Hmm… probably not. Though if it gets out that you're a voe, Buliara will probably insist we at least make a show of throwing you in there again."

"Naturally."

Riju grinned, and Link felt a strange warmth bubble up within him. Though she was young, she spoke with an easy, familiar air. After a moment, she held the Thunder Helm up, staring into its face before turning it around and slipping it onto her head.

"How do I look?" she asked, looking at him.

The Thunder Helm was clearly too large for her. With it on, only her lips and chin were visible. She had to reach up and adjust it when it slipped too far down.

"Looks great," he said. Seeing her wearing the helmet made him think of Urbosa. He'd rarely seen her wear it, but when she did, it never _did_ look very dignified.

Riju smiled and removed the helmet again a moment later. "With this, I can get you to the Divine Beast."

"Buliara mentioned some disagreements about that."

"Oh, yes, she's very angry at me right now," Riju said. "I told her that I would be the one to wear the helmet into the battle against Naboris."

Link considered that for a moment. "Lady Riju, I—"

"Please. You can call me Riju. I'm not _your_ chief."

 _What is with royalty insisting I don't treat them as such?_ Link thought, smiling wryly. "All right, Riju. I don't know what the Divine Beast is going to be like. They're dangerous."

Riju sighed. "That's why I need to go."

"What do you mean?"

She tapped her finger on the helmet for a few seconds before speaking. "When you look at me, do you see a child?"

Link didn't answer her. That appeared to be answer enough.

"So does everyone else. Oh, they treat me with respect and obey me, but I'm still… a child to them. It's like they _indulge_ me, rather than truly expect me to lead them."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw yourself into danger just to prove yourself."

Riju snorted. "You haven't been around the Gerudo very long. It's not uncommon for one of us, when we reach maturity, to go do something reckless as a sign of our bravery. Go climb one of the mountains or cross the desert on foot. Slay a Molduga."

 _And have you reached maturity?_ Link thought, though he didn't speak out loud. He still couldn't quite get over how much she looked to be around the same age as his little sister. "So, you want to go with me as… what? A rite of passage?"

"No, of course not. I want to go with you because _I'm_ the chief of the Gerudo, and it's my job to keep my people safe."

"You don't have to put yourself in danger to do that. Most royalty, from what I remember, don't always go out into battle. That's why they have soldiers."

"Gerudo Chiefs do not just sit around and let others go to battle for them. Lady Urbosa _fought_. My mother _fought._ And I'm going to fight as well."

"Riju… what happens if something goes wrong? What happens if you die?"

She fell silent for a time. "Then my people would choose someone else. I do not have any heirs, so they would go on to choose a new chief of the royal line. It isn't so uncommon—Lady Urbosa didn't have any children when she died, either. Many Gerudo never bear children. But the royal line is extensive. My grandmother was cousin to Lady Urbosa."

"And do you think now is the best time to risk putting your people through that?"

Riju snorted. "The last time we had to do it, the kingdom of Hyrule had just been destroyed. We survived then, and I am confident that the Gerudo will survive if I fall."

He sighed but knew that he wasn't getting anywhere with her. "Riju, what if I just wore the helmet? Do you think you could show me how…" He trailed, off, seeing the look of horror in her expression.

"I can't just _give_ it to you. Not now that we just got it back!"

 _You mean, now that I just got it back_ for _you,_ Link thought, glumly.

"And, besides, you wouldn't know how to use it properly. It takes practice."

"But you do?"

She smirked. "Of course, I do."

"And no one else could use it in your stead?" She shook her head, and Link sighed. " _Royalty_."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've determined that you're all stubborn," Link said. "And really good at coming up with excuses to worry your protectors."

Riju laughed. "Oh, Buliara hates it."

Link leaned back, resting his elbows on the stairs behind him. "Only because she cares about you so much."

Riju raised an eyebrow, looking at Link. "You used to protect your princess, didn't you? Lady Urbosa mentioned you both in her old diary."

"I did, and she had a habit of getting into trouble as well…" Memories flashed through his mind.

 _A horde of monsters. Three lynels. Red, volcanic rock of Death Mountain. And a princess that refused to run away, despite his insistence that she do so. Then a field of dead monsters, and Zelda, gently wrapping his arm in a bandage with a gentle touch, admonishing him for his recklessness. Of course, she didn't mention the fact that it was her idea to go off the mountain path in the first place._

Link felt a smile grow on his lips at the thought, and he was grateful for the veil.

"Lady Urbosa truly cared for your princess," Riju said softly. "It was almost like…"

 _Walking behind them as they chatted on the way back from the Divine Beast. Urbosa encouraging Zelda to sneak with her down to the kitchens in Hyrule Castle. Urbosa placing a gentle kiss on Zelda's forehead and encouraging her before departing for the desert._

"Zelda was like a daughter to her," Link supplied.

"Yes." Riju stood, walking over to the stone lip of the castle roof, looking towards the northeast. Towards Naboris. "Could you… tell me more about her?"

Link stood, joining her. He thought that the diminutive Gerudo chief looked nervous. _Perhaps more afraid of the Divine Beast than she lets on,_ he thought.

"Urbosa liked… being playful. And she always encouraged Zelda to relax and have fun."

Riju's eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Really? I… I've read her diary. She didn't seem like that in it."

Link shrugged. "Maybe that was just how she tried to come off to others. I doubt it, though. It seemed like she and Zelda were very honest with each other."

Riju fell silent, staring off in the direction of the Divine Beast. Finally, she said, "I always feel like I need to be more serious."

"No… Take it from me. It's better to be honest about who you are, Riju. Trying to fit the mold of who you _think_ you need to be… It doesn't work." He reached back, unsheathing the Master Sword, turning it over in his hands. In the waning daylight, it shimmered with color as if the blade had been coated in oil. "For the longest time, I thought I had to act a certain way to be… worthy. Honestly, Urbosa was instrumental in teaching me that I didn't have to be like that. Watching her and Zelda with each other… I realized that heroes didn't have to be stoic, serious, or infallible."

He looked down at her. She was staring at the sword with wide eyes, but when he paused, she looked up and met his eyes. "Sometimes, it's okay for heroes to like rock-climbing and making bad puns."

Riju's lips split into a wide grin. "Sealiously?"

For a moment, he was confused, but then he noticed the embroidery on her skirt—a simple depiction of a sand seal. He smiled. "Sealiously."

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Zelda avoided talking about what had happened at the Spring of Courage, and Link couldn't blame her. It must have been humiliating to stand there in the pool of water, praying— _pleading—_ with the Goddess, all the while knowing that he stood just outside of the spring. And, of course, knowing what awaited her upon her return to the castle.

He suspected _that_ was the real reason for this detour in the first place. She hadn't told him about it before beginning their trip, but he could hardly tell her no when she asked if they could head west to watch some of the games currently happening at the coliseum.

He had always enjoyed watching the games, of course, even once imagining himself as winning a grand tournament in the ancient coliseum. Those had been childhood fantasies, and though he thought that he would likely be capable of winning, it no longer held the same draw that it once had.

Not that he minded going with Zelda now. He'd found her company to be more than pleasant on this trip. Perhaps _too_ pleasant.

"Ahh, yes!" Zelda said as they crossed the Aquame Bridge onto the small coliseum peninsula. She pointed, and he followed where she was pointing to see a grouping of tents flying the Gerudo flag. "I'd hoped they would still be here."

Suddenly, her reasoning for wanting to come here became that much more apparent.

She kicked her horse into a trot, and Link followed quickly behind. As she approached the tents, a tall Gerudo woman stepped out of one of them, looking around at them. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Urbosa!" Zelda called, pulling her horse to a halt and quickly dismounting.

"Princess Zelda, what are you doing here?" Urbosa said, quickly crossing the distance and embracing Zelda tightly. "I thought you were still in Faron."

"We hurried here as quickly as we could. I hoped to catch you before you left back for the desert."

"Oh?" Urbosa asked, eyebrows raising. After a moment, she leaned a little closer, though Link could still hear her. "How did it go?"

Zelda's smile slipped some. "It… well, we shall be going to the Spring of Power next month."

If Urbosa was disappointed, she didn't show it. Instead, she nodded, smiling. "Good. Well, come on—I have some warriors that are just about to start fighting." She wrapped an arm around Zelda's shoulder, leading her towards the coliseum. She paused, however, glancing back over her shoulder at Link. "You too, Link. Give the horses to one of my attendants and come with us."

Several hours later, after the Gerudo warriors thoroughly trounced some Hylians in hand-to-hand combat and as the sun set, revealing stars overhead, Zelda and Urbosa walked together a distance away from the coliseum. Strangely, Urbosa had insisted that Link go with them, and Zelda hadn't objected. Perhaps Urbosa knew that he would have insisted he be allowed to remain close by, regardless, and suggested as much preemptively.

Of course, that did not prevent him from feeling distinctly out of place with the two women.

As they walked, Urbosa and Zelda spoke about nothing, commenting on the competition, the stars, the weather. Finally, the conversation turned to the topic that Zelda had, up until then, been clearly avoiding.

"Tell me about your trip to the spring, Zelda," Urbosa said, her voice gentle, but firm.

Zelda stopped walking, sending a brief glance towards Link. For a moment, he thought she was going to ask him to step away, but she didn't. Instead, she looked down. "I don't know if there is anything to tell, Urbosa. I prayed at the spring and… nothing happened."

That night had been painful. After saying good-bye to him and entering the spring, she prayed for hours. When she finally came out, it was well after midnight, and she ventured deeper into the forest to change out of her dress and go to bed. She hadn't said a single word to him until later the next morning, when she finally spoke of her feelings of shame. Worthlessness.

He'd barely known what to say, but for once, she didn't seem to mind that he just listened. He did tell her that he didn't think she worthless, though.

"And how do you feel now?" Urbosa pressed.

Zelda sighed, reaching up and rubbing her arm. "How do you think I feel?"

The Gerudo just waited for her to continue.

"I feel like… I had _hoped_ that this would be what finally did it. Legends say that the very first princess traveled to that spring to be purified. The priests thought—"

"Zelda, I do not give a _damn_ about what the priests think. I care about what _you_ think."

Zelda paused, and he saw the conflict in her expression. It was strange how easy he found her to read now. How had he ever found her difficult to understand? She took a breath and began to pace, crossing her arms.

"I… I don't know what to think. In a way, it feels too… simple." Her voice dropped, and one of her hands clenched into a fist. "But what choice do I have? Maybe I need to visit another one. Maybe I need to visit all _three_. But…"

"But?" Urbosa asked.

Zelda remained silent for a long time before sighing, still refusing to meet either Urbosa or Link's eyes. When she did speak, her voice was a whisper. "What if it _doesn't_ work?"

Urbosa clucked her tongue and reached out, taking Zelda by the shoulder and pulling her into a tight embrace. Link looked away, uncomfortable. Maybe he _should_ have just let them go alone. Surely Zelda would have been more comfortable without him there.

Yet, she didn't seem any _less_ comfortable having him there, either. Since their promise in the garden to be friends, she'd been surprisingly frank with him. Honest. Blunt. It was, in a way, not so different than how she'd been _before_ they became friends, only her ire wasn't directed towards him. Usually.

Urbosa simply held Zelda for a time, stroking her hair. Finally, though, she pulled away, smiling warmly down at her. Then she turned to the west, where a tall mountain rose imposingly. Its peak glowed with a soft blue-green light.

Satori Mountain.

"You know the legends of the Lord of the Mountain, don't you?" Urbosa asked.

Zelda turned to look up at the mountain. "They say that the Lord of the Mountain was once the sage of the forest, and that he watches over the forests and all that live within them."

Urbosa hummed in acknowledgement. "Do you think it's true?"

Zelda frowned. "I suppose. Evidence suggests that there is certainly _some_ kind of creature that lives atop the mountain, and that it might even be truly unique."

"Have you ever seen it, though?"

"Well, no. Of course not. Few people ever have." She paused, and then pursed her lips, looking up at Urbosa. "Are you going to tell me to just have faith?"

Urbosa threw her head back and laughed. "Am I a priest? No. I just wondered if you'd ever seen it yourself. I tried to see it once when I was a child."

"And did you?" Zelda asked. Urbosa smiled mysteriously, and Zelda's eyes widened. "You _did_?"

After a moment, Urbosa's composure broke, and she grinned, showing teeth. "No. Of course not. Only someone already waiting on the mountain when it appears ever has a chance to actually see it. It only appears for a short amount of time."

She looked forward again, eyes drawn to the mountain. As they watched, the glow atop it began to fade.

"But those who have been fortunate enough to be there when it _did_ appear often say that it changed their life. The awe it inspires in others… It makes me wish I had waited atop the mountain just a few more days. Maybe I could have seen it for myself."

The two of them fell silent for a time. Both Zelda and Urbosa's eyes were fixed on the fading glow atop the mountain. Link, instead, found himself looking at Zelda. Her green eyes reflected the moonlight.

Urbosa glanced around and caught his eye. She winked. He immediately looked away, face flushing. What would his father say? Worse, what would the _king_ say?

Finally, as the glow faded completely, Zelda looked back at Urbosa, frowning. "But… why bring that up?"

"Well, I noticed the mountain was glowing," Urbosa said, shrugging. "Made me think of when I was a girl and tried climbing it."

"Oh."

Urbosa laughed again, drawing Zelda close with one arm. She kissed the top of her head. "Little bird, one day your abilities _will_ surface, just like the Lord of the Mountain does. They may be unpredictable, and they may not come when you want them to… But, when they do, the moment will change the life of anyone who witnesses it."

"Urbosa…" Zelda began, but then she snorted, grinning. "You _are_ telling me to just have faith!"

Urbosa laughed heartily. "Of course, I am! I would have been much more straightforward about it, too, if you weren't being such a _smartass_."

Zelda laughed happily, and Link found himself joining in, feeling the tension he'd felt since leaving the Spring of Courage melting away. Somehow, in a single conversation, Urbosa had managed to do something for Zelda that he'd been unable to do so with several _days'_ worth of bad puns.

She glanced around and met his eyes. There was something there, in her expression, that made his heart soar. Joy. Contentment. Happiness.

He wanted to learn how to bring more of that to Zelda's life.

She gasped, and his attention sharpened, his arm immediately reaching up to his sword. But a second glance revealed not fear in her eyes, but awe. He followed her gaze and soon found what she looked at. A dragon, shining yellow, undulated through the air. It was far away, above the distant Gerudo Highlands, yet it still seemed to be accompanied by the hush that always seemed to follow along in the three dragons' wake.

It flew slowly, yet purposely on, its eyes taking in the land beneath it. Its legs hung, relaxed, beneath it, useless in the air. Did it ever even land? To the best of Link's knowledge, no one had ever actually seen the dragons on the ground. They each appeared regularly, though this one, Farosh, tended to be the most sporadic of the three. It also had the longest flight path, appearing in multiple places throughout the country.

As if it were keeping watch over the entire land.

Link smiled faintly, tearing his eyes away from the dragon to look at Zelda, who watched with a rapturous expression.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link rose early the next morning, well before the sun rose. Outside, the wind had picked up. He could hear the palm leaves rustling, and a window shutter flapping somewhere nearby. The inn was empty, save for him and the Gerudo innkeeper. She decided to let him remain one last night—she would be packing up and heading for Gerudo Town this morning and had advised he try to leave the desert as well.

Naboris was close. Closer, perhaps, than they had even expected.

He ran outside, climbing up the rock pillar over the inn so that he was able to look out over the desert. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the powerful sandstorm from within.

 _There isn't much time,_ he thought, grimly.

He slid down the wooden ladder and ran back into the inn, gathering up his supplies. When he was finished, he rushed back outside, finding his sand seal, like always, lounging in the sand. Rhondson's seal was gone—she'd retreated back to Gerudo Town the day prior with most of the other merchants.

He snapped the reins, and the seal took off, dragging him along behind it. He traveled quickly in the direction of Gerudo Town, where he and Riju had agreed to meet. Already, the sands had shifted, new dunes forming due to the increased wind.

It didn't take him long to reach the city. When he did, he found Riju already standing just outside of the southeastern gate, her dark blue sand seal, which she called Patricia, eating a piece of fruit. Buliara was there as well, holding up a lantern.

He pulled his seal to a stop and looked at Riju. She looked nervous, biting her lip and looking towards the sandstorm. She held the Thunder Helm in her hands. She glanced at him when he arrived, taking a deep steadying breath. Then she looked at Buliara.

"I'll be all right, Buliara," she said, apparently trying to reassure the taller woman once more.

Buliara grunted and fixed Link with a glare before sighing. "You will do everything in your power to keep Lady Riju safe."

"I will," Link said. If he could have his way, Riju wouldn't even be coming with him on this mission, but he understood the necessity.

"If anything should befall her, I will—"

"Buliara, Link has more important things to worry about than what you will do if I get hurt," Riju said, cutting off her protector. "I appreciate your concern, but this is something that I willingly do to protect the Gerudo. You know that."

Buliara was silent for several moments before nodding stiffly. "Of course, Lady Riju."

Riju gave her a smile, patting her arm, before looking at Link. "Are you ready to go?"

"You're sure you can control that?" Link asked, eyeing the Thunder Helm.

Her expression grew irritated. "I can control it better than anyone else. I know what I'm doing."

 _I sure hope she does,_ Link thought. It would be a short trip, indeed, if they were exposed to the lightning.

Riju stepped up onto her sand seal's sled—a small concave circle seemingly just barely large enough for her to stand on. It was decorated lavishly, with the Gerudo symbol patterned in gold on its curved surface.

"Let's go," Link said.

Riju grinned and set the helmet atop her head. She grasped the reins and snapped them. "Let's go, Patricia!"

Her sand seal barked and dove forward, into the sand, yanking Riju forward. Link snapped his own reins, and his sand seal charged after them.

* * *

The cloud of swirling sands and lightning rose before them. Wind blew around Link, kicking up sand and dust and blotting out the stars overhead with its haze. Riju pulled Patricia to a stop, looking up at the sandstorm, her expression unreadable beneath her Thunder Helm. Link saw her bite her lip, however. She was nervous.

And that was perfectly understandable, considering what they were up against.

In the center of the storm, Naboris walked, only made visible by the jagged bolts of lightning that originated from above its back. Thunder cracked, making the sand seals shift anxiously.

Riju slowly stepped off of her sled, standing in the sand and staring up towards Naboris. Even from Link's perspective, she looked painfully small compared to the intense sandstorm. After a moment, however, she threw her arms out to the sides.

"My name is _Riju!_ " She spoke in clear, strong tones, her voice ringing out over the sounds of the storm. "Descendant of the royal line and leader of the Gerudo! Ancestors of the Gerudo—hear my call. _Aid_ me in this task that I now face. Lady Urbosa, I pray you help me calm Divine Beast Vah Naboris!"

As she cried out, something began to change about the Thunder Helm. As Link watched, small sparks of electricity began to jump between the golden lightning bolts on the vertical halo. Link held his breath as the power manifested, arcs of electricity coursing over the surface of the helmet, seeming to gather in the halo, forming a web of lightning that flickered and flashed.

Riju snapped her finger.

Lightning crashed down beside her, sending up a gout of sand. A chill down Link's spine. He could remember Urbosa doing that so clearly, and to see Riju doing it now… She didn't look quite so childlike anymore.

She looked back at Link, her face still mostly obscured by the helmet. The electric lines still sparked and flashed within the halo, casting strange shadows. She smiled, however. "Now I'm ready."

Link nodded, feeling a surge of anticipation within him. The thrill of battle. This was it. The final Divine Beast. _I'm coming soon, Zelda._

"Stay as close to me as you can," Riju said, remounting her seal sled. "I don't know how far I can extend the protection that the Thunder Helm provides. Just try to aim well and let your seal do most of the steering—she should stay close to Patricia if not being directed otherwise."

Link nodded, exhaling. This was where he came in. Riju would provide them with protection from lightning, but he would be the one attacking the Divine Beast. According to the Gerudo texts, Naboris drew its power from the sands beneath its feet. The hope was that explosive arrows—something also made in Gerudo Town—aimed at its feet would disrupt the power enough to stop its attacks.

If nothing else, then Link hoped that the explosive arrows would be enough to bring the Divine Beast to the ground. It was a thin hope—the Divine Beasts were made of incredibly strong materials. But they had no choice—they were out of time. The Kara Kara Bazaar was just outside of Naboris' range now.

"Ready?" Riju asked, looking back around at him.

Link reached up, pulling his goggles down over his eyes and covered his mouth and nose with his scarf. He nodded to her.

They set off, into the storm.

Immediately, the wind around them grew to a gale, forcing Link to lean forward on his sled, gritting his teeth. Even with the goggles, it immediately became difficult to see. They rose and fell over large sand dunes, he barely able to do more than follow the sparking halo of light that was the Thunder Helm.

Lightning cracked overhead with a peal of thunder, slamming into the ground nearby. Link swore, blinking away the colorful afterimage. Riju looked back at him, making sure he was still following, and then pressed on, swerving around a piece of stone that jutted up out of the sands. The remnants of some old structure that had once stood here.

He pursued, snapping his seal's reins to urge her to speed up, to keep closer to Riju. He didn't want to find out if Mipha's healing abilities would allow him to survive a lightning strike.

It soon became apparent that he might not have a choice in that matter, however.

As they neared it, Naboris released a horrible, low, rattling sound that made the ground rumble under their feet. Lightning crackled and flashed again, striking another old piece of stone near them, causing it to explode in a shower of sharp rocks that pelted Link.

 _I think it saw us,_ he thought, grimly.

If Riju had any second thoughts, she didn't show them. Instead, she pushed forward, easily swerving around a grouping of cacti. She drove her sand seal with incredible grace, seeming in tune with her every move. Her footing was as stable as on solid ground. She controlled the sled with ease, shifting her weight to maneuver the sled back and forth.

Link, for his part, _had_ gotten better, but he still nearly lost his footing every time his seal dove forward. How was he supposed to shoot _arrows_ like this?

 _Damn it,_ he thought as lightning gathered again above Naboris. It formed in a ball of electricity that illuminated the Divine Beast. It was so _tall_. Easily the tallest of any of the machines, it towered over Link like one of Hyrule Castle's spires. It was breathtaking to behold.

Another jagged bolt of lightning shot out. Link cringed, but the lightning did not strike him. Instead, it appeared to slam into a kind of spherical barrier around them that flashed with green light when hit. The lightning split into a dozen smaller bolts, flying out at random, striking the ground all around them.

The protection of the Thunder Helm.

Naboris roared its displeasure, and Link felt the sandstorm's intensity grow. Sand particles blew across him, stinging his hands and the parts of his face still exposed.

"Come on!" Link called, snapping his reins and speeding up to ride beside Riju. He pointed towards Naboris, and she nodded, changing her angle slightly. Link's seal followed without prompting.

They quickly approached the tall, imposing legs of Naboris. Its enormous feet were shaped almost like round hooves, each glowing with a familiar red light. The impact of every step caused the ground to shake perceptively.

Overhead, lightning struck and, again, it was redirected by the Thunder Helm's barrier. Link looked at Naboris' legs and then over at Riju. She looked back at him, expectantly. Swearing softly, he carefully loosened his grip on the reins, adjusting his feet for better support. He was still tied by the waist to the sled, but it hardly felt secure.

His seal jumped again, nearly upsetting his balance, but Link managed to shift his weight and catch himself. Taking another deep breath, marred slightly by the presence of his thick scarf, he released the reins. His seal continued on, unconcerned by the lack of direction.

Link withdrew his bow and reached down to his quiver of explosive arrows. He aimed as carefully as he could towards the closest foot and released the arrow. The arrow shot far too wide, both due to the wind and Link's own poor aim. It sent up a fountain of sand as it detonated.

"We need to get closer!" Link called, but his voice was lost to the gale of wind and thunder. He pointed, and Riju nodded, angling closer to Naboris. His sand seal followed along.

He drew another arrow, aiming at one of the feet, which was even larger than he'd initially assumed. He released it, but again it flew wide of its target.

 _How do the Gerudo even do this?_ Link thought angrily as the sled under his feet bucked. Gritting his teeth, he knelt down, placing a hand against the unstable floor to steady himself. And then he drew another arrow, remaining kneeled.

This time, the arrow exploded against the glowing foot. For a moment, the foot's lights flickered, but then they resumed, just as strong as before. Link swore and drew again. His seal swerved around a rock that jutted out of the ground, and Link fell to the side, the arrow flying off in a random direction. He pushed himself back up and looked around, realizing with horror that a gap had opened up between him and Riju. She was waving at him emphatically.

Overhead, a ball of lightning crackled to life above Naboris.

Link slipped his bow over his head and lunged for the reins, which flapped freely in the wind. _Come on!_ His fingertips brushed one of the twin ropes, but another jolt ripped them free. Cursing, he carefully edged forward, still on his knees.

He reached down again, leaning forward, over the gap between his sled and the seal. _Just a little closer. Just a little… there!_ He grabbed one of the reins and pulled it, not towards Riju, but towards Naboris. His seal angled right for the stomping feet.

He could hear a powerful hum that grew louder as he neared. He was close enough now that he could actually hear the lightning energy building overhead. The ball of electricity increased in size, with jagged bolts lancing out and connecting with the twin spires that rose up from Naboris' humps. Or perhaps the spires were the source, feeding the ball of lightning.

Cursing, Link lunged forward again, grasping the second rein. He snapped it, forcing his seal to speed up, passing underneath Naboris just as the lightning struck. It slammed into the ground just behind him, unable to reach underneath the Divine Beast.

His seal barked in panic, nonetheless, and turned—right towards one of the falling feet. Crying out in surprise, Link wrenched the reins in the opposite direction, barely swerving around the foot at it fell, kicking up a plume of sand that he rode through. He emerged out the other side, behind Naboris, nearly colliding with Riju's seal in the process.

"Are you mad!?" she cried, and he heard her this time due to their sudden proximity.

Link gritted his teeth, turning his seal to swim alongside Riju's again. "Maybe!" He didn't release his reins this time, but instead set them down on the floor of his sled, holding them in place with a foot while kneeling. "Get us closer again!"

Riju said something that was lost to the gale, and then she turned Patricia, looping around and coming up behind Naboris. Lightning struck again, but it reflected harmlessly off her barrier.

Link pulled his bow free again and drew an arrow, eyeing the nearest foot. As they grew close, he released the arrow and it flew true, exploding against the foot. Again, however, it did no apparent damage.

 _Damn the Sheikah!_ Link thought as he tried firing another arrow, but this one went wide, nearly striking another of the feet.

"It's not working!" Riju cried.

"I _know_! Keep us close!"

They passed around the front of Naboris, and Riju began to turn, bringing them around for another pass. As they turned, however, Link looked forward, noting with alarm that he could actually _see_ the Kara Kara Bazaar now. The sandstorm had enveloped it, and as he watched, a bolt of lightning lanced out, crashing into one of the stone homes at its outskirts. The building _exploded_.

Swearing, Link drew another arrow, taking aim. _Again_ , it did no damage. What was he supposed to _do_? He tried firing next at its segmented legs, hoping that would prove to be a weak point. These, however, proved just as impervious to his arrows.

Desperately, he even tried studying the legs. Could he _climb_ them? But no, they increased in thickness as they rose, designed, apparently, to be able to collapse down on themselves. Those would prove incredibly difficult to climb, even when not constantly moving. But _what_?

"Take me _closer_!" he cried again, waving at Riju. She looked at him, expression unreadable, but then she did as he asked, actually crossing _under_ Naboris, as he'd done. Well, that would work.

He grew another arrow, aiming for the nearest leg and released it. It struck and exploded, but before its lights could even stop flickering, he fired another arrow at the same spot. The foot flickered even more rapidly now, and the leg stiffened briefly. That was something, at least.

They emerged out the other side, only to find the wreckage of a building in Naboris' wake. The Divine Beast appeared to have sped up some, moving in the direction of the bazaar and, ultimately, Gerudo Town.

Cursing, Link turned on the sled, aiming behind him. He fired another arrow, hitting the same foot as before. It definitely flickered more fitfully now.

 _I_ am _doing damage. But_ _too little._ Riju had provided him with twenty fresh explosive arrows—a wealth of arrows in any normal circumstance. He'd already used more than half of those.

Overhead, lightning splashed against their barrier again and then again. Naboris roared and the wind itself picked up, throwing even more sand and debris around the Divine Beast in a swirl. Thunder clapped and a bolt of lightning slammed into another of the buildings at the bazaar.

Link slung his bow and yanked the Sheikah Slate from his waist, pointing it at one of the legs. He attempted the Stasis rune, but the yellow light burst as quickly as it arrived—the Divine Beast was far too large to be held in stasis. But he had another idea.

"Back in!" Link cried, pointing for the gap underneath Naboris, between its front and back legs.

Riju nodded, angling Patricia in. Link's seal followed, and they passed back underneath the hulking machine. As they paused underneath it, one of its feet landed not far from them, causing the earth to tremble.

Link pressed the Remote Bomb rune, and it appeared before him on the sled. He grabbed it before it could roll off and turned, lobbing it towards the leg that was in the process of coming down. His throw wasn't perfect, but the bomb landed near where the leg fell, and Link triggered its explosion.

The lights on the foot flickered angrily, its many joints stiffening. It was close. He clipped the Sheikah Slate back on his belt and removed his bow, taking aim and launching another of the arrows.

The lights on its foot went out. The leg stopped moving. Naboris shuddered overhead.

" _Hey!_ " Riju called, and Link looked around at her. She pointed up, at the large body of Naboris directly overhead. He caught her meaning and nodded. Immediately, she turned Patricia and Link followed, out from under the Divine Beast, in case it fell.

As they left, Link glanced back at the damage he'd done. The leg dragged, leaving a wide gouge in the sand behind it. Naboris' movement slowed, and it definitely appeared more labored now, struggling to continue on three legs, instead of four. It did continue, however, and Link watched with horror as more lightning struck out, destroying homes and shops in the bazaar. Tents erupted into flame, palm trees fell, and rock shattered as Naboris released its furious barrage.

He desperately hoped that the innkeeper and any others still remaining in the bazaar had made it out.

"Same side, in the front!" Link called, pointing. Riju nodded, snapping her reins. Patricia surged forward, and Link's seal followed, though at a slower pace. Cursing, Link shouldered his bow and grabbed the reins, snapping them. "Come on, catch up!"

His seal gained ground not a moment too soon, as another bolt of lightning hit the barrier directly over him.

Riju rounded Naboris' front legs, and Link followed. When they were in position, he pinned the reins down again and turned, reaching a hand out to steady himself. Right behind him, the leg fell, sending up a spray of sand.

He triggered another of the Sheikah bombs and threw it at the foot on the same side as the disabled leg. This time, his aim was even better, and the foot came down right atop the bomb. Link triggered it and saw a blast of sand erupt out from under the foot. Naboris released a distressed sound as that leg rocked with the explosion.

"Come on!" he snarled, wrenching the bow free again as the rune recharged. He took aim and fired another pair of arrows at the foot, each exploding against it with a flash of light and fire.

Riju cried out in alarm, and Link looked around just in time to see Patricia swerve out of the way of one of the destroyed buildings. Link's seal did the same, but too late. His sled hit one of the jagged pieces of stone, and suddenly, he was airborne.

The cord attaching him to the sled saved him from being flung free, but he came back down hard, hitting the floor of his sled hard enough to knock the wind out of him. He heard something snap and looked up in horror to see that the rope connecting the sled to the seal break free. He made a grab for the reins, but they slipped through his fingers. The seal continued on, following Riju, leaving Link in its wake.

The lightning barrier disappeared from around him, and Link cursed, dropping his bow and reaching down to detach himself from the sled. A shadow passed overhead and he looked up to see the Divine Beast's foot bearing down on him. He cried out, throwing the rope free and rolling to the side.

The foot came down, shattering his sled to splinters and sending sand and rock cascading over Link. Coughing, he pushed himself free of the debris and looked around desperately. There was no sign of his bow—he'd lost it in the fray.

He still had the Sheikah Slate, however.

Triggering another of the bombs, Link threw it at the leg and ducked down, detonating it. The explosion and ensuing sand washed over him harmlessly. The same could not be said for the Divine Beast.

Naboris bleated as another of its legs failed, its joints growing stiff. Its other front leg came down hard, and it teetered for a moment before, with a terrible groan, slowly beginning to fall to the side.

He started running in the opposite direction, passing underneath its other front leg as it was lifted into the air, red lights flickering and joints spasming. He kept running until he heard—and felt—the impact behind him. When Naboris hit the ground, it did so with a shockwave that sent a literal wave of sand out in all directions. Link was caught by it and, for the second time, flew into the air.

He fell back to the ground, the blow only softened somewhat by the sands, and another blast of dust and grit washed over him, casting his entire world into darkness.


	52. Chapter Forty-Nine

**So... I have a lot of feelings about this chapter, let me tell you, dear readers. When I began writing this monster of a story back in January, I had just started playing through Breath of the Wild again on Master Mode, and thought that it sounded fun to toy around with a novel. I wrote a bunch of ideas in a notebook for a few days, and then even created a Word doc full of notes, outlines, and ideas. Finally, I decided to give it a shot. I didn't truly believe, at that time, that I would ever finish it, much less post it online. It's been just a little over eight months since the day I wrote "Prologue" at the top of the document, and here we are. The conclusion of the fourth Divine Beast. I like to think I feel a little like Link does.**

 **Not that this is the end of the story. Not by a hookshot or even a longshot! We've still got more than ten chapters left, and I very well may be adding one more to the list to round out one scene... Either way, thanks so much for sticking with me through it so far! I promise that these last 11-12 chapters are chock-full of surprises, more ups and downs, plenty of action, and a good deal of memories.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Oh, I love me some Lord of the Mountain. He-like the three dragons-is one of those mystical elements that I always intended on adding in _some_ fashion, though it took me some time to figure out how to do it. **

**heartnut: When contemplating the battle against Naboris, I went through several ideas. I considered going all Empire Strikes Back on it at one point, but then abandoned that idea pretty quickly. Finally settled on staying close to the original vision, but with a twist. Doesn't seem like you'd need to take all four legs out to disable it!**

 **Meyssa: Spread the word! Tell your friends! Take out an add on a billboard! Seriously, I'm all about more reviews... I feed off them like a like-like feeds off shields.**

 **iCards: Sealiously.**

 **Now, please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Nine**

He was late.

Link cursed himself as he hurried through the central Castle Town market, doing his best to avoid colliding with people. There was already a large crowd gathered in the square—a crowd there to see _him_. Or the Champions, as well as the newly-seventeen-year-old Princess Zelda.

He wasn't even sure how the news had gotten out that they would be departing this morning. He knew that Zelda had hoped that it would be a quiet departure, but it looked as though she would not be getting her wish. Perhaps the arrival of Urbosa two days prior and both Daruk and Mipha yesterday hadn't helped. Plus, there was the fact that there were no coming-of-age celebrations planned for Zelda's birthday.

At least he had already given Zelda her birthday present the evening before. He flushed at the memory—her reaction and what followed… No, it was best not to dwell on such things now.

 _No, definitely not now,_ he thought as he pushed back a particularly large woman and her yapping dog, finally coming out on the road leading up to the castle gate. Of _course,_ he'd slept in. On the _one day_ that he couldn't afford to do so.

Like before his other trips with Zelda, he'd opted to visit his family and spend time with Aryll before leaving. His intention had been to wake up before dawn to get ready and make his way up to the castle to get things ready for their departure. But the events from the night prior had left him tossing and turning half the night away, and he had been woken by a curious Aryll rather than by his own internal clock.

 _Damn it all!_

He sprinted up the hill. When the guards at the gate saw him approaching, they automatically opened the large doors just enough for him to slip through and continue up to the castle grounds.

He turned for the royal stables and was rewarded by the sign of both Daruk and Mipha standing in the field beside it. There was a packhorse beside them, laden with all kinds of supplies. Where they were going, there would be no warm homes, no stables, and little food, so they would have to bring much with them on their trip.

"Oh, Link!" Mipha said, eyes widening. She stood up straighter as he approached, puffing from his sprint. "Did you run all the way here from your house?"

He nodded, taking a few deep breaths to try to steady himself.

Daruk grinned broadly. "What kept you so long, little guy?"

"Slept in," Link muttered, glancing around. He couldn't see Zelda or Urbosa. Perhaps he wasn't as late as he thought?

Mipha frowned slightly. "Are you feeling all right? Did you sleep well last night?"

Link glanced at her and felt a stab of shame. The feelings that had left him lying awake in bed the night before… well, he couldn't exactly share them with her or anyone else. "I… well, no. Nerves, I guess."

She still frowned with concern at him, but Daruk patted Link on the back. "I know what you mean, Brother. I feel like I could eat a whole boulder! This is it, though. She's going to do it this time—I know it."

"Did Revali show up?" Link asked. They'd received the message from Revali the afternoon prior—he could not spare the time to journey with them to the spring, but that he would meet them there in a few days.

Mipha shook her head. "No, I think he was being serious."

 _Ass_. Link pursed his lips for a moment before asking the question that gnawed at his thoughts. "Has Zel— _Princess_ Zelda come down yet?"

Mipha's eyes widened slightly at his near-slip. She looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "The princess and Urbosa are in the stable, getting her horse ready. I think yours, too."

Link sighed heavily. Why was she doing that? Normally, he would have been the one to get the horses ready, but, really, she could have let one of the stable hands do so. Still, he knew that she was trying to cultivate a closer bond with her horse, and _he_ was the one that told her that handling it herself would help.

"All right, I'm going to go in and help," he said, taking a step towards the stable. Mipha raised a hand, as if to say something else, but then she stopped. He looked at her curiously for a moment, but when she said nothing else, he continued on, slipping through the open door of the stable.

The royal stable was very large, full of the horses of both the royal family, but also those of the knights that kept apartments at the castle, like Link himself. He made his way past rows of stalls, most of which still occupied by horses that were contentedly resting or eating oats. Epona was in one of these stables, and she looked up at him as he passed. Link waved at her, trying to reassure the horse that he would be back, and she blew out a breath through her nostrils before lowering her head to her bin of oats.

He continued down the line of stalls until he approached the royal stalls, where the king and Zelda's personal horses were housed. He could just make out the top of Urbosa's head over the wall that separated Zelda's white stallion's stall from the next horse in the line.

Link paused, however, when he heard another sound coming from within the stall, however. It was a muffled sound, and he didn't fully grasp its significance at first. Then he heard Zelda's voice, however.

"I know he probably expected me to come see _him_ , but I… I can't, Urbosa. I haven't even been able to _look_ at him since…" He heard the sound again, and he recognized it now. A sniffle. Was she _crying_?

Link stiffened, feeling an immediate urge to rush into the stall and see what was the matter. To embrace her, to tell her that he was there, to—

 _No,_ he told himself, forcefully.

Urbosa clucked her tongue. "Do not blame yourself for his folly. Your father is a stubborn man—he has always been like that for as long as I've known him. It used to drive your mother mad."

"I know, but… perhaps I should go up and—"

"Zelda, your father knows that you are leaving today. If he is unwilling to come down and see you, himself, then…" She said something in Gerudo that sounded harsh, even to Link's own untrained ears.

" _Urbosa_!" Zelda said, aghast.

Urbosa sighed, and Link saw her shift. "Sorry. I just have little patience for voe who refuse to admit fault due to selfish pride."

"I don't think it's pride, I just…" Link heard Zelda shuffle, and he could imagine her, folding her hands in front of her, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She took a breath. "He has to think of the kingdom first. I _need_ to awaken my powers, Urbosa. You've heard what the priests are saying, haven't you?"

Urbosa muttered another Gerudo curse. "Do not worry yourself over them. Their words are meaningless."

"What if they're not?" Zelda said, her voice growing small.

Urbosa shifted again, stepping away from the wall. "Then your powers will surely wake."

Zelda remained silent, but Link heard her sniffle again.

"Oh, Little Bird…" There was another shuffle of movement, the swish of fabric. "Listen to me," Urbosa said, voice gentle. "You have done _so_ much. I know that you can do this, too. I have _faith_ in you. They will wake when the time is right."

Zelda sniffed even more now, and Link heard Urbosa shushing her softly. He knew that he should have left. He was intruding on a private moment—something that he shouldn't be present for. Yet he stood there, transfixed.

"I wish… I wish my mother were here," Zelda said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I know," Urbosa said, and this time, her voice sounded heavier with emotion. "But I believe she is still watching over you. I pray to her every day."

"Really?"

"Of course. And I _know_ that she is proud of you, Little Bird. She was always _so_ proud of you."

The sounds that followed made it even clearer to Link that he needed to leave. He finally took a step back, and then another. His heel scuffed the stone floor. The sounds of crying stopped suddenly.

Link cursed, glancing around. Finding no place to hide, he closed his eyes briefly and then softly cleared his throat. "Princess? Are you in here? Mipha told me—"

"O-oh!" He could hear a rush of motion from within her stall. She sniffled. "I'm in here, Link. I'm with Urbosa. We're just getting Storm ready for departure."

He stepped forward, coming into view. Urbosa and Zelda both stood apart, and Zelda's back was turned to him. She had a brush in hand, and she ran it along her horse's long mane. Urbosa looked at him critically, one eyebrow raised.

"Finally decided to show up, did you?" she asked, smirking.

Link felt his face flush. "Uh… yes."

"It's all right, Urbosa," Zelda said, her voice soft. She turned her head to look at the tall Gerudo, and Link could see that her eyes were, indeed, red and puffy from crying. He felt terrible for eavesdropping, and even worse for not being there himself to comfort her, himself. "He wanted to spend some time with his family before departing. I… can hardly blame him."

That hadn't been the reason for his lateness, and she probably knew that. He appreciated her words of confidence, nonetheless.

"Princess, if you'd like, I can finish up in here," Link said, stepping into the stall. "If you need to do anything else before we leave…"

Zelda finally glanced back at him, and her expression pained him. In that moment, he was grateful that Urbosa was present. If she hadn't been… Well, it was best not to think about what he might have done, had she not been there.

"Why don't you let him finish up in here?" Urbosa asked, gently. "We're already running late, and besides, I want to clean some of this straw off before we go."

Link glanced sideways at Urbosa. He couldn't see a single piece of straw on her, though he couldn't say the same for Zelda. She'd clearly been working with the horses in his absence. Her riding clothes were not extremely dirty, but he saw pieces of straw and oats sticking to her in places.

Neither he, nor Zelda, were under any illusions of Urbosa's intentions, however. Zelda couldn't ride out of the city looking like she'd just stopped crying. It tore at his heart to admit it, but she would have to wear her mask of confidence, just as he would.

Finally, Zelda nodded, handing Link the brush and stepping towards the gate to the stall. Urbosa followed.

Link hesitated, calculating his words in his mind. It was a risk, but… well, the risk be damned. "Zelda?"

Zelda paused, looking somewhat surprised. She looked around at him. Urbosa did as well, a slight smirk on her lips. If she was offended by his use of Zelda's name, she made no indication of it.

"Happy birthday."

There was a pause, and Link saw a slight flush appear on her cheeks. She smiled faintly. "Thank you."

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Link!"

Link coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand. He slowly lifted his head, sand pouring off of him as he did so. He was half-buried. What happened? It took him a moment to clear his mind, pushing away the memory of the past and remembering the last few minutes.

The Divine Beast. Its fall. The shockwave. And…

Groaning, he pushed himself to his feet, reaching up and pulling his scarf away from his face. It had done little to keep the sand from getting into his nose and mouth in the wake of the fight against the Divine Beast. His goggles remained, however, a fact for which he was thankful.

The wind had died down considerably, but there was still a great deal of sand in the air. It seemed to coat his mouth and lungs, and he coughed a few more times, which did little to actually help.

Not far from him, Divine Beast Vah Naboris lay on its side. Its two undamaged legs still moved sluggishly, pawing at the sand ineffectually. Oddly, their lights flickered feebly as they did so. He wondered if it would be able to rise again, or his attacks had caused significant damage.

 _No time to worry about that now,_ he thought, as he heard Riju's voice calling out to him again. He turned.

Riju rode behind Patricia, hurrying towards him. Her Thunder Helm had been removed, and her hair looked frazzled, despite its braid. She stopped next to him, quickly removing her restraints and stepping off of her sled.

"Are you all right?" she asked, looking him up and down.

Link nodded, taking his scarf and trying to shake out some of the excess dust. It wouldn't do much—not with the air so hazy. At least the lightning had stopped, however.

A look of relief passed over Riju's face, and she smiled. She looked back to the prone Naboris. "We _did_ it. The sandstorm has stopped."

"Too late for the bazaar," Link said, grimacing. He could see that Naboris had done extensive damage to the small settlement before he had brought it down. Even the tall, mushroom-like rock that stood above the inn had been damaged, huge pieces of it having broken off and fallen to the buildings below. He still had some gear left in the inn, actually—he wondered if there would be any recovering it now.

His eyes passed over the other buildings that he could see. Had Rhondson's home made it out unscathed? He hoped that it hadn't been destroyed. She'd told him how difficult it had been to scrounge together enough funds to purchase the small abode.

"We can rebuild," Riju said, confidently. "It didn't reach Gerudo Town—that's the most important thing."

Link knew she was right. Gerudo Town was not only the most populated town around—possibly in all of Hyrule, from what he'd seen—but it also housed hundreds, if not thousands of refugees. Former victims of Naboris' rampaging.

"Well, we're not done," he said, trying to spit some of the grit from his mouth. It did little help. Finally sighing, he wrapped the scarf around his face again. "There is one more task that I need to complete."

"There's really a creature in it, like you said?"

He nodded. "Once it is dead, then Naboris will truly be freed."

Riju considered for a moment and then nodded. "Then I leave this in your hands, Link."

"Really?" Link said, looking at her and raising his eyebrows.

"What? Did you want my help with it?"

"Well… no. I was about to suggest you go back to the city."

Riju smirked, looking from him to the Divine Beast. "I have done what I came here to do. But I am no warrior. Not like Buliara or Teake. I would only be in your way."

 _She's so wise for being so young,_ Link thought, gazing at her. _This is a girl that had to grow up quick, just like Zelda did. Maybe even more so._

She looked back at him. "I trust you will be successful."

Link nodded. "I've come too far to be stopped now."

"Good. Come see me when you are finished, then."

"Will I have to dress up again?"

She grinned mischievously. "Of course. You're still a _voe_. I won't be known as the chief that abolished our oldest tradition."

He couldn't help but to laugh. "You're already letting me into the city, though."

"Oh, that's a tradition in itself. Voe have always found ways to sneak into the city. Most of us know it and accept it as a part of life, even if some, like Buliara, try to deny it."

Naboris began to shift, its flailing legs finding some purchase. Link tensed, glaring towards it. "Time to go. I'll be back soon."

"I know you will. Good luck."

He nodded towards Riju and took off in a run towards the Divine Beast, kicking up sand behind him. Naboris began to roll back onto its "stomach", getting its legs underneath it. As it began to rise again, Link leaped and just barely grasped the edge of a small ramp hanging down from its body.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself up even as Naboris' legs extended, raising it high into the air again. When he finally had his feet back underneath him, Link released a sigh of relief and looked around.

The ramp led up into the belly of the Divine Beast, from what he could tell. A latticework of stone formed a barrier to prevent him from falling off the side of the ramp, though he nearly lost his balance when Naboris suddenly took a step forward.

Link grimaced as he glanced out, seeing the beginnings of the sandstorm forming. It would likely only be a matter of time before the Divine Beast was back at its full strength and attacking again—he didn't have a lot of time. The bazaar had already suffered enough.

He stepped forward, climbing the ramp. As he crested it, however, he came face to face with the translucent spirit of Urbosa, standing just inside Naboris' great, round belly, arms crossed, a familiar smirk played across her lips.

"Well, well, well," she said, eyes twinkling with mischief, even now. "You sure know how to keep a lady waiting."

Link couldn't help himself but to smile, though he felt a stab of pain at the sight of her. She was, of course, dead like the rest of the Champions. A spirit clinging to the last vestiges of life to finish her final mission.

"Sorry, I slept in," he said.

Urbosa's lips parted in a grin and she looked at him up and down. "You look good, Link. Far better than one would expect for someone… how long has it been? Decades, at the very least?"

"One hundred years. I was placed in the Shrine of Resurrection. It brought me back."

She took this revelation in stride, nodding. She raised a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "And Zelda?"

"Alive. Still fighting Ganon."

"That's my Little Bird," Urbosa said, with a note of definite pride in her voice. "And now you're here to take Naboris back from Ganon."

Link nodded. "This is the final Divine Beast. I've freed the other three, and the Champions are back in control."

Urbosa's eyebrows knit together in a frown. "They're in control? They are alive?"

"No, they… their spirits are in control. When the blight is removed—"

"Their connection is reestablished. Interesting. I'm sure Zelda would have something to say about that."

"I'm sure."

Urbosa's eyes twinkled. "You'd better tell her all about this after you kill Ganon, then. You will probably turn her theories on their heads."

Link looked at the tall Gerudo woman, feeling sadness not just for himself, but for Zelda. Her relationship with Urbosa had clearly gone beyond friendship.

"It will be hard for her, I think. All of her friends and family are gone."

Urbosa scoffed. "She was always the strongest of us all. She'll be fine. Besides—she'll still have you."

Link met her eyes, something unspoken passing between them. She knew. "Thank you. I don't know if I ever realized at the time how much you did to try to smooth things over between us at the beginning."

"Oh, you both would have come around eventually. You two were like a pair of _vedi_ forced to occupy the same room. You hissed and spat at each other, but you would have grown accustomed to each other eventually."

"I don't know that one," Link said, raising an eyebrow.

Urbosa paused, considering. "Small animals, pointed ears, with claws. You Hylians keep them in your homes and use them to hunt rodents."

"Cats?"

"Yes, _cats_. You two were like cats."

Link smiled, but his eyes soon focused past her, looking into the interior of the Divine Beast. The inside was an enormous cylinder, crisscrossed by various walkways. He could see several round openings that led out onto other platforms outside, as well as doorways that led into other sections of Naboris.

At the center of the large room, however, atop one of the walkways, was the control device, shining with orange light.

Malice coated much of the interior. It dripped from the ceiling and ran down the walls. It covered sections of the walkways. A few of the doors and openings had web-like tendrils of the stuff over them. He saw several of the yellow eyes, all turned towards him. Staring. Trembling.

"It's scared of you," Urbosa said, her voice soft. "I think it knows what you've done to its siblings."

"Good." Link stepped up beside her, looking into the dark interior of Naboris. He could feel the Malice in the air, oily and repulsive. It seemed that he could feel it even stronger now. More potent. More…

He felt her mind with his and gasped. The spirit of the Master Sword had grown stronger. She desired to destroy the creature within just as much as he did. It was not hatred that he felt emanating from the sword, but a sense of true purpose. Anger that such a thing could even exist in this world, and the need to rid the world of it.

Link reached back and grasped the sword's hilt, pulling it free.

At once, light filled the room around him. The sword shone with a brilliant white light, purer and more vibrant than that of the Ancient sword. It was bright enough that Link had to squint his eyes momentarily until they adjusted.

The Malice in the room shied away from the light, quivering. The eyes on their stalks pulled back. Even the feel of Malice in the air disappeared in a kind of bubble around Link and the Master Sword.

He felt a power in the sword that he hadn't felt before. It was a masterful weapon in any fight, made perfectly for his hand. But now, he felt something else. He felt stronger. Surer. It was a feeling like adrenaline, but more potent. All fatigue disappeared.

He'd felt this before. He could faintly remember the feeling as he charged through Castle Town, which lay in ruins following Ganon's attack. The Master Sword had shone with power then as well, sensing Ganon's corruption. But he could also remember… desperation. Pain like he'd never felt. Despair.

 _No_. _I can't focus on that now._ He forced the images that flashed through his mind away. There was far too much pain in those memories to get lost in them now. He needed to be focused and calm.

As he stepped forward, into the large chamber, he saw the Malice begin to gather. It dripped down from the ceiling, landing on the platform overhead, which held the control device. The yellow eyes disappeared, sinking down to become pools of Malice that traveled along the ground or even rose into the air, traveling to the center.

"Urbosa? What am I going to be facing here?"

Urbosa stepped up beside him, watching the forming creature, her expression full of rage. "It is fast. Faster than an eye blink. And it… took my power from me. My lightning. Be careful, Link."

He pursed his lips and nodded and attached the shield to his right forearm before stepping forward and getting ready. He had a set of Ancient arrows, should he need them, but he would not use them now. Not now, when the Master Sword desired to fight against this creature so strongly.

The creature began to form, the sphere of floating Malice pulsating and stretching to form its body. It, like the others, formed a mask, though this one was surprisingly tall and sharp-edged, almost like a wide blade. Orange constellation-like patterns covered it, save for the single blue eye in its center. A mane of long, red hair drooped down on either side of the mask, covering most of its torso and extending down to where it ended with no legs. Twin appendages formed arms, each ending in piece of Sheikah tech. Together, each arm sparked to life with a glowing, blue shield forming in the left arm while a long, hooked sword appeared in the other.

The blight in Naboris was far smaller than the others, slightly larger than the size of a man's head and torso, though it still floated a few feet above the ground, giving it a taller appearance.

Link grinned, rotating the Master Sword in his hand. This was more like it. A sword fight—he could _do_ a sword fight.

"Link!" Urbosa said, alerting him.

The creature moved with blurring speed, darting left and then right, zigzagging across the slightly curved ground. Link got his shield up just in time to block a slash of its sword that would have taken off his head.

Cursing, Link shoved back, but the creature easily backed out of the range of the Master Sword before darting in again. Link caught its sword with the Master Sword and, for a moment, they locked, but then the creature was gone again.

 _So fast!_ Link thought, gritting his teeth, finding it again. It slammed into his shield with enough force to drive his feet back several inches. This close to it, he heard… _whispers_. He could almost hear a voice emanating from it. The voice carried no words, but he felt its hatred.

It darted away again and then raised its sword into the air. Link saw the spark of electricity almost too late. He threw himself to the side, avoiding a bolt of lightning that struck where he'd been standing a moment later.

"Watch it!"

Again, Urbosa's warning saved his life. Link rolled and brought the Master Sword up just in time to catch a downward stroke from the creature. He kicked a leg out, catching it in its blue Guardian shield and knocking it back enough for Link to throw himself back to his feet. Naboris' constant movement made the floor underneath him unsteady, and he spent too much time recovering his balance to properly counter.

The creature didn't have that problem. Link deflected an attack with his shield and stabbed forward, the shining tip of the Master Sword seeking its eye. It moved its shield to block, however, and the sword glanced off.

It attacked again, slamming its blade into Link's shield which, thankfully, held against the energy weapon. Link threw his shield wide, knocking aside one blow and then brought the point of the shield down on its shield. It threw the creature off its axis, and Link thrust his sword forward. This time, it touched Malice, and the creature screamed as a portion of the writhing mass that made up its torso burned to smoke.

The creature backed away and unleashed another barrage of lightning that Link tried to block with his shield. This was a poor choice.

Electricity coursed through the shield to him, causing him to yell out in pain. His left hand spasmed, and the Master Sword clattered to the floor.

Shaking, Link barely had a chance to get his shield up to block another rapid series of attacks, each moving faster than his eyes could track. Instinct drove his movements and kept him alive.

It scored a hit against his side, cutting through cloth and searing his flesh. He gritted his teeth and slammed his shield against the creature's face with enough strength that it would have broken the bones of a normal person.

It must have done something, because the creature fell back enough that Link was able to scoop up the Master Sword with still-tingling fingers. He went on the offensive, crossing the ground between him and the creature with three steps, bringing his sword down on its shield. Part of the shield flickered, as if he caused it damage, but he was unable to capitalize on it when the creature struck back against him.

Their clash was brief, and they parted again, each backing away. Link waited for the creature to move, which it did a second later, blurring into motion. He waited, eyes growing unfocused as he didn't try to follow the creature's movement, but let his body move of its own accord. He dropped to one knee, and the creature's sword passed by overhead. Link thrust the Master Sword up and into the creature, where its belly would have been in a normal person.

The creature screeched, flying away, dark mist spraying from its wound. It quickly retreated up to one of the upper walkways, well out of Link's reach.

Swearing, Link took several steps back, eyes darting about. He could see several ways to get up to the walkway, but doing so would leave him exposed. He had the arrows, of course, but now that he had seen the creature in action, he knew that he would never be able to hit it with one of them. Revali could have, perhaps, but Link lacked his unerring accuracy.

"Find cover," Urbosa said, suddenly appearing next to him.

The creature raised its sword into the air, and Link saw electricity arc over it. He darted, first left and then right, narrowly avoiding a bolt of lightning. It was followed by another and another, each coming within a hair's breadth of striking Link.

Link dove underneath the very walkway that the creature floated above, and he heard it make an angry sound above. A moment later, the creature darted to another walkway. Link ran to the side, ducking behind another walkway, as lightning cracked where he'd just been, leaving a white afterimage in his vision.

"Stay out of its sight," Urbosa said, standing strong and tall where he'd been, glaring up at the creature. "Make it come to you—I know you can defeat it!"

The creature was clearly infuriated with this new tactic, and it changed positions, again moving to a place that it could observe and attack Link from afar. He darted to another spot of cover, and the creature made yet another furious screech. And, suddenly, Link heard the hum of its weapons.

He brought his shield up just in time to block another attack, and he spun around, slamming the Master Sword against the creature's own shield, which flickered under the force of the shining weapon.

Link pressed, stepping forward and brought the Master Sword down again and again, each time causing the creature's shield to waver. His own shield blocked any of the creature's counters. For all its speed, the creature was not an expert swordsman.

Link, however, _was_.

Link thrust the Master Sword into the creature's shield again, and this time, the shield completely fizzled out, his sword cutting deep into the creature's arm. The creature released a pained cry, that arm shriveling as the Master Sword burned through flesh and machinery alike.

The creature spun away from Link, moving with its blurringly fast speed, widening the gap between them far faster than he could pursue. It raised its sword, and Link, again, saw the electricity begin to travel along its length. He prepared to dodge another lightning attack, but then the creature blurred again.

He brought his shield up, blocking its attack, and cried out in pain as electricity coursed through the shield and up his arm. That arm went completely numb, and Link stumbled back, unable to lift the shield any longer.

The creature advanced, and Link blocked another of its blows with the Master Sword. He felt the shock there, as well, though it was considerably dulled. It still nearly made him drop his sword, however, and he gritted his teeth, pushing the electrified sword back.

 _I need to end this quickly,_ Link thought as he knocked aside one of the creature's lunges. Each blow sent an electric shock up his sword arm, and though the Master Sword diminished it, he felt that arm weakening. His right arm was still nearly useless, though he was starting to regain some feeling back in his fingers.

The creature blurred with sudden movement, and Link rolled, narrowly avoiding an attack from behind. So damn _fast_! But the creature wasn't the only one with supernatural speed.

The creature advanced again, moving with its incredible speed, but Link jumped back, dodging its attack. As he did so, he focused his mind, and everything slowed around him. The creature still moved quickly, but suddenly Link could follow it with his eyes, and he knew where to strike.

He moved in, avoiding a downward stroke by the sparking sword, and slid his Master Sword in past the creature's guard. His blade cut straight through the creature's sword arm, lopping it off at the elbow.

The shriek that the creature released deafened Link, and it rushed away from him, again rising out of his reach. Now missing one arm, and its shield arm still shriveled and worthless, the creature had an air of desperation about it. Its sword arm began to regrow, but it was frail and thin, bearing no weapon.

Regardless, it raised its weaponless hand, and Link saw a ball of electricity forming just above its open palm. He jumped to the side, avoiding the first lightning strike, and then the second, finally dodging around behind one of the walkways, halfway up the incline of the rounded floor.

Breathing deeply, Link gritted his teeth. The creature likely wouldn't risk a face-to-face encounter any longer, but Link was at a severe disadvantage as long as it remained in the air. Could he try striking it with an arrow? It no longer had its shield. Perhaps…

The Master Sword in his hand pulsed with light, and he glanced down at it. Suddenly, he heard her voice in his head again, soft, but insistent. _Raise your sword skyward._

The creature moved into view, hovering well-out of his reach. It raised its hand, summoning another lightning barrage. Link, too, raised his hand holding the Master Sword.

At once, the Master Sword flashed even more strongly than before. He felt strength surge back into his body, chasing away the pains of his wounds and the shock he'd suffered.

Link looked ahead at the creature, and despite its expressionless mask, he thought he saw confusion in its posture.

He swept his sword back down, and an arc of light shot out from the blade, flying through the air with the speed of a lightning bolt. It struck the creature in the center of its exposed chest, sending an eruption of black mist forth. The creature fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

Link ran forward and reversed his grip on the Master Sword. He leaped and brought the sword, point down, into the creature's pulsing blue eye. He felt it pierce straight through its head and hit the floor beneath.

For a long moment, there was stillness, and then the creature made one, final shriek of agony, its body writhing underneath Link, before bursting apart in a cloud of black Malice. In the past, when Link encountered the Malice in its mist form, it had burned him, yet this time, it did not. Instead, it fled from him and the shining Master Sword, swirling around briefly before fading away.

It was done.

Behind him, Link heard Urbosa begin to laugh. He slowly pushed himself up, staring at the Master Sword as its light slowly dimmed as the presence of Malice disappeared. He smiled, silently thanking the sword, and thought that he received a kind of acknowledgement from it in turn. He sheathed it and turned to face Urbosa.

"Excellent job, Link," she said, her voice strong and full of emotion. "I _knew_ you wouldn't let us down."

He felt Naboris stop moving under his feet, settling for the first time since he'd gotten on board. Outside, it sounded as though the howling wind of the sandstorm had likewise died down.

Link stared up into the Gerudo woman's eyes and smiled, feeling a sudden, overwhelming emotion rising up within him. Relief and joy and sadness, all mixed together. "You're all free," he said. Finally, after such a long journey, after so many trials, difficulties, wounds, and pain, all four Divine Beasts were free. And all four of his former friends had been released from their captivity.

"We are," Urbosa acknowledged, smiling. "Though there is still one person that I believe you must free."

"Oh, I learned my lesson," Link said, laughing, though he felt on the verge of tears. "I'm not out to _free_ Zelda. She's capable of doing that herself, anytime she wants."

Urbosa snorted—a strange sound, considering she was a spirit—but then she smiled broadly. "That girl and her pride. She hasn't changed, even after all this time."

Link looked at Urbosa, at the look of pride on her face and the warmth that emanated off of her at the mention of Zelda. It was an expression that... Well, it made him think of his own mother.

"I wish I could bring her here to see you," he said.

Urbosa focused on him again and shook her head. "It's all right. She knows that I will be watching over her. She can speak to me anytime she wishes, even if I may not always be able to respond."

She turned, motioning for him to follow. They walked through the central hub of Naboris, passing under the platform that housed the control device, which now glowed with a soft blue light. Urbosa led him up onto one of the catwalks and out through another hallway. Lines of green light lit the floors and walls, casting strange shadows as they passed.

Finally, they emerged out at the base of Naboris' long neck. As they stepped out, the neck lowered, forming a straight path that jutted out over the sands and what was left of the Kara Kara Bazaar. Urbosa stepped forward onto the extended neck, and Link did likewise.

When they reached Naboris' oval-shaped head, it lifted them back up into the air until they stood high above the desert, above even the hazy remnants of the sandstorm. The sun had risen, bathing the land in light and causing the distant sands to sparkle.

"My home," Urbosa said, her voice soft, as she gazed out. In the distance, the walls of Gerudo Town were visible, though they were still a way off. Beneath them, the bazaar had been devastated by the lightning storm, yet several structures still stood. Many of the palm trees, surprisingly, looked intact. "Thank you, Link, for saving it."

Link sighed softly and sat down, allowing his legs to dangle off the front of Naboris' head. His eyes were drawn further east, as always, towards where he knew Hyrule Castle stood. _There's one more thing to do yet._ He felt the sword resonate its agreement. One final foe to defeat.

"When I began this journey, I didn't know if I would be able to," he said. Urbosa settled down beside him, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Link looked at her. "The Shrine took my memories, and I didn't know how I was supposed to accomplish so much."

"And now?"

Link laughed softly. "I still don't really know how I did it."

Urbosa hummed softly, nodding. "Zelda always believed in you."

"Well, not _always_ ," Link said. "I _do_ remember some of our travels together."

"True. But that was never about a lack of belief in _you_."

His smile faded as he thought about her doubt. Her pain. The memory he'd had right before boarding Naboris.

"Did I…" he began, but then hesitated.

Urbosa looked at him expectantly. "Did you what?"

Link didn't meet her eyes. "Did I help her? I can remember you comforting her, and I know that I tried to do the same, but…"

She blew out a long, exasperated breath. "You really _are_ clueless, just like she used to say."

"I _lost_ my memories," he said, protesting. "And… what was I clueless about?"

Urbosa shook her head, chuckling. "I'm not telling you Zelda's secrets. Get more of your memories back, and maybe you'll figure it out."

Link swallowed, feeling his pulse quicken. It was funny how thoughts of Zelda could do that. She had a way of making him feel more nervous than facing down a monster like the one he'd just killed.

"But… yes, Link. You helped her a great deal. She laughed when she was with you. She was happier." Urbosa smiled warmly. "I think you were exactly what she needed, in the end."

"Good," he said. "Good."

Urbosa looked over at him, giving him a knowing expression. "I think you've remembered more than you let on." Link didn't answer. Urbosa threw her head back and laughed. "For as much as you've changed, you are still the same!"

Link looked away from her, feeling his face flush. In truth, he wasn't sure if she was right or not. He felt… _something_ for Zelda. Something strong. But he still hesitated to classify it as love. He wanted more memories, more… knowledge of what he had once been. Of what she had once been. Of what _they_ had once been. He'd already learned the painful lesson about assuming the feelings that he felt in the moment, during his memories, were how he should still feel now. He'd learned it twice over.

After a time, Urbosa composed herself and cleared her throat. When she spoke, she took on a more business-like tone. "So. With the final Divine Beast freed, it will soon be time to finish what we started one hundred years ago."

"Yes," he said, eyes narrowing.

"I've waited so long to see you finally rush Hyrule Castle—as well as for the moment when I incinerate Ganon into a pile of _ash_."

Link looked at her, smiling wryly. "I'm afraid there's a line."

"Oh, I imagine we'll all have our chance." Urbosa stood slowly, looking back towards her city. "Did you know that our histories state that Ganon once adopted the form of a Gerudo?"

"No, I didn't."

Urbosa's lips formed a flat line. "Yes. Whether it was originally one of us, or if it was just a disguise, I don't know, and I don't care. I have always considered that to be a stain on my people's history—and it is one that I intend to see wiped clean."

Link didn't respond. This revelation meant little to him, but it was clear that it was something Urbosa was passionate about.

She looked at him. "It will be up to you to keep Ganon occupied and draw it out into the open. When you do, we will unleash our strike. After that, well… I imagine that is when Zelda will finally have her chance to prove what she is capable of, once and for all."

Link nodded. "I'm going to have the Divine Beasts gather in Hyrule Field. There are… plans in motion that should hopefully negate Ganon's influence over the Guardians. If that doesn't work, though, then I think I'll have an army at my back."

"Good. The Gerudo should give their aid willingly. If not, remind the chief that the Gerudo are never outdone."

"I will."

"And tell Zelda… tell her that I'm proud of her.

* * *

Link stepped off of Naboris' ramp and onto the sand below. Urbosa had offered to give him a ride to Gerudo Town, but he had refused, thinking of the alarm it would cause to see Naboris continuing its march towards the city. After witnessing the reactions at Goron City and Rito Village, Link didn't feel like putting another group of people through that just for his convenience.

Besides, he could warp to the shrine a short walk outside of the city anytime that he wished. But, before he did so, he wanted to see if he could gather up some of the gear that he'd left behind in the inn.

Link quietly picked through the deserted Kara Kara Bazaar, marveling at the destruction that Naboris' storm had wrought. Buildings had exploded as surely as one of his remote bombs. Stone had split, and portions of sand looked like it had fused together to form a hard, glassy surface.

He approached the inn—or what remained of it. Half of its roof and an entire wall had been blown away, but the front door remained, for all that it was worth. He stepped inside, finding that everything within was coated with a heavy layer of sand and debris.

It wasn't hard to find what he was looking for, however. Nestled onto one of the beds, which had not suffered great damage in the storm, thankfully, was his pack. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled it closer, inspecting its contents. He found Zelda's diaries, as well as the book he stole from the Yiga Clan hideout. He also found his Gerudo outfit.

He pulled this out, sighing softly. He could wear it one more time. _Just once more,_ he thought, somewhat morosely. _And then I can put this whole, strange desert behind me._

Link stood up, removing his shield and the Master Sword from his back. He reached down to grasp the bottom of his tunic.

 _"Link!"_

He stopped, eyes widening, and whirled, looking for the source of the voice. That familiar voice.

"Zelda?"


	53. Chapter Fifty

**I know, I know, I keep teasing you all with so many cliffhangers! I'm sorry; they are just so much fun to write! This chapter doesn't have one, I promise. Neither does next chapter! But, after that... well, not making any promises!**

 **So last chapter was a popular one! So many comments...! I love it, keep them coming! You're all awesome, and thanks for reading this crazy thing! Last chapter was so satisfying to write, but I'm happy to say that the fun times don't end there. There are approximately 11 chapters left after this (I did add one!), plus... some extras along the way. There's plenty of action sequences (just wait until next week...), along with memories, interactions with your favorite characters (I know that I, for one, am greatly missing a certain musical bird...), and then, of course, a conclusion that I hope will knock your socks off. I can't wait to share it all! But, _first_ , let me respond to a few comments...**

 **Klynnw: I love the idea of trying to tie more of Zelda lore into Breath of the Wild. There's so much there, and tons of it is hidden in the background, and I'm all about digging into it. As well as adding a bit of my own spin, naturally. I try to stay as faithful as I can to the established lore while giving myself a little bit of room to play with it. And as far as what Link gave Zelda for her birthday... That was a common curiosity after last chapter. It seems my little tease worked! Don't worry-it'll come. Not today, but it will come!**

 **midnaisbae: Wow! You left me a lot of comments. I like it, but there's no way I can respond to it all! I will pick a few things here... First, the Yiga! So I don't know what the game writers originally intended, but I agree that some Yiga were likely born into it. However, I don't think they all were. Certainly not in my own story! Some members of the Yiga Clan have been brainwashed, others don't believe anything about Ganon, but harbor grudges against certain people, and still others are just straight crazy. Going a little further back, you mentioned Rhoam as a prince or noble. I agree! Zelda's mother was certainly the royal in that relationship, and Rhoam married into it. After all, Zelda makes it clear that her mother had the power or at least understood it. Finally, regarding the Masterworks, oh I've read some of it (thanks to the magic of Google Translate!). In fact, there are plenty of details in my novel that came from it. I can't wait for the English translation, though. Got it preordered.**

 **Michy21: Like I would make it easy for Link to take down a Divine Beast! That one was fun, though. Imagining Link trying to be all cool like the Gerudo-and kind of failing at it-was quite enjoyable for me. See the above comment about Link's birthday present... It's coming! And, yes, present Link is still hesitant to admit things for sure. He wants his context!**

 **iCards: Thunderblight is, in some ways, my favorite (awesome sword fighting/dodging/parrying!) and in others... not (lightning spikes, I hate you so much). Either way, it was a blast to write. It was fun just giving Link someone he could fight on a somewhat equal footing (...not that it has feet). And the Skyward Strike was very satisfying to write, indeed. Breath of the Wild has the classic sword beam, sure, but I couldn't resist giving Fi a little moment there.**

 **Now, please, read (especially after that cruel cliffhanger!), enjoy, and let me know what you think! And... well, look forward to Saturday. Because that chapter is one that I feel very, very strongly about, and I think you will too.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty**

"Link!"

He grunted with exertion, reaching back up with fingers outstretched and grasped the small rock ledge. Feeling more secure, he glanced back down from the rock wall he clung to, spotting two blonde women surprisingly far below him.

Zelda looked up at him with concern visible in her expression, even from here. Aryll stood beside her, holding a small basket of wildberries in one arm.

"I'm okay!" he called down. Granted, he'd almost just fallen, but _almost_ didn't mean much of anything when it came to rock climbing.

Zelda pursed her lips. "I _wasn't_ expecting you to just run off and start climbing that wall. Really, you can come down—I don't need to get the mushroom."

"I'm okay!" he repeated, before looking back up. The purple fungus was only a few more feet up, really, and he could see the path he needed to take to reach it. He lifted a foot, finding another hold, and pushed himself higher. A few pebbles broke loose, tumbling down the steeply inclined rockface.

 _And don't pretend like you didn't_ actually _want me to climb up here and get it,_ he thought, grinning, despite his precarious position. Zelda had seen the purple mushroom hanging off the side of the wall and gasped in that way she always did when she saw something that she wanted to study closer.

He could hear the two girls talking below. Aryll was babbling about something indecipherable, and Zelda responded half-heartedly. He glanced back down, finding that Zelda still watched him with concern.

 _She's seen me climb rocks before,_ he thought, curious. _What's so different now?_ Of course, this cliff face was somewhat taller than he had climbed in her presence, but it was hardly the highest climb he ever done, nor was it the most difficult.

He pushed himself higher and reached down, pulling his belt knife free. He carefully extended his arm up and easily slid the knife along the base of the strangely colored mushroom, sending it tumbling down the wall.

"Here it comes!"

He glanced down to see Zelda move forward, catching the falling mushroom—which was surprisingly large—in outstretched hands. She looked back up at him and smiled, despite her protests.

Goddess, he liked seeing that smile.

His foot slipped, and he swore, gripping the rock with straining fingers. He heard the girls below yelp. "I'm okay!" he called as he blindly searched for another foothold. Thankfully, he did manage to find one before his fingers gave out and that statement became an unfortunate lie.

Link began the careful climb down until, finally, he hopped the last six feet or so, landing on the ground in a crouch. He stood back up, brushing the dust off his clothes. Zelda stood nearby, holding onto the mushroom, and looking relieved. He stood a little taller, trying to feign a nonchalance that he didn't really feel.

"Are you done showing off? I'm hungry." Aryll asked, chewing a berry.

"Quiet, you," Link said, giving her a sharp glare. She smirked at him. He reached out, grabbing a berry from her basket, popping it into his mouth. He eyed her basket and then looked up at her incredulously. "You've already eaten _half_ of those!"

"Not just me!" Aryll protested. "Zelda ate some too."

Zelda laughed. "Oh, don't you start blaming me. I had _one_ handful."

Link's sister made a face and then popped another berry into her mouth. "I only ate two or three handfuls. But don't _worry_ —I saw another bush full of them not far from here. I'll pick some more while you cook."

Link reached out and ruffled his sister's hair before giving her head a gentle nudge. "You're going to get a belly-ache just like last time."

"No, I won't."

"If you say so."

Aryll smirked at Link and then turned, scampering off, presumably to gather more of the wildberries. Link watched her go fondly, until he became acutely aware of Zelda's presence to his left. He glanced over at her, meeting her eyes.

She smiled at him. "You know, I always wished I could have had a sibling."

"You can have mine, if you want."

She snorted and shook her head. They began to walk back to the small camp that Link had set up for them underneath a wide oak tree. She held the oversized purple mushroom in her hands in such a way that made him think of a bouquet of flowers.

"You know, that is exactly what I meant when I told you not to be so reckless," she said after a minute of walking.

He snorted. "That wasn't so bad. Three lynels were at least a _little_ bit more difficult."

"So _humble,_ you are."

He smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry."

Zelda smiled at him. "Well, I doubt anyone else would have been able to handle that, either, so I suppose you can be a little proud of it."

Link could remember that fight, near the base of Death Mountain. It hadn't been anything to be prideful about at the time. It had been butchery, plain and simple. An ambush by monsters, a family of lynels, and Zelda in the middle of it all. It was a miracle that they'd survived—and with barely a scratch.

Silence fell between them for a time before she spoke again. "You know… your sister told me something funny."

The hair on the back of Link's neck stood on end. "She did?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, looking straight ahead, her face carefully blank. "She told me that it was actually _your_ idea all along to invite me along on this trip."

He felt his face flush. "Well, that… I mean, yeah. It was."

She looked at him with a frown. "Link, you know that I didn't want to come between you and your sister's time together. If you want to spend some time alone with her, I really would be fine with staying at the lab for a couple of days."

"It's not—" he started, and then hesitated. "She's thrilled to have you here. When I got back, all she asked me about was traveling around with you, and I thought that this would be a good opportunity for her to get to know you some."

Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Is _that_ the reason you invited me?"

He cleared his throat, glancing away. "It's one of them, at least."

"And what was another reason?"

Link sighed softly. "I figured you could use an excuse to get out of the castle for a bit."

The return from their trip to the Spring of Courage had gone just as Link had feared it would. The priests had descended on Zelda before she'd even dismounted from her horse, asking about her experiences at the spring, if she'd felt or experienced anything. Even worse, her father had been there as well, looking as stern as always.

That night, Zelda confided in Link how much she hadn't wanted to even return to the castle because of how much she'd felt like a failure following the spring. That hadn't been a surprise for him—she'd grown increasingly reticent the closer they got to the castle on their long trek north through Hyrule Field.

The trip to the Royal Ancient Lab, then, was a way to accomplish both Link's plan to take Aryll out on his promised trip to sleep beneath the stars and to give Zelda a chance to visit the Sheikah. It _had_ been Aryll's idea to invite Zelda to stay with them, rather than sleeping in her room at the lab, but he found that he didn't want to correct her now.

Besides, he was telling the truth about Aryll's feelings about Zelda's presence. His little sister had taken to the princess almost immediately—especially after Zelda told her in no uncertain terms that she wasn't allowed to call her _princess_.

Zelda sighed softly, but a small smile crossed her lips. "I thought as much. You really didn't have to do that, you know." She glanced to the east, in the direction of the distant castle. "Honestly, I probably should have devoted this time to more prayer in preparation for our trip to the Spring of Power."

"Yes, I always like to pray before I pray to make sure I pray right," Link said.

She looked back at him, trying to stifle a grin. "I'm _serious_."

"So am I!" Link protested. "I say a prayer before every meal prayer."

She reached out, giving him a light shove. "To think that I used to wonder at how little you spoke."

"Well, I _used_ to pray silently."

"Mm, I'm sure."

They crested the small hill, reaching the oak with their campsite. The small lake extended before them, glittering in the late afternoon sun. To the east, a small herd of horses galloped across the Irch Plain, and to the north, Salari Hill rose up, with the Hebra Peak forming a distant backdrop.

Zelda sat down on her small blanket, setting the mushroom down, and beginning to take some photographs of it with her Sheikah Slate. Link watched her for a time before beginning to work on getting a fire started. Eventually, Aryll made her way back with a full basket and fingers stained red from picking—and eating—so many wildberries.

For a while, Link contented himself with preparing the meal while listening to his sister and Zelda babble behind him. Aryll had launched into an explanation about the difference between river barges and proper sea vessels, and Zelda, for her part, seemed legitimately curious.

Aryll eventually ran off again—she could never stay put in one place for long. Link watched her protectively as she hurried down to the lake's edge, watching as she pulled her boots off and waded out into the water after rolling her pantlegs up to her knees.

Finally satisfied that the stew had the right amount of ingredients in it, Link stood, stretching and backed away from the bubbling cauldron. It would take another few hours before the meal would be ready. He glanced around, finding Zelda studying a field of colorful flowers.

"What are you looking at?" Link asked, walking over to her.

Zelda glanced back at him, smiling, and then looked back at the flowers, lifting the Sheikah Slate and taking a photograph. "I just noticed how _odd_ these flowers are."

Link waited for a further explanation, which did not appear forthcoming. Finally, he asked, "Why are they odd?"

"Because they're _here_." She leaned forward on her knees, examining one particular flower. "Like this one. I'm _pretty_ sure that this one is native to the Akkala region. And _this_ one—" She pulled back up and shuffled forward, still on her knees. "Is from the Faron grasslands!"

He watched her with amusement. "Really."

" _Yes_." She took another photograph. "I don't think I've ever seen such a variety of flowers growing in the wild. Many of them have very unique properties. In fact, this one over _here_ —we could add this to your stew and…" She trailed off.

Slowly, she leaned forward, reaching out with her bare fingers to gently brush along a flower with five petals, each colored blue near the stem and turning white at their edges.

"This one here is called a silent princess," she said, quietly enough that Link had to move closer to hear her. She spoke with apparent reverence for the flower. "It's a rare, endangered species."

She glanced at him, smiling slightly. "Despite our best efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet. The princess can only thrive out here—in the wild."

Zelda sat back on her legs, lifting the Sheikah Slate to take a photograph of the flower. Then she lowered it to her lap, staring quietly at the flower. "All that we can hope is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own."

Link frowned slightly, looking at her. Somehow, he wasn't certain she was talking about the flower any longer. "Zelda?" He shifted slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of her face.

Suddenly, she gasped, moving forward on all fours, and Link found himself looking directly at her backside, which was, he dared admit to himself, quite shapely in her snug, black riding pants. He looked quickly away, feeling embarrassed by his silent admission. _I can't keep thinking such things._

"Look at _this_!"

He looked back at her to find Zelda sitting back up on her knees and turning to face him, hands cupped together over something. She beamed at him with an excitement that belied her solemn words from seconds before.

"I don't believe it—I actually _caught_ one!"

"Caught… what?" Link asked, warily.

She shuffled forward on her knees, coming closer to him. Alarmingly close. Close enough that their knees almost touched. "This delicacy is known to have very, _very_ potent effects under the proper circumstances." She opened her hands just enough to show Link what she held. "Tada!"

"That is… a frog," Link said, staring at the small green amphibian in her cupped palm.

She nodded excitedly. "I know! I've never caught one before!" She brought it closer to her face, inspecting it critically. "Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually _augment_ certain abilities."

" _Augment_ abilities? Zelda, that—"

She pressed on, seemingly oblivious to his confused protests. "We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness, you would be a _perfect_ candidate for the study."

"What?" Link said, eyes widening with alarm. "No."

" _Yes._ " She moved even closer, shoving the frog towards him. "Go on—try it! Taste it. I've never had a chance to see the effects in person."

"I'm _not_ eating that frog."

Zelda sat back, frowning at him. "And why not? It won't hurt you."

"I'm not worried about—I'm not just going to eat a living _frog_."

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but suddenly, Aryll was there, pants still rolled up to her knees and boots held in her hand. "Link, you'll never guess what I just—oh, you caught a frog!"

Zelda turned to her, eyes shining. "I never caught one before."

Aryll's eyes widened—and then she grew serious, eyebrows drawing down in a somber frown. "We need to fix that."

Zelda mirrored her expression. "Yes, we do."

And, before five minutes were up, all _three_ of them had traveled down to the lake, each with their pant legs rolled up to their knees, catching frogs. And somehow, Link was certain that at least one of the poor creatures would end up in his stew.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"Link!"

" _Zelda_."

Memories burst to life in Link's head. Climbing the cliff face, Zelda and the frog, all three of them ending up soaked after splashing each other in the lake. Zelda, insisting that they try to add some of the supposedly ability-augmenting frogs to the stew, which summarily _ruined_ it.

Other memories followed it in a rush of colors, feelings, and thoughts. Lying out beneath the stars beside Zelda, speaking softly of his childhood, even though he knew he'd told her much of it before. Her admission that she rarely had friends to play with as a princess. He could remember her rolling over onto her stomach, her face surprisingly close to his, eyes large and so green in the firelight. And she thanked him, for being her friend.

It had been like something grabbed his heart and squeezed so tightly. Goddess, did she know how he felt in that moment? How badly he had wanted to—

Link stopped, forcing his mind from the memory. To the present. Zelda's voice. Here. _Now_.

"You're speaking to me," he said, eyes widening.

"You _did_ it. Link, you really _did_ it." She sounded excited. Triumphant. "I _knew_ you could. I knew you would."

How many times had he prayed to hear her voice again? How many times had he spoken to her, hoping that she could somehow hear him? And here she was, her voice as strong as though she were beside him.

"Zelda, what's going on?" He sat against the bed in the half-ruined inn, looking up at the ceiling. "I thought that Ganon was fighting too strong for you to be able to speak with me."

"He was," she said. "But something has changed now that you destroyed his final blight. When you defeated it, he grew angry. Angrier, even, then when he first saw you. He nearly broke free. But then he withdrew."

"Withdrew?"

"I…" Her voice lost some of her certainty. "I can still feel him, here in the castle. In the sanctum. He is no longer fighting against his bonds. He is preparing for you to come. But for now, he is not attempting to break free, and I can let myself… be, for a time."

Link's throat constricted. She sounded so much like herself. Even more than when he'd last spoken to her like this, at Tarry Town. There were so many things that he wanted to say, so many things that he _had_ to say, yet now he found that the words would not come.

"Have you…" His voice was a croak. He cleared it and spoke again, more clearly. "Have you been watching me, all this time?"

"I have, when I could. I saw you draw the Master Sword and I saw you in the woods." She paused. "I should have told you how to summon a guide. That was an oversight on my part, I apologize."

"What? No, it's fine—I'm fine. I've been trying to talk to you. I wasn't sure if you could hear me, though."

She laughed softly. "Oh, yes. I have. Mostly, at least. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to respond until now."

"It's really… okay." Link felt embarrassed suddenly. He had hoped that Zelda could hear him, of course, but… well, at the same time, he had been speaking as though she couldn't. How open had he been? He couldn't remember everything he had told her.

"Have your memories continued to return?"

Link nodded, though then he felt silly doing so. "Pieces. I just remembered the day we spent at the lake. With Aryll. Do you…"

He felt a sudden rush of warmth, almost like an embrace, wash over him. It was the same sensation he felt when he saw her smile. "I do. It was near the end of summer. I remember it well. That was such a moment of peace. Many things grew more… difficult shortly thereafter."

An uncomfortable weight settled between them, and they both fell silent. Zelda, with her painful memories, and Link, still lacking his.

Finally, Link broke it after looking down at the colorful Gerudo blouse on the dusty bed. He felt a new wave of embarrassment wash over him and groaned audibly.

"What?" she asked.

"You've been watching me this whole time."

There was a long pause, and then she spoke again, amusement apparent in her voice. "Why, yes. I have."

"I assume, then, that you witnessed everything that I have done to gain entry to Gerudo Town?" he asked, fearing her answer.

"Well, I think you could say that I have discovered a new side to you, Link," she said, clearly enjoying this conversation. "And, really, that outfit _does_ look very good on you."

"This conversation ends now."

"Oh, come now. _You're_ the one that has been reading my old diary. I never knew you had such a disregard for privacy."

Link's face flushed. "That's not… You've been watching me all along! I have been— _changing_ and— _relieving_ myself in the— _bathing_ —have you been watching _all_ of that?"

Zelda did not answer.

He stood up, smiling victoriously, despite the embarrassing situation. "How well can you see me now?"

"As if I were there."

He took a step forward, eyes focused on the direction that he felt her voice had come from. "And how close are you?"

Suddenly, her voice was closer. Much closer. Like a whisper in his ear. "Close."

He turned, half expecting to find her green eyes inches from his own, but there was no one there. Only a half-collapsed wall, covered by sand. "I wish I could see you."

There was a long pause. "I wish you could as well. But that would take too much of my power. If Ganon tried to break free while I did that—"

"It's all right, I understand." He paused. "I'll be able to see you in person soon enough."

He felt that same surge of warmth that he felt earlier. Somehow, though he couldn't see Zelda or her expression, she conveyed her feelings to him all the same. "Yes, you will." He felt a shiver of anticipation, and he wasn't sure if it came from him or her.

But then the feeling faded, and her voice pulled back some. "But, Link, don't rush this. For now, Ganon has retreated. The best thing you can do is make sure you are fully ready. When you return, I doubt that I will be able to hold him."

He nodded slowly. "It's going to take some time to gather the Divine Beasts. And the Sheikah have been working on the Guardian problem."

"Good. I will do my best to keep Ganon blind to what you are planning. He is not omniscient, and perhaps he will not realize what is happening until it is too late."

A thought occurred to him. A strange thought, considering their still-precarious situation, yet it was one that had been repeatedly brought to him mind lately. "Zelda?"

"Yes, Link?"

"What… will you do? When this is all over?"

She was silent for a long time. Long enough that he wondered if she'd been forced to depart. Finally, however, she spoke again. "What do you remember of that last autumn?"

"Very little."

"I don't yet know what I will do when this is all over. I feel that what I would like to be able to do and what I _must_ do are still two separate things." She paused, and Link heard her sigh softly. "I suppose that will likely never change."

Link frowned. "I think you've done your _duty_ more than enough, at this point. You deserve to be able to do what you want."

"And what would you do?"

"I… I don't know," he said, though he knew it to be a lie.

"Are you certain?"

He remained silent, not daring to speak his thoughts.

Zelda, it would seem, was content to do the same. "Try to remember that last autumn. Our conversations together. Our trips to the Springs of Power and Wisdom. I believe that you will find your answer there."

Part of him felt frustrated by her non-answer, but he also thought that he understood. She wanted him to know. To remember. That had always been her intent, even when sending him to free the Divine Beasts. That was why she gave him the Sheikah Slate, why she encouraged him to look at the photographs. It was the same reason Impa had chosen to let him discover much on his own.

By remembering the past, he was slowly reclaiming his own life. No one, not even Zelda, could give that to him.

"I will."

* * *

Gerudo Town was in a state of confusion. Many had seen the bazaar be destroyed, and they feared that Naboris would turn back towards the city, though the Divine Beast had now begun marching inexorably towards the canyon that would take it out of the desert.

Others were convinced that their period of trial was over. Some claimed to have seen Lady Riju ride out to confront the Divine Beast that very morning, and that her return—and the ceasing of its storms—signified that she had been successful in taming it.

Either way, Link was allowed entrance into the city without any trouble. He hadn't even bothered with disguising the Master Sword this time, though he _had_ grudgingly put on the Gerudo attire eventually, once Zelda had departed to refocus on keeping Ganon blinded to outside events.

He suspected that she was still able to see him, however, though it hardly made sense to worry about it now. If she had been watching him all this time, she'd seen him in all states of dress. Still, it _was_ embarrassing to think about. He preferred not realizing that she was watching him in those moments.

Link made his way through the town, which was even more crowded than before. Even more of the outer Gerudo tribes had entered into the city, as had any women that had been staying at the bazaar. He still saw no men inside the city, though he noticed that the tents outside of its walls had grown in number as well.

He kept an eye out for Rhondson as he walked. He had checked on her house on his way up to the city, finding that it had been completely destroyed. It pained him to know how much work had gone into that small home and shop and wanted to be the one to deliver the bad news to her. He wasn't able to pick her out among the sea of tall women with red hair, however, and ultimately decided to continue on towards the palace.

Here, too, he was let in without any incident, though the guards at the entrance all eyed him with strange looks. He suspected that they knew the truth of who he was and what he'd done but had been forbidden from discussing it.

The throne room was empty when he arrived, so he made his way out onto the outer staircase that led up to Riju's room. Here, he found both her and Buliara standing, watching towards the northeast, in the direction of Naboris.

Link's foot scuffed one of the stone steps, and Riju turned, eyes widening. Suddenly, a mass of red hair hit him as she raced down the stairs and embraced him tightly around the torso, her face pressed to his chest. It was such a strange action, so unexpected, that he just stood there, uncertain of what to do.

He met Buliara's eyes, who looked _horrified_ though she kept her tongue. Finally, he hesitantly patted Riju's back, and she pulled away, beaming up at him.

"It's done? You tamed it?" she said, though she clearly already knew the answer.

Link nodded, smiling back down at her. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

Riju smiled even more broadly and made her way back up the stairs to stand beside Buliara again, looking to the northeast. "What will happen now?"

Link stepped up to stand beside the two Gerudo. "I'll be leaving to finish preparations to retake the castle." He hesitated, looking down at her. "That's actually something that I wish to speak to you about."

Riju looked at him, eyebrows raised. "I expect you will want Gerudo help going to battle against the Guardians?"

"Well, I hope that the Guardians won't be an issue, ultimately, but… yes. I am gathering an army to help me retake Hyrule. Drive the monsters out and, if necessary, defeat the Guardians to allow me a chance to face Ganon."

Riju waved a hand dismissively. "I've already spoken to Captain Teake about it, and she is preparing to begin traveling that way."

Link grinned. "Urbosa was right."

"What do you mean?" Riju looked at him sharply, confused.

"She was there, on Naboris. We spoke… She said that you would agree to send soldiers to our aid. Something about how Gerudo are never outdone?"

Riju gasped, eyes widening. She glanced back towards Buliara briefly before looking again at Link. "Vigilant in the sun, growing brilliant; Gerudo, never outdone."

"What does it mean?"

"It is one of the inscriptions found on the three pillars that each Gerudo chief must study and learn." She fell silent, considering quietly. "We will do whatever we can to aid you, Link."

"Thanks, Riju."

Buliara cleared her throat, eyes flashing dangerously. "You will not speak to Lady Riju with such familiarity!"

Link grinned broadly. "Right. Of course. My apologies, _Lady_ Riju."

Riju returned his smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Apology accepted, erm… what would your title be, anyway?"

Link shrugged. "I believe Madame Link would be acceptable. Lady Link. Or dame, now that I think about it. Dame Link?"

Riju giggled, shaking her head.

"What? I'm sealious!"

The young Gerudo chief only began to laugh in earnest, while Buliara groaned audibly.

* * *

Link found Rhondson later that evening. As the news of Naboris' departure filtered out to the city, many of the Gerudo that had taken refuge in the city began to leave again. Link borrowed another sand seal and rode down to the bazaar ruins, not surprised when he found the tall Gerudo woman picking through the wreckage of her shop.

She looked up when she heard him arrive, her expression difficult to read. "Sav'saaba, Link."

"Sav'saaba." He disengaged himself from the seal, making his way towards her while avoiding some of the wreckage left on the ground, courtesy of a lightning strike.

Rhondson turned back to her shop, crouching down and pulling out a piece of red silk, torn along one edge. She sighed. "I expect you are to thank for putting a stop to the Divine Beast before it could do any more destruction?" She spit to the side as she mentioned Naboris.

He stepped up beside her, looking down at her home. "We tried to stop it before it reached the bazaar. I'm sorry, Rhondson. I'd hoped your home wouldn't have been damaged."

"We are saved. That is all that matters."

Link could tell by her tone and expression that she didn't truly believe that. He knew how proud of this shop she had been, despite her lack of business. "Will you rebuild?"

She remained silent for a long time before, finally, shaking her head. "No. At least, not for a long time."

"Why?"

She allowed the silky fabric to slip from her fingers and turned, sitting upon a stone that jutted up that might have once been part of her roof. She stared out over the oasis. The evening sun reflected off of the small pond in its center, turning it a fiery red.

"What else? Money. I have told you—I was not very successful here. Most traveled to the city for their tailoring needs. I made only enough to survive. Barely even that."

Link settled down next to her, frowning. He thought about the gemstones that he had received from the Gorons and the rupees from Impa. He didn't mind the idea of parting with it—the small fortune meant very little to him. He told her as much.

" _Sa'oten_!" Rhondson said, her tone growing agitated. "I would not take that from you, even if I were to take you as a husband!"

Link held up his hands quickly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to suggest—"

Rhondson made a cutting gesture with her hand, halting him. "No, it is… it is fine. I am just…" She groaned softly, shaking her head. "It is a kind gesture. But you have done enough to help the Gerudo. I would not take more from you now."

Link remained silent, suspecting that there was more to her rejection than that.

"When I first opened my shop… My vaba gave me a small loan. She knew that I wished to be a tailor, but my mama—she sold fruit and would not accept that I would not do the same."

"Vaba?"

"My mama's… mama. Mother?"

"Your grandmother?"

"Yes, grandmother." She stumbled over the word slightly. "My vaba. She told me, 'Rhondson, it would please me more than anything for you to become a tailor. Do not give up on your dreams.'" She sighed softly. "But she died soon after that. I tried becoming a tailor in Gerudo Town, but there are already so many good tailors in the city. So, I chose to come out here. Mama was very angry with me for it."

Link understood. He understood better than he thought that he should have. As she spoke, more memories began to bloom in his mind. Standing with Zelda on the stone bridge leading to her tower, looking down on a Guardian. Her father…

He pushed the memory from his mind for the moment, returning his focus to Rhondson. That memory held pain, he was certain of it. "What will you do now, then? Try again in Gerudo Town?"

"Likely sell fruit with Mama. Maybe, in time, I can start over again."

He considered for a moment before smiling. "Rhondson, what if I told you that I knew of someplace that needs a tailor very badly?"

She looked at him, eyebrows raising in curiosity. "What is this?"

"There is this… town. A settlement, really, but it's growing. They are still missing a lot of the craftsmen and women that a town needs—including a tailor."

Rhondson narrowed her eyes. "You mean beyond the desert?" Link nodded. "Where?"

"The Akkala region, to the east. It's called Tarry Town."

She remained silent for a long time before, finally, shaking her head. "I do not think that would be possible. That journey is so long, and I do not even know if I would be accepted in a place such as that."

"Rhondson, take it from me… You are the exact kind of person that they're looking for. And I'm sure they would be willing to pay you well for your services."

She tapped her knee thoughtfully for a long time. Finally, she looked up at the sky, which bore shades of red and gold. "I have never left the desert."

"It's not so bad out there. There's less sand. More grass."

"What is grass?"

Link looked at her in surprise. "What? Oh, it's—" He stopped when he noticed her grin. "You're joking."

Rhondson threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, I had to. I know what _grass_ is. Honestly, it is as if you've never been to a _Voe and Me_ class."

"I can assure you that I have definitely _not_ been to a _Voe and Me_ class, though now I am very intrigued…"

She snorted, waving her hand dismissively. She turned her head to look to the northeast. "It would be a long journey…"

"Not as long as you might think." He reached down to pat his Sheikah Slate. "I couldn't take you all the way there, but I could take you to within a day's journey."

She continued to tap her knees, frowning. She whispered, "Do not give up on your dreams." Finally, she looked at Link, nodding. "I'll do it. When do you want to leave?"

He blinked and glanced up towards the darkening sky. "I plan to leave in the morning, but I can come back in a few days if you need some time…"

Rhondson shook her head. "No. Most of what I own has been lost. I will recover what materials and tools that I can. I can leave in the morning."

Link nodded, smiling. "Great. Now, come on. I'll help you dig some of this stuff out."


	54. Chapter Fifty-One

**Okay, here we go! So, before I talk about anything else, I want to address this chapter. It's going to feel a little short, which is about right, since it's about half the size of my other chapters! Originally this and the next chapter were combined into one, but I really didn't like how the events flowed from one to the other. It needed to be split, as they both have important moments that I felt needed some separation for the best effect. So I split it up into two chapters, beefed up each of them to give them each more weight by themselves, and plan to post them back-to-back. That's right, it's another bonus chapter weekend! Chapter Fifty-One goes up today and Fifty-Two will be up tomorrow. Then back to normal after that.**

 **Now, let's talk last chapter, because wow! I got quite the response. It's like you all like Link and Zelda scenes or something... I appreciate all of the kind words, and once again, there were far too many comments for me to respond to them all. But I do want to address one particular thing that has been coming up a lot lately... Post-Calamity! I won't spoil how my novel ends, but I will say that the ending of BOTW left me wanting. I, like many of you, want to know what happens after the end of the game. So... yes, there will definitely be some post-Calamity stuff in my novel. I wouldn't leave you all hanging! As for a _sequel_ , that is something that I am still working through. It is certainly possible, and I have dropped certain hooks into my story to build that out, if I decide to go that route (more on that later). But, for now, my primary concern is getting this monster finished!**

 **Infinite's Ruby: I like injecting as many heartwarming scenes in as I can get away with! It helps balance out chapters like this one. :] But, in all seriousness, thanks for the positive words! I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed reading it so much. And I agree! I want more reviews, too! Though lately, my per-chapter review count has certainly gone up. That's pretty nice.**

 **midnaisbae: Well, Zelda certainly feels pretty conflicted about it as well! Which... obviously, I can't leave alone. Stay tuned! I can't say much here without spoiling what I do with Zelda and Link in the end (and in any potential follow-ups). And I agree. Future games will almost certainly have a Princess Zelda, though I'm not at all against getting another game like Skyward Sword with a Zelda that isn't royalty.**

 **Michy21: I... really enjoy that line. I almost worried that it's _too_ flippant, but I just enjoyed it so much that I decided to leave it. It's not the first time Link's been irreverent, nor is it the last! And I'm glad the awkwardness comes through in the scene. They're both still teenagers, in a fashion, and neither of them knows where the other stands. Plus, Zelda's been watching Link dress up like a Gerudo, and that just makes everything worse. **

**Guest: More action and drama, you say? Oh boy... You're going to enjoy this week's chapters...**

 **All right, enough comments! Please, read, enjoy, and do let me know what you think! This chapter may be short, but it's a doozy.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-One**

 _"Father scolded me again today. He told me I am to have nothing more to do with researching ancient technology."_

Link read the words, struggling to make some of them out in the light of his campfire. This page had been damaged by his fall into the castle moat, and certain parts of it—especially further down—were illegible. But he could make out the parts that he wanted to read.

Earlier, his memory had been sparked, like remembering a scene from a dream, yet it slipped through his fingers as he spent time with Rhondson digging out some of her belongings. He'd tried to remember it now, but little came to mind, other than a vague sense of frustration.

But he remembered what had triggered it, which is what drove him to pulling out Zelda's diary. He'd already tried _asking_ Zelda, but she hadn't responded. His hope of being able to speak to her whenever he pleased was, unfortunately, not quite a reality yet. But he hoped to be able to reach her more often than before.

 _"He insisted that I focus instead on training that will help me awaken my sealing magic. I was so frustrated and ashamed I could not even speak."_

He'd read this passage before but had passed it by without much thought, partially due to the fact that it was so difficult to make out, and also because it made no mention of him. He assumed that it held no memories for him.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

 _"I've been training since I was a child, and yet... Mother passed the year before my training was to begin. In losing her, I lost not just a mother, but a teacher."_

He could remember having that very conversation with Zelda in the gardens. The pain and frustration she'd felt caused an ache within his heart that he didn't recall feeling when first reading through this. Of course, he hadn't remembered that particular memory at the time.

 _"Mother used to smile and tell me, 'Zelda, my l—, all will be well in the end. You can do anything.' But she was wro— No matter how I try or — much time passes...the s— power that is my birthright evades me."_

Here, several of the letters and words became illegible, the ink having run or the page damaged.

 _"Tomo—ow I journ— with —k to the Spring of —wer to train. But this, too, will end in fail—. Such is — curse."_

He could remember the Spring of Power in vivid detail now. That memory stood out starkly in his mind. He could even remember some of his journey there with her. Vaguely, he recalled waiting out a storm under the boughs of a tree.

He looked back to the opening passages of the diary entry. This one held answers for him—he was sure of it. Her father had been angry with her… Just like Rhondson's mother had been angry, wasn't it? They were both angry because their daughters weren't pursuing the paths they intended for them.

"You were… investigating something? A shrine?" _No._ That was another memory, unrelated. "Something Sheikah related. Something—" An image appeared in his head. "A Guardian?" That felt right. Zelda had been investigating—no, _observing_ —a Guardian and…

Another image appeared. A bridge—he recognized that bridge. The one that led to her tower from her bedroom. Zelda had…

 _She invited me into her study, that's right!_ Memory began to bloom in his memory. She'd wanted to share something with him and found him in the kitchens, practically _ordering_ him to go with her.

Link smiled, remembering her insistence. He'd been _hungry_ , damn it, but she informed him that she would have servants bring them up a meal.

More memories appeared in his mind. More images. More thoughts and emotions. More _her_.

And then, finally, the window into his past opened yet again, and he remembered.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"You know, princess, the cooks were almost finished with the evening meal," Link said, following along in Zelda's hurried wake. She walked purposely in front of him, her waist-length hair swaying with every step. "Just a few more minutes, and we could have had supper."

"Do you ever think about anything except your stomach?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Yes," Link said, in a clipped tone. He was _famished_ , damn it. "But when it is so close to supper, I _do_ tend to get hungry."

She waved a hand, smiling in that self-satisfied manner. "I'll have one of the servants bring some up to us. Will that suffice?"

He perked up slightly at that suggestion. Now, rather than eating supper in the dining hall or even in the kitchen alcove, he had a private meal with Zelda to look forward to. That _did_ sound better, he was willing to admit.

Not that he was willing to give her the satisfaction. She took far too much at his expense as it was. "I suppose."

Zelda snorted. "Oh, you _suppose_?"

They passed by a pair of maids who watched them far-too-curiously for Link's comfort. He needed to be more circumspect. He was treating her too familiarly for being in the middle of the halls. Already, the kitchen scullions would probably be whispering about their impromptu meeting.

Link cleared his throat and fell silent, standing a little taller and trying to look more… knightly? Zelda glanced back at him, expression showing mild irritation, but she didn't press the banter between them.

The weeks since their trip to the lab with Aryll had been difficult for her, he knew. Even worse when he'd made his own trip out to Zora's Domain alone. But Mipha had requested that he visit and had mentioned the problems with the lizalfos, so he'd felt he needed to go—not that he disliked visiting her.

It had been a nice trip. Less… tension. Someone he could be a friend with and not worry so much about inappropriate feelings regarding the particular shade of her eyes or the shape of her… well, everything. Mipha had acted somewhat oddly, though. Very reminiscent. Wistful, even. It made him think… but no matter.

At least, Zelda's time cooped up in the castle would soon be coming to an end. They would set off for Akkala tomorrow, to visit the Spring of Power. Link looked forward to the trip, as he knew Zelda did. He longed for nights spent with her under the stars.

She reached her bedroom, and Zelda produced a key, unlocking her door. Link felt a sudden flush pass over his face and glanced around to see some servants looking towards them.

"Ahh, princess…"

She paused, looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. And then a look of recognition appeared. "Oh! Right." She looked over at the two servants. "Send down to the kitchens and have them prepare two evening meals and have them brought up to my quarters. Sir Link and I shall be dining in here this evening."

"Yes, your highness," one of the maids said, bowing low, and then she and her companion both scampered off to do as told.

Link sighed softly. Zelda looked back at him, frowning. "What?"

"It's… nothing."

"No, what?"

He pursed his lips and glanced around again. "I've just heard… rumors as of late."

"About?"

"You and I."

A pink flush appeared on Zelda's cheeks, and her expression grew carefully controlled. "Oh? And what do those rumors say?"

"That you and I spend a great deal of time alone together."

"You are my personal knight. It is only natural that we would spend a time in each other's presence."

"Alone, in your quarters?"

Her cheeks grew a deeper shade of pink. "We are… _not_ spending time in my quarters, precisely. We will be in my study. We simply will pass _through_ my quarters to reach it because I don't feel like walking all the way down the hall to the stairs."

"I know. But I worry that we have been acting too… familiarly as of late."

She frowned. "Oh. Would it be better if… Would you prefer not to come with me, then?"

 _Oh, Zelda,_ he thought. _You truly have no idea_. "Of course not." Link glanced around and then leaned a little closer, acting more conspiratorially. "You just need to command me around a little more. Maybe glare at me every once in a while."

She blinked in surprise, and then a smile passed over her lips. "Of course. Well, you _have_ been complaining a great deal lately." She placed her hands on her hips, giving him an almost-convincing glare. "I won't have any more of your lazing about, Sir Link!"

"Lazing about?"

"Yes. _Lazing_. Honestly, what if I had been in danger while you were off, galivanting about in the kitchens? Probably flirting with the scullion maids again."

" _Again_? What—"

"I don't want to hear any of your simple-minded excuses. You are my knight, and you shall do what I say. Is that understood?"

 _She's far too into this,_ Link thought, raising an eyebrow. Zelda's smile disappeared, replaced by a stern look.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, your highness." He bowed low.

" _Good_. Now, please—" She paused, considering. "No, I _order_ you to enter my quarters."

"Yes, _that_ sounds perfectly convincing," Link said, wryly. "Reasonable, even."

She shoved a finger under his nose. "No complaining. You will march yourself into my room and up to my study, where we shall discuss my new _theories_."

Link chuckled. He couldn't help himself. "Somewhere, you went from insufferable noblewoman to stern nursemaid."

Zelda snorted with stifled laughter, grinning. "I did, didn't I?"

"It's all right. I'm sure you gave the rats something to gossip about."

She scoffed as she opened her bedroom door. "Don't be absurd. I don't have _rats_ up here. The _keese_ might be chattering amongst themselves, though."

He followed her into her bedroom, and she closed the door behind her. The room was large and round, with a large four-poster bed with lacy white hangings on one side. She had an ornate dresser and a dressing curtain in the corner. A large fireplace was set into the opposite wall, and a golden bow hung above it—a bow that Zelda had admitted to him she had little experience actually firing, though Link had thought about giving her some lessons lately. In the center of the room was her small tea table, facing towards the two large windows between the spiral staircase that led up to the second floor and the bridge that led to her study.

"Honestly, servants are always so _gossipy_ ," she said as she crossed the room towards her staircase. "Sticking their noses in where they don't belong."

"It's kind of a pastime. Squires are the same way. Hell, _knights_ are the same way. Their gossip just tends to result in someone issuing a challenge for a duel, if they aren't careful."

" _Men._ "

"I will have you know that _Eleanor_ has dueled and defeated at least three other knights this year alone."

Zelda looked back at him with a quirked eyebrow. "And, because she is good at hitting things with a stick, that is something to be admired? I imagine that she has suitors lining up to ask for her hand."

"That… isn't what we were just talking about." Link followed after her, beginning up the stairs behind her. "Besides, I'm not convinced Eleanor has any intention on marrying. A man, at least."

She gasped suddenly, looking back at him.

Link stopped short. "What? I didn't mean that as a—"

"You do it _too_!" she said, grinning. "You're _gossiping_."

"That—no."

She snorted. "Yes. You are. Sir Link, the Court Gossip. Who knew?"

"I wasn't _gossiping_. I was answering your questions."

"I never asked you about her preference in men _—_ or _women_ —Link."

He paused, frowning. "Damn. You're right. That's the last time I go for drinks with Frederick."

She smiled triumphantly and continued up the stairs. Link watched her for a moment, and then shook himself, following quickly.

They spent the next two hours in her study. At one point, servants did arrive with their meal, which was a flavorful stew full of meats and vegetables, and they ate it standing outside on the bridge connecting to her tower, the porcelain bowls set on the merlons. It was a distinctly pleasant meal. Zelda was clearly in good cheer, as was Link, with the anticipation of leaving the castle the following day.

As the hours passed, they eventually left the cramped confines of the study again, walking out onto the bridge to talk and watch the sunset. They were out in the open, which did make Link somewhat uncomfortable, but there weren't many people around, and no one could hear them from this distance, at least.

Below them, in the courtyard, one of the large Guardians sat. Lately, more of the machines had been brought to the castle, repaired and in working order. Whatever issues that the scientists had early on with their weaponry had been resolved, and now they were, more and more, being used as sentries.

He didn't trust them very much—not after that first one had nearly killed Zelda. And him, for that matter. But _she_ certainly enjoyed seeing them.

She leaned over the crenellation to get a better look at the Guardian below. A pair of Sheikah scientists had approached it and did something to make it suddenly come to life, its six legs shifting and standing it up.

"Incredible." Zelda smiled back at Link before looking again at the Guardian below. "We're at a point now that we can actually control them."

He stepped up beside her, leaning against the merlon and watching the Guardian warily. The Sheikah appeared to be conducting some kind of experiment below. The Guardian followed one of the Sheikah almost like a puppy, walking when she walked and stopping when she stopped. The other Sheikah jotted notes down in a book.

"At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts." She turned to face him, her expression growing firm. Confident. "And should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well-positioned to defend ourselves."

It made Link happy to see her feeling confident in anything regarding Ganon, though he still worried. Would _he_ be ready? He opened his mouth to speak, but then another voice joined them.

"What are you doing out here, Zelda?"

She gasped and whirled, and Link's eyes traveled from her face to the man walking across the bridge towards them. Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. The king. He had been joined by at least two armored guards, who moved into place, standing at attention on either side of the walkway.

Link's eyes widened, and the first thought that popped in his head was about the rumors that he'd spoken of earlier. But no. Those wouldn't reach the _king's_ ears, would they? He forced those thoughts away and knelt on the ground, his forearm resting on his knee, and bowed his head.

"I…" Zelda said, hesitantly. He glanced up just slightly to see Zelda's hand fall to her side. After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep breath and clenched that hand into a fist. "I was assessing the results of the experiment with the Guardians."

When the king said nothing, she pressed on, taking a step towards him.

"These pieces of ancient technology should prove quite useful in the—"

"I know that." Rhoam's voice cut across hers, soft, yet full of royal authority. "They are essential to the kingdom's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them."

"Yes, that—" Zelda began, but then her father continued again, voice growing stronger.

"However. As the princess, you currently have a crucial, _unfulfilled_ , responsibility to your kingdom."

Link felt ice run through his veins. _What? Surely, he won't have this discussion here. Not with me here. Not with those guards behind him._

"Let me ask you once more…" The king's voice grew even sterner. Angry. "When will you stop treating this as some sort of childish _game_?"

He felt heat rising up his neck to the tips of his ears. _A game? He thinks she's playing a_ game _?_ Fury boiled up within him—an emotion that both surprised and concerned him. Such feelings should not be directed towards the _king_. Certainly not by one of his knights.

Zelda took a half-step back, releasing a shaky breath. When she spoke, he could hear a tremor in her voice as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. "I'm doing everything I can. I _just_ returned from the Spring of Courage, where I offered every _ounce_ of my prayers to the goddess, and tomorrow—"

"And now you are _here_. Wasting your time. You need to be dedicating every moment you have to your training!" The king's voice grew stronger still. Louder. Loud enough that those below might even be able to hear him. "You must be single-minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away!"

 _Please,_ Link silently pled. _Please, don't do this to her_. He feared what would come next.

"I already am," Zelda said, voice quavering. "Don't you see—there's nothing _more_ that I can do! My hope—my hope is that you… That you'll allow me to contribute here, in whatever way that I can."

"What _time_ is it?"

"W-what?"

"I asked you—what _time_ is it?"

Zelda hesitated, glancing at the sky. At the position of the sun. She stiffened. Link did as well. Her evening prayers—she had missed them. She looked back at her father. "I… I merely—"

"No more excuses, Zelda!" Rhoam paused, taking a breath and calming his voice some. "Stop running away from your duty. As the king, I _forbid_ you to have anything to do with these machines from this moment on—and command you to focus on your training."

Zelda's body was rigid, her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. From his vantage, he could see her chin quiver as she tried to find something to say. The king, however, was not finished with his bitter words.

"Do you know how the gossip-mongers refer to you?" he asked, turning from her and looking down towards the Guardian. "They are out there, at this moment, whispering amongst themselves…"

Link braced himself for the moment he feared. The moment that he and Zelda would be separated due to their close bond. Their friendship. But that did not come.

Instead, it was far worse.

"They whisper that you are an heir to a throne of nothing. Nothing but failure."

Zelda released a soft sound. Barely more than a whimper.

It was nearly enough to push him over the edge. To rise. To take his rightful place between her and this person that would cause her such pain. _He_ _almost did it_. His hands clenched into fists and the muscles in his legs tightened, preparing to spring.

But duty held him fast.

The king's voice softened. "It is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong." He turned back to face her. Behind him, the two guards that attended him stood stoically, their faces expressionless. They would likely tell their fellows of this encounter before the hour was up. "Do you understand?"

Zelda lowered her head, her hands folding together in front of her. "Yes," she said, barely more than a whisper. "I understand."

The king watched her for another moment, and then his eyes traveled to where Link kneeled. He quickly lowered his head again. After a moment, he heard the king turn. He risked another glance, watching as the king walked away, seemingly oblivious to the crushing blow that he had just delivered to his daughter.

After he left, only silence remained. Zelda stood, still, hands folded before her. He slowly stood, taking a step closer. Once up close, he could see her face. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she bared her teeth in an effort to keep her emotions from pouring over. She was trembling.

"Zel…" Link hesitantly reached out, his fingertips barely brushing her shoulder.

Her eyes snapped open and, she backed away, shaking her head. "I—I must go. My prayers."

"Zelda."

"I cannot believe that I missed my prayers. I never—I _never_ —!"

" _Zelda_." He stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

She looked up, meeting his eyes. Her lip quivered, and he thought that she might break then and start weeping. But she didn't.

"I must go."

She brushed past him, hurrying to her bedroom. He heard her rapid footsteps as she descended her spiral staircase down to her bedroom. Link was left standing there, alone. Below, the Guardian's head swiveled slowly, and he could have sworn that its blue eye focused on him.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link slowly closed the diary. The page containing the smeared words had been torn, a jagged rip appearing in the first several lines of tightly-written text. He couldn't remember doing that. He set the book aside and stared into the fire's depths. He remained like that well into the night.


	55. Chapter Fifty-Two

**As promised, here is Chapter 52 (AKA, Chapter 51, Part 2). It's going up a few hours early (likely still Saturday for some of you!). While last chapter was about half-length, this one ended up pretty much full-length after the work I've done to expand on it the last few days. This chapter... well, let's just say that I think many of you will like where this is going. And Tuesday will be even better. I can't wait to share it with you all!**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Oh, believe me, I wanted Link to stand up to Rhoam as much as you. But... that would have _really_ been going off the rails! I do have to wonder what could be done. They could hardly execute the bearer of the Master Sword... right?**

 **iCards: I really love that "throne of nothing" line. I think it's really good foreshadowing (though is it foreshadowing if it comes after we already see what happens?).**

 **Lord Halcyon: Yeah... I'm not a big fan of the king. Though I'm glad that they made him such a complex character, too. His diary really shows how desperate he felt.**

 **Now... enjoy this chapter! The next one will be coming in hot on Tuesday! And, boy, it's an intense one. I won't spoil it, but it's easily the longest chapter in the novel. Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Two**

A warm breeze blew across him as he appeared in Akkala. The ocean waves sparkled under the morning sun's light. The trees atop the cliff overlooking New Kasuto were green and lush—a welcome sight after the time spent in the desert.

Beside him, Rhondson gasped, eyes wide at the views presented. He allowed her some time to admire the unfamiliar view. She told him that she'd never left the desert, so these were things that she'd never seen the like of, outside, perhaps, of paintings and illustrations.

In time, they began to walk together. They first went to the lighthouse, which Link was surprised to find empty, save for the Ancient Oven, which whirred and clicked away at whatever Robbie had it working on at the moment.

"Hello?" Link called, stepping into the building. He looked around quietly, but it appeared that no one was home. He could see a substantial pile of pieces of armor and weaponry lined up along the back wall, though.

 _They're almost ready,_ he thought, feeling his heart leap in anticipation. He clenched his hand into a fist and turned to leave. He paused, however, when he noticed the smaller bed in the room had been lowered, and personal effects had been strewn about around it. So Granté had made it home, after all. Good.

"No one home?" Rhondson asked when he stepped back outside. She had been crouching near one of the Guardian corpses, inspecting one of its segmented legs.

Link shook his head, and they continued down towards the small village. As they walked, he began to explain more about Tarry Town, though he left out some of their odder customs. He felt concerned about setting her off alone across Akkala, but his concerns turned out to be unnecessary. When they reached New Kasuto at the bottom of the hill, he spotted several of the carpenters from the North Bolson Construction Company, including Hudson, himself.

"Link." Hudson said when he spotted Link approaching across the town's square. "What are you doing here? I thought you were…" He trailed off when he saw Rhondson and stood up straighter. "Oh."

Link couldn't keep the grin from his face, and he looked from Rhondson to Hudson. "This is Hudson. He's the one I was telling you about. Hudson… this is Rhondson. She's a tailor."

Hudson's eyes widened, and a broad smile suddenly split his lips beneath his bushy mustache. "She's _perfect_."

Rhondson's face suddenly grew flushed. " _Oh_ , I…" She cleared her throat and straightened, approaching Hudson. After a calculated moment, she thrust her hand forward. "Hello. I am Rhondson. I am… very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Everything she said sounded stilted and painfully rehearsed, and Link frowned slightly. She had even downplayed her accent somewhat. _Maybe something from that Voe and Me class?_

Hudson didn't appear to notice anything odd at all, and he took her hand in his enthusiastically. "Hudson. I'm glad you're here. Matheson just split his pants again. Came here since we're out of thread to sew them back up."

For a moment, Rhondson seemed taken aback by Hudson's abruptness, but then her expression grew more resolved. "Of course. I have plenty of needles and thread, but I will need to buy some fabric. Much of mine was lost."

"The construction company will cover the costs, since you came here to work for us."

Link watched the two of them curiously. They still gripped each other's hand, and he found himself wondering if either of them knew when it was appropriate to actually let go. Rhondson still had a slight blush on her cheeks. Finally, he cleared his throat and the two pulled away from each other, looking at him.

He smiled. "I'm going to go, Rhondson. I think you'll be able to reach Tarry Town without any problems now."

"Yes, of course. You have important matters to be about!" She reached out, and Link grasped her forearm in the more customary Gerudo farewell. "But you will come visit once you have finished them, I hope?"

"Of course."

They released each other's arms, and Hudson's heavy hand fell on Link's shoulder, squeezing tightly. "Thanks, Link. And you thought you wouldn't find one."

Rhondson frowned slightly, tilting her head. "Find what? A tailor? Why wouldn't he be able to find a tailor?"

Hudson looked back at her. "Link didn't tell you? I asked him to find a Gerudo tailor with a name ending in -son."

"What?"

Chuckling, Link patted Hudson's hand and bid the pair farewell. He ventured out of the town and teleported away, this time to Kakariko Village.

As he appeared on the hill overlooking the village, he looked down at it with a warm smile, anticipating the moment that he would tell Impa of his success. However, as he made his way down the hill, he found the village to be oddly quiet. No one stood guard outside of Impa's house. And when he walked up to her door and opened it, he found the house dark and empty.

"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud. He thought of the Yiga, but that made no sense. If there had been another attack, there would be signs.

"Oh, Link," a voice said as he stepped down off the bridge. He looked around to see an older Sheikah woman wearing one of their curved hats approaching. She smiled at him, and Link thought hard, trying to remember her name.

"I… Nanna, was it?"

Her smile widened, and more pieces fell into place. That's right. She was a Sheikah that once worked with Purah. She was one of the few Sheikah still alive that had lived before the Calamity and could remember him. "Yes. Are you here to speak to Impa?"

He glanced back towards the empty home, frowning. "Yes. Where is everybody?"

"They've all gone to Hateno Village."

A chill ran down Link's spine, and he looked back around at her. "Hateno?"

Nanna nodded, her expression growing serious. "Yes. Things there have been… difficult, as of late, from my understanding."

 _Oh no._ He gritted his teeth, reaching down to his Sheikah Slate, but then hesitated. _Spirit_. "She took a lot of the Sheikah with her?"

"Anyone able-bodied enough to fight."

"Thanks." He turned and ran to the stable, bursting in the door and startling a young Sheikah boy dozing with his back up against the wall. "I need my horse—quick!"

A whinny from one of the stalls drew his attention, and he spun, seeing Spirit peering out, pressing up against his stall's gate. Link crossed the straw-strewn floor and grabbed the horse's face, drawing it down to his.

"I know, boy. I'm taking you this time—I think we've got another fight ahead of us." He patted Spirit's cheek as the horse nudged him, and then turned, looking at the boy. " _Now_!" The boy sprang into action, quickly finding Link's saddlebags while Link saddled Spirit.

He threw what gear he could onto Spirit's back, leaving several of the saddlebags behind. There was no time to get everything situated. Once situated, he pulled the horse out the stable, to the center of the village square. After ensuring no one was too close, he nodded to Nanna and used his Sheikah Slate to, again, teleport away.

This time, he traveled to Purah's home on the hill overlooking Hateno Village. As Link appeared atop the hill, the first thing that he noticed was the odd smell on the air. Acrid, more pungent than normal wood smoke, though that was there too.

Dreading what he would see, he hurried to the edge of the hill to look out on Hateno Village. His mouth went dry.

The village stood, but it had changed since he last saw it. Logs had been erected to the west, near the front gate, forming a defensive wall. Scaffolding had been built behind the logs, and Link could see men and women were posted atop them, wielding bows. Others lined the streets, wielding weapons at the ready.

The northern side of town was much less heavily defended. Sections of wall had been erected here, but the nature of Hateno Village, a town built on hills and cliffs like large steps, made it much more difficult to build a consistent wall here, where the village was broken into so many levels of varying heights. Where there wasn't a full wall, however, Link saw rows of spikes shoved into the ground, facing out, and boards and other materials used to make barricades. Several of the buildings here had burned, now no more than charred timbers, including the large villa that once belonged to the village mayor.

And beyond the village, there were monsters. A massive force of them—the source of the awful smell on the breeze. There were hundreds of cookfires, which burned various kinds of meat, as well as the countless, unwashed bodies of bokoblins, moblins, and lizalfos. They were mostly to the west, just outside of the front gate, but there was a large number of them to the north, as well, occupying places once reserved for rice paddies and other farms.

A distant horn sounded, and he watched as archers raced to the wall's edge. They began launching volleys down towards the monsters but were forced to duck under the wall as arrows shot back up towards them. Some of those arrows sported flaming tips. A large number of men and women raced forward to press up against the gate, but the wood shook violently, as if struck by heavy blows on the other side. Finally, one of the twin doors burst open, throwing the defenders back to the ground. Others raced forward, wielding swords and hammers, as well as improvised weapons, such as farm tools and sharpened sticks.

Link didn't hesitate any longer. Standing beside Spirit, he quickly teleported himself back down the hill, appearing at the Sheikah Shrine within town. The acrid smell and sounds of battle became far more oppressive as he reappeared. People yelled and screamed. Metal clanged. Some raced towards the wall, while others fled.

He mounted up onto Spirit, pulling his shield and Master Sword free, and then rode out onto the central avenue. Several people cried out when they saw him, stumbling out of his way. He ignored them and kicked Spirit into a gallop towards the sounds of battle.

He pulled up short, however, when he saw who fought there. A contingent of Zora, Sidon at their head, fell upon a group of bokoblins that had tried to ride into the city on horseback, along with several moblins wielding logs like battering rams. The Zora's heights negated much of the advantage that the bokoblins had on horseback, and they fought to slow the tide of monsters pressing into the village through the single open gate.

Sidon, in particular, fought with brutal efficiency. He spun the Lightscale trident, slamming its haft a bokoblin's head and knocking it from its horse, and then he rammed the trident's forked end into another bokoblin's chest. He whirled, reversing his grip on the trident, and hefted the speared bokoblin off of its horse, over his head, and directly into the monsters trying to get into the village.

Shadows passed overhead, and Link looked up in surprise to see a group of Rito flying in formation, just over the rooftops. They passed over the wall and released bags that they held in their talons. Their contents fell onto the monsters still outside, and Link heard the heavy thumps of explosives.

The thumping of the explosives was joined a low rumble from further up the village. Confused, Link turned in his saddle and released a cry of surprise when he saw Gorons rolling quickly down the main street, scattering townspeople. Spirit danced nervously, but they passed by without incident, arriving at the gate a moment later. They threw the gate closed against the press of monsters outside, using their superior mass and strength to hold it while Hylians and Sheikah atop the wall fired volleys of arrows down.

In minutes, it was over.

People began to gather up the dead monsters, and the Zora gathered around each other, checking for wounds. Link sheathed the Master Sword and dismounted, walking towards the group of Zora.

Sidon stood just a little taller than the rest of them, and he saw Link first. His eyes widened, and he quickly shoved past Gaddison and Rivan. "Link!"

The other Zora turned, as did many of the other people still around. Sidon handed off his trident and ran up the path towards Link, grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"It's wonderful to see you again!" Sidon said, grinning broadly and showing rows of sharp teeth. "I'd heard you were back from the dead again, but you were already gone when we got here."

Link didn't know what to say for a moment and simply allowed his arm to be shaken. Finally, he said, "Sidon, I didn't… You're here?"

"Well, of course we are! You asked us to help."

" _Link!_ " Another, younger voice rang out, and Link turned in confusion to see Yunobo rushing towards him.

"Yunobo?" was all Link could get out before the Goron swept Link up into a back-breaking hug that knocked all the breath from his lungs.

"I knew you'd show up here eventually!" the young Goron said, grinning as he set Link back down. "Just in time, too!"

Sidon laughed and set a hand on Yunobo's shoulder. "Let him breathe. I think he is still getting his fins adjusted to the current."

Link shook his head, still struggling to find words. Yet, before he could say anything, a shadow passed overhead and a blast of air blew against him. Teba landed beside Yunobo with a flair of his wings.

He rose and smirked in that typical Rito fashion. "About damn time you showed up."

"Teba, you—you're _all_ here." Link felt… overwhelmed. "You all came to help?"

Sidon laughed. "Of course, we did! You saved our people, so why wouldn't we help save yours?"

"And I _told_ you that I would be coming," Yunobo said, frowning slightly.

"I know, I know—I asked you both for help, but you…" Link trailed off, looking at Teba. He hadn't asked the Rito to assist Hateno Village. It hadn't even crossed his mind at the time.

Teba shrugged. "Kass told me about the problems you were having over here, so I brought some warriors after I took care of that wolfo problem."

They had all come. He'd asked for help, and they'd come. Why did that feel so… strange to him? "Thank you. _Thank you_. The village looks—things are going well?"

"We can talk about that in a bit," Sidon said. "But first, tell us the news. We were told that you'd gone to the desert, to free the final Divine—"

"Did you do it?" Yunobo blurted out.

After a moment's hesitation, Link nodded. "It's already on its way to Central Hyrule. I was going to make my way to the others and start telling them to prepare, as well."

Sidon pounded his fist it into his other palm, laughing. "Excellent! It's time, then—we'll destroy that creature once and for all."

"Yeah. It is." Link looked around at the growing crowd of onlookers. Zora, Gorons, Rito, Hylians, and Sheikah. All watching him. Many of them spoke excitedly to their neighbors. He stood a little bit taller. "But I think we need to take care of Hateno Village, first."

A rumble of excitement followed those words, especially among the Hylians, who appeared to be the most harried of the group. The excited mutterings rippled out from Link's words in a wave, and he, again, felt the burden of these people's hopes on his shoulders.

 _It's almost over_ , he told himself.

"Well," the Zora prince said, smiling. "I suppose we'd better get you to the headquarters, then. I believe there are some people there that will want to speak with you."

* * *

They entered the inn, which had been converted into a kind of makeshift military headquarters. Many of the tables had been swept aside, and Link saw that a diagram of the village and the surrounding hills had been created on the floor using various materials, such as red-colored cloth to represent the monster army, and overturned wooden cups for the village buildings.

There was an eclectic mix of people in the inn. Link saw Sergeant Seggin, of the Zora, standing over the map, rubbing his pointed chin. He was joined by his son, Bazz, who looked up in surprise when Sidon entered with Link.

"Link!" Bazz said, excitedly.

Others in the room spun to face him. In addition to the Zora, there were Rito warriors and older Gorons in the room, as well as Hylians and Sheikah, including Dorian and Cado. He met their eyes, and then his eyes fell on the short form of Impa between them, who looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"So kind of you to join us," she said, voice gravelly. He could hear the excitement there, hidden just beneath the surface. "Is it…?"

Link smiled. He couldn't help it. "The Yiga Clan has been defeated—" Dorian's eyes opened wide. "—and Naboris is free. She's already on her way to the castle."

Impa closed her eyes, releasing a shaky sigh. Her wrinkled lips spread to form a wide smile. "You wonderful man. You've _done_ it." She turned, walking around the map, shooing people out of her way as he did so.

Link met her halfway, bending down and embracing Impa. They remained like that for a time before Impa pulled back, wiping at her eyes.

"It's time, then. Time to finish this."

Link shook his head, eyes drawing to the map on the floor. "Tell me what's happening here, first." She looked up at him, eyes searching, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "We've got time, Impa. I've spoken to Zelda—she's holding for now."

The older Sheikah woman nodded. "Good. That is for the best, then—I believe Purah and Robbie will be returning today with an update. She feels that she is close."

Link's heart lifted. "The Guardians?" If they could eliminate the Guardian threat without the army, then perhaps it could just come down to Link against Ganon. No one else would have to perish.

Impa nodded. "Indeed." Her expression grew grave. "But, Link, things here are… Grim." She turned to Seggin, nodding. "Seggin will give you the details."

Feeling apprehensive, Link stepped up to the map, looking over it with a frown. The Zora cleared his throat. "Welcome, Link. It is good to see you."

Link glanced up at him, smiling wryly, despite the circumstances. The last time he'd seen Seggin, the old Zora hadn't even been able to look at him for shame over how he'd treated Link. "It's good to see you, too, Seggin. What's happening?"

Seggin nodded and began to explain. "Well, as you can see here, this is your Hateno Village." He used a long stick to indicate the village's boundaries. "We have walls and other defenses here—and here." He indicated the western and northern boundaries. The south was protected by mountains and steep cliffs. "And the enemy forces are here." He drew his stick along a swath of red cloth that stretched along the western and northern boundary.

"They have been consistently pushing closer with each raid." He began to indicate other locations behind the red cloth. "They overwhelmed our defenses here—and here."

"And now they're camped just outside of the gate."

"Exactly. And they've set up defenses of their own, preventing the larger body of Zora forces from reaching the village. The passes and river are very narrow to the northwest, and they've been able to successfully block our reinforcements."

"What about the Sheikah Slate?" Link asked, frowning.

"We've used Purah's to ferry groups here," Impa said, stepping up beside him. "But those Zora aren't near any shrines. They'll have to turn back and travel all the way to Kakariko Village. And she still needs it for her research, too."

"Right now, they are serving another purpose," Seggin said. "The attacks on Hateno slowed when they arrived. The enemy knows that, once they commit to an all-out attack, our reinforcements will attempt to break through their defenses and attack them from behind."

"So, that's good, isn't it?" Link asked, frowning.

Seggin grimaced. "We don't know. The monsters—they have acquired shock arrows. We don't know how many they have, but they have used them each time our forces have attempted."

Link pursed his lips. _Of course_. This whole situation stank of another plot, though he acknowledged that was just an assumption on his part.

"The stalemate has helped, however," Seggin said, glancing towards Teba and nodding. "The Rito arrived only two days ago and have begun harrying the enemy forces from the air. But, recently, some lizalfos have been spotted in the bay to the east. We believe they will try attacking us from that direction soon."

Link stared down at the map for a long time, frowning. "How many _are_ there?"

"At least two thousand. Possibly more. They appear to still be receiving reinforcements."

 _Two thousand? How did they grow so large?_ He looked at Seggin. "And how many do we have?"

Seggin grimaced. "Five hundred. Close to a thousand, with the reinforcements."

Link released a heavy breath and closed his eyes tightly for a moment. They were outnumbered two-to-one. It wasn't as terrible as he feared, but it would be devastating, either way. Even if they were victorious, their forces would be decimated. Many people would die. People that he should be able to protect.

He opened his eyes and looked at Impa. "The Gerudo will support us. They've got a large army. We can send some—some _women_ —to go talk to them. I'm sure they'll send support."

Impa nodded, smiling tightly. That would help. The Gerudo were a warrior race—more so than any of the others. But this would be unfamiliar ground to them, and there would still be the issue of moving more than five to ten of them at a time.

Link pulled the Sheikah Slate off his belt and handed it to her. "Send someone now. Try to get Captain Teake to join us immediately. She commands the Gerudo armies."

Impa nodded, taking the Sheikah Slate, and walking off to find someone to send.

He looked back down at the map, but realized with frustration that he was _not_ a military tactician. He was a fighter. A warrior. More capable in combat than, perhaps, anyone else alive. But he had never commanded armies. Not that he remembered, anyway.

He assumed that Seggin had. And he hoped that, when Teake arrived, she could provide additional insight. It was a slim hope.

Yet, as he looked up, he found that the others in the inn all looked at him. Waiting. He kept his face still, trying not to show how much this dismayed him. He was no general. He didn't have the _answer_.

He looked back down at the map, unwilling to meet their eyes. What could he give them? What hope could he, one man, provide now? His eyes passed over the various locations on the map, settling on one spot in particular.

"Seggin… You said that lizalfos had been spotted down at the coast?"

"That's right. But we haven't been able to root them out yet. Our scouts only just discovered them this morning."

Link looked up and around, meeting Sidon's eyes. "Feel like going on a hunt?"

Sidon's lips split to reveal his pointed teeth. "With you? Always."

* * *

"I think that might have been all of them," Sidon said, looking around them at the empty beach. A small squad of Zora and Sheikah warriors gathered around them, keeping a wary eye out.

It had been a full hour since they last encountered a group of the lizalfos. The monsters hid in a series of caves along the coast, many of which would flood during high tide. They'd taken shelter in small groups, which made them more difficult to find, but easier to eliminate when they did.

"I think you're probably right," Link said, reaching up and wiping his sleeve across his sweaty forehead. "We should probably get back to town and check on things there."

They'd been out hunting the lizalfos for the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon. It felt good to do something tangible—at least they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked from this side.

Uncertainty about what to do about the rest of the army remained, however. Having Gerudo present would help a great deal, and assuming they could break through the block, the other force of Zora would be devastating to the monster army.

But would it be enough?

"I wish I knew why this was happening now," Link said, as he and Sidon walked ahead of the rest of their warriors.

Sidon looked at him. "Isn't it obvious?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are about to take on Ganon. These creatures _serve_ Ganon. I expect that this is merely a distraction."

Link remained quiet for a time, frowning. "Like the lizalfos in Zora's Domain."

"Exactly."

"I don't know, Sidon. Ganon didn't even know I was alive until I went to the castle. These monsters have been gathering since I _woke_."

"And the Divine Beasts got worse right before you woke, too. _And_ those Yiga started putting their own plans into motion."

Link pursed his lips, considering this. Sidon was right. It was all too much to be a coincidence. Even if Ganon hadn't known that he woke, clearly _something_ went into motion around the same time he did. Or… perhaps he had woken at that time _because_ everything was about to happen.

Either way, it sent a chill down his spine. It made him feel that there were forces even larger than him and Zelda at work here. Did the goddess control his destiny? Did whatever dark force that gave Ganon his power work to oppose him?

"I wonder if that means I'm missing something," Link wondered, grimacing. "Is there somewhere else I should be?"

"A fair question," Sidon said, raising a hand to his chin. In his other hand, he carried his trident, cleaned after the battle with the lizalfos. "What does your heart say?"

"I can't just do nothing to help the people here. And I don't dare attack the castle without the support of at least the Divine Beasts."

"It sounds to me like you have it, then." Sidon placed a hand on his shoulder. "Link, a leader will rarely know, at the time, if what he is making the right decision or not. He can listen to his advisers, weigh different plans, and come up with a dozen reasons for or against. But, ultimately, a leader must choose to follow his heart."

"Who said I want to be a leader?" Link asked, smiling wryly.

Sidon threw his head back and laughed. "I think _you_ did, the moment you showed up in my domain and told us that you could take care of our problems better than any of us could."

"I did _not_."

"Perhaps not with those words, but I assure you that is _exactly_ what you did. I don't fault you for it, though. You were right."

Link sighed softly and shook his head. "Just when I'm getting comfortable being gawked at, they start looking up to me in an even _more_ uncomfortable way."

Sidon squeezed his shoulder. "If you think it's bad now, just think about how it'll be after you defeat Ganon."

" _Thanks_."

They began up the hill towards the village. As they did so, a distant horn sounded. Link and Sidon looked at each other and then picked up their pace, running the last mile to the village.

By the time they arrived, the defenders had already repelled the raid, and Link saw Gorons placing new fortifications at the gates and other vulnerable places along the wall. Satisfied they weren't needed, they made their way back to the inn.

"Linky!" a voice cried out as he stepped inside.

Link looked around to see Purah pushing through a thin crowd towards him. It took him a moment to recognize her—he wasn't used to seeing her in an adult's body, though he did suppose she looked identical now to how she did in his memories.

She was followed by Robbie, his hair more frazzled than usual, and Paya, who was dressed in sleek garb similar to that of what she wore when they went to save Impa and wielding a curved sword. She reached up and lowered her mask, smiling when she saw Link.

"Hah!" Robbie said, grinning as he pushed past Purah—who shot him a glare—and rushed to Link, grabbing his hand within his own. "We just heard the news—the final Divine Beast has been freed!"

"It has," Link confirmed, smiling at the short man. "But what about you and Purah? What did you find out? Can you control the Guardians?"

Robbie's face fell, and so did Link's hopes. Purah sighed as she stepped up to them. "We're so _close_. My theory was right—the towers _were_ used to control the Guardians—but it's even more complex than I originally feared. Give me another month or two, and I could have it cracked."

"I don't know if we _have_ another month or two, Purah."

Purah snapped her fingers irritably. "Snap, you think I don't know that? But this isn't like waving a sword around. It takes a lot more finesse and thought than you—"

Paya reached out, placing a calming hand on Purah's shoulder, and her mouth snapped shut.

Robbie gave Link a pained smile. "We might be able to cause some disruption to some of their low-level functions. Make them more erratic. It will probably be the best that we can do. That and outfit a hundred or so with special weaponry. I also have about twenty suits of armor."

Link nodded, feeling the burden of responsibility—and _leadership_ —falling on him once again. He looked up, seeing the eyes of several in the inn on him. Paya and Impa both watched him expectantly. Teba was there, wings crossed. At some point, Kass had arrived as well, smiling warmly. Yunobo looked nervous, but stood tall, nonetheless. And Riju—

" _Riju_?"

The Gerudo chief smirked at him. She was joined by Buliara and Captain Teake, along with several other Gerudo. The room was getting quite full.

"I figured that since you took care of an enemy army for me, I would come along and see if I could help with an army of yours." Riju reached down and patted the Thunder Helm, which rested against her hip.

Link reached up, rubbing his neck. "I'm not sure if I can say I took care of the Yiga for you. I just sowed some chaos and…" He trailed off, his hand lowering slowly.

"Link?"

He'd sown chaos. He'd freed a prisoner, killed their leader, and… burned their research. Their _Guardian_ research.

"Purah," he said, frowning. "Did you know that the Yiga were studying Guardians as well?"

" _What_?"

"They were studying Guardians as well. They were even building a new one."

"That is concerning," Impa said, frowning. "We assumed that the Yiga must have lost their technology as well, since they no longer use it."

"Click, snap, I wish I could see some of that. If they are building a _new_ one…"

"I destroyed it. The Guardian, their research—"

"Of _course,_ you did!" Purah shot him a dirty look.

Link met her eyes. "Except for what I was able to take with me."

The Sheikah scientist's eyes widened. "You… Do you think—"

"I don't know. Purah, I couldn't make sense of any of it. It had to do with Guardians, though. _And_ I have Zelda's old research notes as well."

Purah gasped sharply. A grin appeared on her lips and she prepared to speak. However, at that moment, horns began to sound outside again.

The room fell silent as all turned towards the door.

"Another raid?" Yunobo asked, groaning softly.

Sidon shook his head as another horn called, followed by another. "No. Not a raid."


	56. Chapter Fifty-Three

**I am _so_ excited to share this chapter with you all. This isn't just the longest chapter in the story (it sits around 13,300 words, more than twice the length of an average chapter), but it's also probably one of the most exciting, in terms of action. This is also the first time I've ever written any sort of large-scale battle sequence, so... it was a challenge! There are a _lot_ more moving pieces here than what I'm used to! I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and I hope you are too! And next chapter... well, I may like it even better. I think you'll understand why when you reach the end.**

 **Also, _thank_ _you_. Just... thank you. This story has just grown so much more than I ever thought it would. I did some research the other day and realized that my story is showing up in the top 5-15 pages in the Zelda category for reviews, favorites, and followers. That just blows me away! I'm so excited to see where it ends up when I mark it "Complete" later on this month. Your comments, praise, theories-it all encourages me so much and makes me want to keep writing well after I wrap this up.**

 **Michy21: Yeah, the Hateno Village subplot is my baby. Of all the things I've taken liberties with in the novel, this is probably the biggest, as it really has no parallel in the game (outside of a big monster camp around the Hateno Tower, which is what inspired it). There is a very specific reason that I decided to do this, too, but that has to wait until next chapter, as it would be a spoiler!**

 **Infinite's Ruby: "Final Battle"... Ohoho... _I haven't even shown you my final form!_ But, seriously, I've been doing some editing on the actual final battle today. I'll probably do several more passes on it before I'm fully satisfied. Want to add a few more sequences to highlight certain aspects of it. And, trust me. The intensity goes up a lot. It goes up a whole lot! Also, Zelda's arc is probably my favorite arc of the game, for sure. I really wish we could see more of it!**

 **heartnut: Thank you! Now that I'm nearing the end of my novel, I really wanted to bring it back around a bit to the very first friendships that Link made, and Sidon is at the center of that.**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Would you believe that when I first wrote the last chapter, that scene between Hudson and Rhondson didn't exist? When I was going back through, I realized just how _rushed_ I was when I wrote it, since, at that time, I'd also included the memory and knew everything else that was coming. I worried that it would be too much! I'm very happy that I split the chapter, though, and wrote that scene. It was definitely a piece that was missing from my original draft.**

 **Now, again, thanks for all the comments! Please, read, enjoy, and keep those comments coming.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Three**

Link stepped up to the wall, looking out at the expanse before him. Beside him, soldiers shuffled anxiously. Armor clinked. He thought that he heard someone praying.

 _Praying to whom_? he wondered, gripping the rough stone under raw fingers. His body ached so terribly. His legs felt leaden after so many days of running. His arms were weak. How many had he fought? How many had he defeated? How many wounds still hadn't received proper care?

A man stepped up beside him. A grizzled veteran—not a knight, but a lifetime soldier. The commander of Fort Hateno. He looked out with a solemn expression. Waiting.

Finally, the soldier looked at Link. "You should keep running."

 _Keep running where? Eventually, we will hit the ocean. That latest messenger already confirmed that most of the ships at Hateno Bay have departed._

He didn't answer the man.

The commander sighed, reaching out and gripping Link's shoulder in a gauntleted hand. "Son, I understand that you've seen a lot. But you have a responsibility. The princess—"

"The princess has decided that we shall remain here," Link said, cutting him off. His voice sounded… hollow. Even to himself.

The commander squeezed his shoulder even more tightly. "Then perhaps you should force her. From what you've told me, she is all that we have left."

 _Ruined. Everything ruined. Castle Town, destroyed. Everyone dead. Father. Aryll. The castle in shambles. The kingdom. Dead._

Link closed his eyes tightly, taking a steadying breath. He finally forced himself to look at the commander, meeting his eyes. "This was once my home. I—"

He was silenced as another man further down the wall cried, " _Guardians! They're coming!_ "

Link's head snapped back to look out. Distantly, on the other side of the enormous field, like a swarm of ants pouring out of a disturbed anthill, Guardians began to appear. Large and small, they crawled out of the gap between the Dueling Peaks. They moved laboriously through the gap due to their size and number, but as soon as they were free, they began to spread out and move more quickly. Each of them glowed with red light. The red light of death.

Link released a shaky sigh and turned from the wall. He reached back and slid the Master Sword out of its sheathe. It no longer glowed as it had in Castle Town. And, worryingly, he'd begun to notice nicks in several places along the blade. Had it ever gotten even as much as a scratch on it before?

It seemed fitting, in a way.

As he made his way down the stairs, he saw Zelda, still in her stained prayer dress. They hadn't even had a chance to find her a fresh change of clothes, in all this time. Of course, Link's own stained and ripped tunic wasn't in any better shape.

As he met her eyes, so beautiful, yet so… hopeless, a thought suddenly appeared in his head. Maybe they _should_ run. The ships at Hateno Bay were gone, true, but what about further south? Perhaps Loshlo Harbor or Palmorae still had ships left.

But no. He would not leave these soldiers. He'd already abandoned so much—he wouldn't abandon these men and women now. They would die here, and so would he.

But... maybe not Zelda.

"Zelda, I—"

She held up a hand, silencing him as he reached the ground. "I know what you're going to say."

"There might be ships to the south. Maybe they haven't heard—"

"Link." She met his eyes and then shook her head.

He closed his eyes, gripping his hand around the Master Sword tightly enough that his hand ached. Fresh pain blossomed in his chest, like icy fingers around his heart. Why couldn't he protect her? Why couldn't he protect _anyone_?

Something soft wrapped around him, and his eyes opened in surprise. Zelda pressed close to him, wrapping her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Link dropped the Master Sword in the mud. He wrapped his arms around Zelda and squeezed her tightly, pressing his face to into her neck.

They remained like that for what felt like a long time. Behind him, Link heard soldiers yelling. Booted feet pounded across the ground. Men prepared to die.

 _I should tell her. This is my last chance._

Link lifted his head and pressed his lips to the side of Zelda's head. And then he pulled away from her and bent down, picking up the sword.

"I'm… sorry. I know I've already said it, but I'm sorry. For what I said in Castle Town." He met her eyes. "I was wrong."

 _No. It would just cause her more pain. It's best to just… go._

She bit her lip, starting to shake her head.

"Run, Zelda. Get to safety. I'll… I'll hold them back as long as I can."

"No, Link, don't—"

"You have to _go_!" he said, his voice growing harsh. "Don't you understand? I don't—I _can't_ —!" He released a pained sound, the words dying on his lips.

"Please, don't leave me."

He met her eyes and shook his head. "I have to." He turned, beginning towards the open gate, where soldiers poured out onto the field to meet the Guardians.

"Link, wait!"

Closing his eyes, he broke into a run, joining the defenders.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

The memory flashed through Link's mind so quickly, yet its aftermath nearly made him fall off Spirit. His last moments with Zelda. The loss of his family. His acceptance of impending death.

 _Why now? Why bring me this memory_ now _?_

He gritted his teeth, clenching Spirit's reins tightly. _That wasn't the end. And neither is this._ He and Spirit reached the wall, and Link leaped off, taking the wooden stairs up to the top three at a time. There, he found what he knew to expect.

The army had broken camp. It advanced on Hateno Village en masse—a horde of beasts with no formation, no ranks, but deadly all the same.

Someone called for archers to ready their bows, and Link looked around, finding a bow sitting nearby. He picked it up but hesitated as men and women along the wall began to release arrows at will. The shots were wild and panicked, falling far short of their designated targets. The army was still too far out of range.

"Wait!" Link cried, waving his hands. Though some of those nearest paused to look at him, most kept firing wantonly, wasting arrows.

 _Damn it!_ He swore and ran down the line to where the wall commander was. He looked like an old _farmer_. Where were the experienced Sheikah? And then he realized with a start that this man _was_ a Sheikah—and still probably nothing more than a farmer. He looked terrified.

Link grabbed him by the shoulder. "Stop them from firing. They're still out of range. They need to fire as _one_ to drop the most with each volley."

The man stammered. Despite whatever warrior training he'd received growing up as a Sheikah, this was almost certainly his first battle. "H-how will I know when they're in range?"

Link spun him to look out at the field, pointing. "See where those arrows fell? _That's_ in range."

"I-I—"

"Give the order!"

"Halt! Stop! Stop firing!"

It took several seconds before others on the wall paid heed to the Sheikah's commands, but eventually, the arrows stopped flying.

"Command them to fire as _one_ when in range. Call off the volleys. They can start firing at will at about _half_ that distance. Do you understand?"

The man nodded.

"Good."

Link turned and ran along the wall to pass the same instructions to others in charge. As he did so, he got a better look at the battlefield. Farm and forest alike had been abandoned or cut down, and the horde appeared to have attacked farms further out. He could see the skeletal remains of farm houses that had once stood.

As he observed the battlefield, other things began to stand out to him. Ideas formed in his head. The mountains to the north—the Gorons might be able to lob boulders down from there. There weren't as many monsters on that side, but it might do some damage. And if they could retake the plateaus and farmland there, they would have an even greater height advantage. Could the Zora do anything with the streams flowing in and out of town? Link hadn't discussed that with Seggin.

 _Hylia, I should have stayed here and let Sidon hunt down the lizalfos,_ he thought, bitterly. _I might be the_ only _one with even a hint of knowledge about this kind of warfare._

They needed more archers. And other _weapons_. Where were the Rito with their explosives? They would be needed soon, especially when the monsters began to bunch up as they neared the wall. He turned, searching out Teba.

He saw the Rito in conference with several other warriors not far away on the ground. Link cupped his hands over his mouth. "Teba!"

Teba paused, looking back around and spotted Link. He nodded and then looked back at his warriors, giving them final instructions. They turned, each hurrying off in a different direction. Teba spread his wings, giving several powerful flaps to arrive on the wall beside Link.

"Do you have more of those explosives?" Link asked, when Teba landed.

Teba nodded. "Yes. And we've got some more from those Gorons, as well."

"Good. I need you to try to strafe them when they get close. Hit them all along the wall at first, and then start choosing the areas that look the weakest. Try to make the bombs last as long as you can."

Nearby, the Sheikah commander called off the first volley of arrows, and Link looked over to see a cloud of them rise into the air and fall towards the distant enemies. He hoped that the man hadn't been too hasty again.

"Link!" He glanced down, spotting Sidon on the ground below.

He glanced back towards Teba to ensure he understand what Link wanted him to do. When he nodded, Link hurried down the stairs to meet Sidon.

"How is it going?" Sidon asked.

"It hasn't started yet. Sidon, are your people watching the waterways in and out of town?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. Try to see if they can get some good vantage points to rain arrows down, too."

Sidon frowned slightly and reached out, placing a hand on Link's shoulder. "Link, you don't need to command this entire battle. Seggin and the Gerudo are already drawing up fresh battle plans."

Link hesitated, looking around. "I need to protect them."

"I don't—"

People started to yell, and Link looked up just in time to see one of the men on the wall fall, arrows sprouting from his chest and neck. He stared at the dead man, feeling the horror of the situation sinking in. He _couldn't_ protect them all.

Link looked back at Sidon, shaking his head. "Just make sure your soldiers are ready, Sidon. They'll probably try to use the waterways to get in."

"We will."

Link nodded, and glanced over when he saw a group of Gerudo arriving, Riju at their head. She was surrounded by shield-bearing women that looked around anxiously. Clearly, her guards weren't pleased with her insistence of being here.

"Where do you want me?" Riju asked as Link walked up to her.

"How far out can your lightning reach?"

Riju hesitated. "I don't really know. I've never used it in—"

"Just wait for now. But we could use some more archers up top, if you have some to spare."

Riju nodded and glanced towards one of the other Gerudo women, who Link recognized as Liana after a moment. Liana turned and pointed at a group of ten women and then pointed to the wall. They quickly saluted and hurried off to do as ordered.

"Link, are you all right?" Riju asked, frowning at him. "You look—"

"I'm fine. Just… stay safe for now. Your lightning will come in handy when they get closer. They're going to try to break through the gates. Try to stop them."

He left before she could respond, spotting a scared-looking Yunobo standing nearby. The Goron's eyes widened when he saw Link approach. "Oh, Link!"

"How are you doing, Yunobo?" Link asked, stepping up to him.

"I'm—uh—well, I'm doing…" He tapered off, grimacing. "I don't know what to do. I'm not any _good_ in a fight, and against monsters, I…"

Link frowned. "Yunobo, I don't need you to be good in a fight. But that shield of yours might come in handy. Do what you can to protect people, okay? Just like you protected me."

Yunobo hesitated, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. And then he was back, meeting Link's eyes with a more determined, though still nervous, look. He nodded. "I'll try."

Link patted him on the shoulder and then moved off to try to get a better sense of the situation. Overhead, a group of Rito flew past. He turned to watch them. Most of them carried bags of those explosives, but several, including Teba, wielded bows.

Arrows shot up to meet them, but they dodged them with agility before some of their archers returned fire. Link heard explosions on the other side of the wall as their explosive-tipped arrows struck.

A flash of light caused him to turn, frowning. And then, from behind the silo, a new group of six Gerudo warriors arrived. They took one look around before rushing off to join the warriors that Link had just left. They left a weary-looking Sheikah in their place, who held Link's Sheikah Slate. She was gone again in a matter of seconds, teleporting away, presumably, to return with a new group of Gerudo.

Distant screams alerted him to a new problem, and Link whistled for Spirit. His horse approached, and Link vaulted onto his back, racing up the path. As he did, he noticed what appeared to be an exodus of villagers exiting out of the back of the village and heading up the hill towards Purah's lab.

 _Good_ , he thought. _It will be a strong fallback position_.

They could defend that hill for days, if needed. Still, Link hoped it didn't come to that.

He reached the source of the commotion a minute later. A group of bokoblins and moblins had gotten around some of the gaps in the defenses to the north and engaged with Zora warriors.

Link pulled free his Master Sword and rode up on Spirit, cutting down two moblins and trampling a bokoblin. Spirit wheeled, and Link laid about him with his sword, chopping down the monsters. More continued to come, though, and the small alley between houses was rapidly getting crowded.

Suddenly, a group of Gorons arrived and began sweeping bokoblins aside with massive hammers. Others carried massive iron shields, which they slammed down into the ground in an interlocking line, forming a wall against the press of bodies trying to force their way in through the gap in the village defenses.

And then one of them lobbed what appeared to be a bomb flower overhead, which exploded out of sight. Link saw broken monster bodies flying through the air.

The remaining monsters that had made it in before the Gorons timely arrival died quickly now that they were cut off from their allies. Link stabbed his sword down into the last one, watching it fall, its purple blood staining the dirt and cobblestones.

He looked around, grimacing as he saw two Zora among the fallen. One of the Gorons had suffered wounds as well. For now, at least, this spot would hold. The Goron shields formed a strong wall, and Link saw some Sheikah climbing on the houses on either side, beginning to fire arrows down on the monsters that still tried to enter.

He turned Spirit and continued riding up through the village, looking for other vulnerable spots. Monsters had broken through in several spots but had been beaten back every time. The northern edge of the village, while a difficult location to emplace defenses, was naturally defensible with its cliffs and multiple levels. There wasn't a lot of room on the uppermost plateau, and the monster army couldn't bring enough of its force to bear to overwhelm the defenders here.

 _Maybe it's not as bad as I feared_. He turned, surveying the village from his vantage. They were holding. To the west, archers shot arrows down into the oncoming army, and along the north, defenders fought with swords, spears, and shields. _Maybe we could attack there. If we can push them off the northern plateau entirely…_

Lightning flashed, and Link looked back towards the gate. A large number of archers had gathered right next to the gate, and Riju had joined them, wearing the Thunder Helm. She had her hands stretched to the sky, and Link saw a hazy bubble of electric energy around her. As he watched, more lightning struck out, each crashing down with a thunder clap.

He felt a surge of pride watching her, though he wasn't quite sure why.

And then he saw the large, single-eyed head rise up on the other side of the wall. Riju stepped back, and her warriors rushed to her aid, stabbing out towards the giant creature's eye. It reached one massive, blue-skinned arm up, however, and grabbed one of the Gerudo around the waist. It tossed her over its shoulder.

Link spurred Spirit into motion, racing down the village pathway, his heart pounding. As he approached, the western gate splintered and then exploded inward, destroyed by a massive foot. Bokoblins, moblins, and lizalfos began to pour in.

He leaped off Spirit and landed among them, sweeping his sword around in a deadly arc. Monster bodies pressed all around, but Link was a storm, cutting down foe after foe. A lizalfo leaped through the air, a sword raised above its head, but Link raised his shield, deflecting the blow and then ramming his sword up into its chest. A moblin swung a massive club at him, but Link backflipped over it and then cut it down at the knees. Three bokoblins tried to rush him, but the Master Sword broke their inferior weapons.

Lightning struck overhead, and he looked up, seeing Riju pressed back against the edge of the walkway. The giant still reached over the wall with its arm, sweeping the defenders to the side. It reached for Riju, but suddenly Buliara was there, bringing her massive sword down on its arm. It cut deep, and the creature bellowed, wrenching its arm back and taking her sword with it. The wall shook as the giant slammed into it, enraged by its pain.

Link swore, racing up the stairs as the creature reappeared, knocking Buliara aside with its bloodied hand. The tall Gerudo fell off the wall, landing below in a heap. Link rammed the Master Sword down into its hand before it could reach for Riju again, the sword piercing it and embedding into the wood below.

The creature bellowed, but Riju hit it again with her lightning, burning flesh and hair with her fury. He could hear her screaming something in Gerudo as she did so. The lightning, however, did not seem to affect the giant monster very much, outside of angering it further.

Still holding onto his sword, trying to keep the massive hand pinned, Link looked around for any other weapons he could use against the giant. One of the Gerudo's swords lay discarded nearby, and he suddenly had an idea.

Link wrenched the Master Sword out, and the giant stumbled back. Now that he was atop the wall, he could see it better. It was large and fat, with two arms, each as long as a tree, with wide ears and a single horn atop its head over its yellow eye.

It slammed a shoulder against the wall, and Link heard the wood splinter. He grabbed up the discarded Gerudo sword in his right hand and waved at it. "Here! I'm right here!"

It reached for him again, and Link moved deftly out of the way. It roared in fury and reached again, but Link leaped up onto its wrist and off on the other side, leaving a pair of shallow gashes in his wake. It tried to enclose him in its hand, but that only earned it a sword stabbed into its palm.

As it grew angrier, it grew even more reckless, sweeping its arm this way and that. Its eye got closer. And Link struck.

He jumped up onto its arm and ran several steps up its forearm before planting the Gerudo sword deep into its large eye. The creature bellowed in agony and recoiled. Link jumped off of it, landing back on the wall in a painful roll.

"Riju! Hit it in the eye! The sword!" Link said, standing back to his feet.

Riju looked at him, her mouth hanging open, and then she nodded. She clapped her hands together and a bolt of lightning short forth from her bubble of energy, striking the hilt of the sword protruding from the giant's eye. There was a sharp crack of thunder, and when the light and sound faded, the creature fell back into the mass of monster bodies behind it, its empty eye socket smoking.

He looked back down, grimacing to see a harried group of defenders fighting to push back the monsters pouring in through the open gate. There were too many Gerudo, Sheikah, Zora, and Goron bodies down there.

Rito flew overhead, dropping their explosive charges on the other side of the wall, sending limp forms flying through the air. If they could slow the tide and barricade the gate—

"Riju, keep hitting them with everything you've got. Watch out for arrows."

Riju nodded but bit her lip, looking back down. "Link!"

He looked back at him.

"Buliara, she—" She pointed and Link followed her finger to see Buliara fighting below, wielded dual scimitars that she'd gotten from somewhere. She appeared to be fighting to get back to the wall, but the sheer mass of monsters trying to force their way in prevented her from doing so.

"I'll do what I can!" Link said and then raced down to join the fray.

Link found Sidon below, fighting as though he'd grown up with the trident in his hands. A pocket had opened up around him as monsters were driven back by his sweeping blows and deadly thrusts. Several others of the Bazz brigade were fanned out around him, each fighting to stem the tide.

He saw Gorons nearby as well. Several of them wielded the iron shields that he'd seen earlier, but they weren't as effective as before. There were just too many of the monsters. He would have to fix that.

Link released a war cry, landing among the monsters. He began to fight through them until he found Buliara. She sported several cuts and bruises, but she still fought, spinning around with her scimitars and cutting through three bokoblins at once.

"Buliara!" He ran a moblin through that prepared to do the same to her with a spear. "Riju needs you. She's going to be a target up there!"

She looked down, meeting his eyes briefly, and then looked behind him, at the path he'd opened for her. She nodded and then rushed past him, issuing a cry that was taken up by several other Gerudo that all converged on the stairs as well.

"Link!"

He spun, spotting Yunobo not far away. His shield was up, and he was being attacked by two lizalfos, who eagerly hacked at the shield, trying to break through it. From the spider-web of white lines that he saw on the shield's surface, Link didn't think they were far from doing so.

Link rushed forward, clashing against the lizalfos. He cut the first down before they even realized he was there, and the second followed quickly thereafter.

Yunobo dropped his shield, breathing deeply. He sported a number of shallow gashes on his arms as well, though he carried no weapon. Link wondered for a moment why he was even there, but then he saw the Sheikah man sitting on the ground behind him, bleeding from a wound in his leg.

Link felt a surge of pride for the terrified-looking Goron. "Good job, Yunobo. See if you can get him into that shop over there. I think that's where the injured are retreating to."

Yunobo stammered a response, but then did as Link suggested, turning and picking up the surprised Sheikah man, carrying him away from the battlefield. As he did so, reinforcements race down past him, joining the fight over the gate.

Turning, Link surveyed the battle. Some Gorons had managed to reach the gate and closed one of the two massive doors, slowing the enemies entering the village. The others that still remained were falling quickly as more of the Hyrulean forces arrived. As he watched, the other door swung shut, and Gorons pressed their backs to it while others began reinforcing it with extra wood.

Taking a steadying breath, he ran forward again, holding the Master Sword high.

* * *

The battle progressed for hours. Link rode Spirit back and forth, doing what he could to shore up their beleaguered defenses. As he did so, he noticed an odd pattern. When he showed up, the tide of the battle turned. It wasn't just his own combat prowess, either—the _others_ fought differently when he was around. Whether they were Hylian, Sheikah, Zora, Goron, Rito, or Gerudo, his presence made a _difference._

It was the first time that Link truly saw the effect that he had on the people of Hyrule. The effect that Impa and Kass both told him about. Where he went, he brought hope with him. And he now saw that it could be used as a _weapon_.

And so, he fought. He fought long past when another man might have given up. He fought until blood and ichor covered him, and his arms felt leaden and sore. He fought until Mipha's healing and his own time-slowing abilities were long since spent. He fought like a man with nothing left to lose and _everything_ to gain.

And Hateno Village held.

Despite the overwhelming numbers, and the inexperience of many of the fighters, the village held against the monster horde. Though the walls shook and men fell to arrows, swords, and clubs, Link's ragtag force, gathered from every corner of Hyrule, pushed back and denied the enemy its prize. The townspeople of Hateno Village, the ones who were too young or feeble to fight, were kept safe.

Finally, as the sun set, the battle ended. The monster army pulled back, leaving behind hundreds of corpses piled high outside of the wall or on the fields to the north. The weary Hyrulean force—the first truly unified force, however small, that Hyrule had seen in a century—watched them go with cheers on their lips.

But it was not over. The monster army did not leave—they simply pulled back to regroup. Already, Link could see new campfires being set up. They would be back in the morning, and likely even more ferocious than before. It was clear to him that the village could not hold much longer. Time was against them. The defenders filled the village to bursting, and they just didn't have enough resources and food to go around. Most would sleep on the bare ground tonight, hungry and exhausted.

* * *

"We need to strike back," Link said as he walked into the inn. Inside, their small army's leadership stood around the map, discussing new battle plans. Somewhere along the way, Bludo had arrived, along with a new contingent of Gorons. They had been a welcome addition to the battle. Others around the floor map were Seggin, Teake, and Teba.

Teake looked up at Link, eyebrow raised. "And how do you propose we do that?"

He'd been thinking about it for much of the day. It was risky, but he thought that, if successful, it would severely hinder the monster army.

"We retake the northern plateaus," he said, pointing to where a great deal of the farmland had once stood, before the enemy had taken up positions there. "If we could lead a force out here and hit them when they're not expecting it, then maybe we can force them off. Then we could rain arrows down on almost the entire army uncontested."

She shook her head. "That would be suicide. You would be too exposed."

" _Everything_ I've done since waking up three months ago has been suicide."

Seggin frowned at him. "Yes, but all it would take is one well-placed arrow to bring you down. And then where would we be?"

Teba snorted. "I doubt that."

Link glanced at Teba, smiling slightly, and then back towards Teake, who had the most experience actually commanding armies in battle. Seggin, for all his years, rarely had to deal with anything more than skirmishes against lizalfos. Teake had recent experience against the Yiga, and she'd been forced to fight against warring Gerudo tribes as well.

"Look, we've got those horses from the desert now. I think that we ride out on our horses and hit them here." He pointed to a spot. "Maybe we put some Gorons up on the ridge here and see if they can break some boulders loose." He looked at Teba. "Use the Rito to soften them up. And Zora can come up out of this pond. They can use the same tactic that those lizalfos tried doing on us a few hours ago."

Perhaps it was his growing reputation as an unstoppable force on the battlefield, or perhaps it was the fact that each of them had, in the past, tried to stop him from achieving his goals and failed, but no one argued with him.

Satisfied, he stepped back from the map. They could figure out the logistics. For now, he wanted to rest. His legs felt ready to give way. He approached the stairs and made his way up to the second level of the inn, where he knew the Sheikah elders had made their headquarters.

He opened the door to one of the rooms, finding that the bedroom had been converted into a kind of laboratory. Since Purah's hill had been largely taken over by the villagers, she had brought many of her notes and materials down here, to work in a semblance of privacy. Robbie was in there with her, as was Impa, though he knew she had spent most of the day working in the triage tent that had been erected nearby.

Paya wasn't there currently, but Link had seen her around not long ago. She had spent some time fighting at the wall, but when she grew weary, she had retreated to the triage to assist Impa and the others helping the injured.

Purah glanced up when he entered, expression irritated. When she saw it was him, however, she smiled. "Snap, you look _terrible_."

Link grimaced and walked to a chair that was covered with loose sheets of paper. He picked them up, ignoring Purah's cries of protest, and set them to the side before sitting down with a heavy sigh.

Impa looked at him with concern in her eyes. "How are you doing?"

"I'm still standing." Link paused. "Or I was."

She scowled at him. "You look exhausted. You've been pushing yourself too hard."

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. "I don't really see how I have any choice in that matter."

"You fought longer than anyone else out there today. Even that Zora prince finally let his guards drag him away when he could barely hold his trident anymore."

"Yeah, but…" He sighed and looked up towards the ceiling. "How many people did I protect by doing that? How many lives were saved? How much _hope_ did I give?"

Impa grunted. "Eventually, you are going to have to ask yourself how much hope would be lost if you were to fall _now_ , when you are so close to taking this land back for good."

"Oh, Impa, don't be so hard on him!" Purah said. "You know he's always been better with his sword than his brain. Let him do what he's good at!"

Link rolled his head on his shoulder to look at her. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Nope."

Link fell silent for a time and then groaned, sitting back up straight. "So what have you found out?"

Purah glanced towards Robbie, who stepped forward, smiling. "We… might have something."

* * *

The triage was originally little more than a canopy that had been erected to protect the injured from the sun. As the day had worn on, it grew, using the multi-colored fabric from the nearby dye shop to build upon it. Now, it looked like a menagerie of colors and designs, and it was filled with an assortment of people just as varied.

Link wasn't sure if he wanted to come here. Honestly, he didn't know what good he could do. Yet, he went anyway. These were the people that he hadn't been able to protect. These, and of course, the dead, who were gathered elsewhere. He hadn't dared go there yet. He feared that he might recognize some of the faces.

There were no beds, so the injured lay or sat on the ground, being tended to by a group of men and women, many of them too old or young to fight, most from Hateno Village, though some had been brought from the other races' homes as well. Healers and physicians that knew the specific physiology for each race were invaluable.

As Link entered, he saw Rivan being tended to by Dunma, his daughter. Rivan's arm now ended in a stump just below the elbow, courtesy of a lizalfo that had attempted to kill Sidon when his back was turned.

Sidon was there, too, kneeling beside Rivan and speaking to him softly. He appeared to take the injury of his friend with some difficulty, and Link could remember their first meeting, when Sidon had put himself in danger by tackling the other Zora out of the electrified puddle. The prince was close to his guards—they were friends with each other, yet it didn't ever seem like there were questions of duty. Seeing them made Link feel irritated at his past self's concerns over duty with his friendship with Zelda.

Of course, he also couldn't deny that there _was_ a difference. His views on Zelda had not stopped at friendship, and he truly wondered if hers had either. He felt increasingly certain that there was still something significant that he was missing.

Rivan glanced up as he arrived, and Sidon looked back as well. Link lingered by his side for a time, but eventually moved on down the row. As he walked, he began to overhear some of the conversations around him.

"—thought I was a goner for sure, but then this Goron was standing over me. And then this strange colorful… _thing_ surrounded us. It kept those monsters from getting—"

"—can't believe that so many came to our aid—"

"—would have overwhelmed us, were it not for—"

"Link."

He looked around and spotted Paya nearby. She was no longer dressed in her warrior's garb but wore her Sheikah robes. She stood up from kneeling by a Sheikah man, and he stepped over to her.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

Paya looked as exhausted as he felt, and he reminded himself that she'd been assisting Purah with her research before the battle had even begun. She'd had almost as long a day as he had.

"I am all right," she said. "Grandmother says I should rest, but…" She glanced down. Link didn't immediately recognize the Sheikah man on the ground. A bandage covered one eye and most of his head, and his arm was in a sling.

A moment later, however, Link realized that it was Dorian. He slept on the ground, chest rising and falling rhythmically.

"Is he going to be all right?" He couldn't help but to think of Dorian's two daughters. They'd already lost their mother to Ganon's minions—would they lose their father too?

Paya bit her lip. "I think so. His injuries aren't as bad as some others. But he was knocked unconscious in the battle and hasn't woken up yet."

"I'm sure he'll be okay. Impa's right, Paya—you look exhausted."

She looked up at him and blushed. "You look just as tired as me."

He chuckled. "I'll give you that. And I'm going to rest soon. I just wanted…"

How could he explain it? He'd felt it the moment that he stepped into the tent. The hope that his presence brought, even to these injured men and women. He'd not come to talk to each of them or to promise them that he would keep them safe. No, he'd simply come to be seen. So that they would know he still stood, still fought. It was all he could give them.

"You weren't injured at all today, were you?" Paya asked, looking him over quickly. He'd finally changed out of his bloody tunic and washed his face and arms. His boots were still stained, however.

"Oh, I had a few injuries," he said, smiling faintly. "But I was given a… gift by an old friend that helps me recover from them more quickly than most."

He wondered if there was a way he could use Mipha's healing abilities here. Her power had not just been a method to heal her own injuries, but one that could be used to repairs others' broken bodies. He'd never learned how to do that himself, however, and now he thought that was a shameful oversight.

Maybe… but no. He could feel it within him. The exhaustion that indicated that he was spent. Even if he knew how, he doubted that he would be able to use that healing ability again anytime soon.

A soft musical note suddenly floated through the room, and Link turned, spotting Kass sitting on the floor some distance away, playing his concertina.

"How long has he been here?"

"He's been coming and going." Paya stepped up beside Link to watch Kass play. "He helps a lot. He keeps telling stories, too." She looked at him, suddenly embarrassed. "About you, actually."

"Of _course_ , he is," Link said, smiling wryly.

"Other stories, too! He knows stories from each of the race's history. I've even heard him tell some tales about the Sheikah that I thought only Grandmother remembered. Heroes from ages ago."

He nodded. "His teacher was a Sheikah court poet from before Ganon. It doesn't surprise me that he would know some Sheikah tales."

"He's very kind."

"He is." Link looked back to her and reached up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Get some rest, Paya. You've done more than enough today."

"I-I…" She hesitated, stammering for a moment. And then she nodded. "I will. You too."

* * *

Link crashed into the confused bokoblin camp, swinging his sword about him while riding atop Spirit. He was followed by half a dozen Gerudo warriors on horseback, all calling out their Gerudo war cries as they fell on the monsters. Overhead, Teba led a group of Rito that shot arrows down into the still-waking bokoblins and moblins.

The sun had only just began to peak over the horizon, and Link's mixed band of warriors moved quickly to sow confusion and chaos in the monster ranks before they could realize just how few he had brought. In another area, Zora leaped out of the Zelkoa pond, attacking the lizalfos camped there, and Gorons rolled huge stones down the lower slopes of the Maldorna mountain.

He heard a horn blow in the distance before it was abruptly silenced. Grimacing, Link wheeled Spirit around, just in time to see a moblin swinging a club towards him. He threw himself back, flattening himself against the saddle, and the club passed just overhead. Thrusting his sword out, he managed to pierce the moblin just under the arm, causing it to cry out in pain and back up, right into a large, Gerudo claymore.

Link nodded to the Gerudo that had come to his aid and kicked Spirit into motion, riding down another bokoblin. All around him, the battle raged. Some of the monsters had begun to rally nearby, so Link focused his efforts there. He sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow, firing off a quick pair of explosive tipped arrows that sent bodies flying. Teba's Rito followed this up with a series of arrows of their own, leaving the line broken and panicked.

He charged, again wielding his sword to great effect, cutting down monster after monster.

Something crashed down nearby, and he looked over, confused to see an uprooted _tree_ rolling to a stop. He whirled around and spotted one of the giants—a hinox, as explained to him yesterday—walking towards him, its eye bloodshot and angry.

 _Where did they get another one of those?_ he wondered, grimacing. He leaped off of Spirit and smacked the horse in the rump. The horse wouldn't be as much help against a creature like that.

When his horse was clear, Link stood ready, sword in hand, watching as the giant approached. A shadow passed overhead, and suddenly it was peppered with arrows from the squad of flying Rito.

As it roared in irritation, Link sprinted forward, sliding between its legs, and hacked at its unprotected calves. It had incredibly thick skin, but the Master Sword still cut deep, severing muscle and sinew.

The hinox went down on its knees, bellowing in pain, and swept behind it with one massive, meaty arm, trying to catch Link. He dodged the blow, however, and sliced at the beast's exposed back and sides. Here, he didn't do as much damage, as he had to cut through quite a bit of fat to get to the internal organs.

It tried to rise again, but stumbled. Link had managed to sever the tendons connected to its heels. As it fell forward, bracing itself on its hands, Link jumped, grasping onto the back of the animal-skin vest that it wore. He plunged his Master Sword down into its back for additional leverage, and the hinox immediately straightened, bellowing and thrashing.

He barely held on for dear life, feet scrabbling against the creature's skin, as it reached back, trying to grab him. Still holding tightly to the vest with his free hand, he wrenched his sword free and swiped at the hand that came nearest to him.

He plunged his sword in higher up the creature's shoulder, causing it to rage and scream. He held on as it tried shaking him off and climbed higher until, finally, he straddled one of its shoulders. It turned its head to look at him, its massive eye quivering.

Link turned his sword and rammed it deep into the side of the hinox's head, into what he hoped was its brain. Its eye widened briefly, but then he saw the life in it fade. As the monster fell, Link leaped off, landing in a roll. The hinox slammed into the ground behind him, dead.

A Gerudo rode past, ululating, and Link looked around. He saw Spirit nearby, pawing the ground anxiously. He whistled, and his horse approached quickly.

Once back in the saddle, Link looked around. The area around him had cleared of monsters for the moment. The bokoblins had remained clear of the hinox—they had a habit of throwing anything they could get their hands on, including other allies—and now that it had been dispatched, they did not seem very interested in approaching Link.

The battle was going… _well_. The multi-faceted attack, though consisting of a relatively small force, gave the appearance of a large push and prevented the different camps from allying together to fight. Even as he watched, a group of bokoblins broke, turning and running before a pair of Gorons wielding hammers.

He heard a battle cry behind him and turned to see a new group of warriors—a mixture of Hylians and Sheikah—running towards the monsters on foot. They clashed with a group consisting mostly of bokoblins and moblins.

Link turned Spirit and charged towards this group's flank. Distracted by the newcomers, the monsters didn't even notice him coming up to their side until it was too late.

Yes, they were _winning_. They were—

Distant explosions.

Frowning, he turned back towards Hateno. Smoke rose from the vicinity of the wall. There were more explosions, and Link saw chunks of wood sent flying.

 _What?_

He turned his horse, spotting Liana nearby. He waved at her. "I'm going to go check it out!" She nodded and wheeled her own horse—a tall, lean Gerudo breed—around, ululating and leading another charge towards a group of monsters that had begun to set up a defensive line.

Link rode Spirit hard back to the village, slowing only to make his way through the stationary defenses. When he entered Hateno, he found chaos. People ran and screamed, and he saw bokoblins and moblins within the village itself.

Cursing, Link cut down a tall moblin that was giving chase to one of non-combatants, and then stood up in his saddle. From his vantage, he could see that the gate was open. It appeared to have been blown off its hinges by an explosive of sorts. Other sections of the wall and walkway had been blown up as well.

Dreading what he would find, Link rushed for the crowd of monsters trying to push their way in. He leaped off Spirit and landed among them, joining the defenders as they desperately fought to stem the tide.

More explosions. The arch that held the gate itself splintered and collapsed, giving Link a better view of the army of monsters outside of Hateno Village. There were fewer of them now, but still far too many.

And, in the midst of them, wielding a bow and what looked like explosive arrows, was a massive, golden-maned lynel. It had enormous arms and shoulders, and stood taller than even the tallest moblin. It made the lynel that Link fought on Ploymus Mountain look like a child.

 _Oh, Goddess, no…_

The lynel surveyed the battle, lowering its bow. Apparently satisfied with the damage it had wrought, it stowed the bow and, instead, removed a massive metal club from its side. And then it began to charge.

"Get back!" Link cried, but too late. As the lynel burst through the gate, trampling over its own allies, it swung its club, slamming it into the walkway that the archers used. It shattered the wood like twigs, and Link watched in horror as the archers atop it fell down into the wreckage.

The lynel continued on its warpath, swinging its club in huge arcs, knocking aside fighters with complete disregard for who or what they were. A Goron flew through the air, slamming into a nearby build. A bokoblin spun away, broken and dead. A swath of open ground opened up around the lynel as fighters on both sides quickly backed away.

And Link stood directly in its path.

The lynel looked down at him with one, angry green eye. Its other was milky white and blinded by a huge scar that ran down its face. One of its horns had been broken off, and it was covered in scars all over its body. It towered over Link, chest puffing. Its nostrils flared. And then it raised its club.

Link ran forward, preparing to strike at the lynel, but the club came down with enough force to make the earth shake. He stumbled and ran into one of the monster's legs. The lynel reared up, kicking, and Link raised his shield just in time to intercept one of the hooves. He flew backwards, hitting the ground with a roll.

The ground trembled as the lynel charged, and Link threw himself to the side as the lynel swept past him, narrowly missing him with its bone-crushing club. One hit by that thing, and things would be over for Link. Not even his shield could withstand that thing. It would _shatter_ him.

Around them, the crowd of monsters and Hyruleans spread out. They still fought, but they kept clear of the center of the street, where the lynel and Link faced off. Monsters still poured into the town. If they didn't receive reinforcements soon, these monsters would overwhelm the beleaguered defenders completely.

Cursing, Link sprinted towards the lynel, which turned and charged for him. As it swung its club, Link concentrated, activating his strange ability. Everything slowed around him, and he vaulted _over_ the club as it swung for his legs. He came down on the other side, and swept at the lynel's leg with the Master Sword.

The lynel bellowed angrily at the deep cut and wheeled to face Link. He rolled under its legs, coming out its other side, and brought his sword down on its flank. The Master Sword cut deep, but not nearly as deeply as Link would have hoped. The lynel's skin seemed tougher than that of the previous lynel he'd fought.

It swept its club around, and Link yelped, jumping back and narrowly avoiding it. He tried getting back into its guard, but it swept the club again and again, each time pushing Link further back until his back pressed up against one of the remaining buildings on this street.

He rolled to the side as the lynel brought its club down again. It turned, following his movement, and slammed it down right behind him. The earth shook with every blow. Link scrambled back to his feet, looking back only to see the lynel standing right over him.

Suddenly, a pair of arrows sprouted from its chest. Teba flew overhead, calling out something that Link didn't catch. The lynel roared, whirling and taking a deep breath. It breathed a ball of fire towards Teba, and the Rito was forced into a dive to avoid being struck.

Link ran forward, thrusting up towards the lynel's chest. It pierced, but only just barely. The lynel swept out with one of its paws, catching Link in the side and sending him airborne. He struck the side of the building with a grunt, dropping the Master Sword to the ground and falling in a heap.

He struggled to rise. His vision swam, and his thoughts jumbled together. As he pushed himself up to his knees, shaking his head, a shadow blotted out the sun. He looked up to find that the lynel stood over him. It reached down, grasping him by the front of his tunic, lifting him off the ground.

Weaponless, Link fruitlessly struggled to peel the lynel's fingers apart. It tightened its grip, making it difficult to even breath. It growled a word that Link could not understand and then brought him closer. The lynel opened its maw, revealing its sharp teeth.

Lightning split the sky, and the lynel stumbled to the side. Its hand spasmed, and Link fell to the ground. He looked around and spotted Riju standing in the middle of the path, arms outstretched, Thunder Helm obscuring her face.

She called upon the lightning again, and it fell, hitting the lynel. The lynel grunted but shook off the blow. It turned and began to charge for the small woman.

"No!"

Yunobo was suddenly there, unfolding out of his roll. He threw up his shield just in time. The lynel's club rebounded off of it, and the monster roared its fury. Lightning struck again and again, sending arcs of electricity running down its body.

Link grabbed up his sword and ran forward, dodging around a lizalfo that tried to catch him off guard. As he made his way towards the lynel, a force of Zora, Sidon at their head, appeared from down a side street. They fanned out, boxing the great beast in with their spears.

The lynel roared, rearing up and spinning. It swept its club out, but the Zora deftly moved back while Sidon moved in, jabbing it under the ribs with his trident. The lynel howled in pain and whirled, but when it did so, another Zora stabbed it in its flank. Lightning flashed again, and the lynel jerked.

Suddenly, it bent its legs and leaped high into the air, well over the heads of the surprised Zora. It landed some ten feet away and whirled, inhaling deeply. It breathed a massive ball of fire towards them, and the group of Zora scattered. Link threw himself to the side as the flames passed him, crashing into another building and setting it ablaze.

When he got back to his feet, the lynel bore down on Yunobo again, slamming its club against his shield again and again. Finally, the shimmering shield shattered and faded away. Yunobo stumbled back, mouth open, and the lynel grinned. Riju merely stared up at it, arms still outstretched.

Link released a strangled cry as it brought the club back down.

A blur of white and grey dove out of the sky, slamming into the lynel's head and shoulders and sending its aim wide. The club slammed down to the ground next to Riju. Teba grappled with the lynel, his wings flapping wildly while his talons tore into the lynel's face and neck.

Suddenly, the lynel reached up and grabbed him around one of his legs. It threw Teba to the ground, and the Rito crashed down with a sickening crunch, not rising.

Sidon was there again, thrusting his trident up into the lynel's chest, driving it back. The lynel dropped its club as it struggled to dislodge the trident. It grasped at the trident's haft, but the Zora prince pressed all his weight against it, baring his sharp teeth.

An arrow shot out of the crowd from a lizalfo's bow and took Sidon in the shoulder. Arcs of electricity spread out from where the arrow lodged itself, and Sidon screamed in sudden, awful pain. He fell in a heap, twitching. The lynel wrenched the trident free and turned it over, preparing to drive it down into the prone Zora.

Link thrust the Master Sword up, into the lynel's belly. It stumbled back, startled at his quick approach. It swung the trident around, but he ducked under it and ran to the lynel's blind side, ramming his sword up into its flank. The beast shuddered at the deep wound and stumbled to the side, turning. As it did, however, Link rolled under its feet and came out the other side.

He sliced at the lynel's front leg, and that leg buckled. The trident clattered to the ground as the lynel braced himself with its arm.

Link didn't give it time to rise. Instead, he jumped onto its horse-like back and rammed the Master Sword in through the back of its upright torso and out the front. The lynel stiffened. Link wrenched the sword free and then swung it, two-handed, at the beast's neck.

It did not decapitate the lynel. But it came close enough. As blood gushed from its neck wound, the lynel pawed weakly, trying to stem the flow. It released a choked sound, its arm growing limp.

Link jumped down from its back as it died, hurrying to Sidon's side. His Zora companions had gathered around him. The arrow had been removed, and Sidon had been rolled onto his back. His red skin had paled, and he appeared unconscious. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

Grimacing, Link looked up and over at Teba. The Rito was in a bad state as well. One of his wings bent at an odd angle, and Link couldn't tell from where he was if he was breathing or not. Riju knelt over him, Thunder Helm ajar on her head.

 _Got to get them to safety._ Link whirled and spotted Yunobo close by. He stared at the lynel, seemingly transfixed with it as it died. He quickly ran over to the Goron, grabbing him by the arm.

"Take Sidon and Teba up to the triage, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Link, my shield, I couldn't—"

"Just _take_ them, Yunobo! We don't have time right now."

Yunobo hesitated only a moment later before nodding and turning. He carefully swept Teba up, and Link winced at the Rito's broken wing. He hoped that Yunobo would not aggravate the injury. However, there was hardly time to worry about it now.

"No, we'll take Sidon. He—" Bazz started, rising to his feet when Yunobo approached.

"I need you _here_ , Bazz," Link said, cutting him off. "We've got to stop those monsters from entering. No one is surviving this battle if we don't."

The Zora looked ready to argue and glanced back down at Sidon. Finally, he stepped aside and let Yunobo bend down, sweeping Sidon up in his other arm.

Link stepped forward, surveying the battle before them. The monsters still surged forward, but the defenders were holding, albeit barely. He saw a shift, however. Some of the bokoblins that made it into the village stopped up short when they saw the dead lynel, fear apparent on their faces.

 _That's right_ , he thought, grinning coldly. _We killed the strongest among you._

He turned to Riju, pointing. "Take cover by that rubble. Use your lightning against anything that tries to get further into the village. Understand?"

Riju nodded and hurried off to do as he said. Link turned to one of the Zora and pointed. "Go with her. Make sure nothing tries to sneak up behind her. The rest of you—let's go."

With a battle cry, they charged.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

A beam of white energy lanced out, narrowly missing Link's head. He spun, looking for the Guardian that had fired it. It was one of the Stalkers. Two of its legs were missing; it still moved, lopsided, but upright.

Link turned and ran towards it. It fired another blast towards him, but he danced out of its way. His shield was long gone, having finally broken into pieces of molten metal after being struck with so many blasts.

He was upon the Guardian before it could fire again, swinging his Master Sword. It collided with the one of its remaining legs, but it did not cut through as easily as it had at the beginning of this battle. He swung again and, this time, the leg severed.

With three legs missing, the Guardian finally teetered and collapsed, the edge of its round base digging into the wet earth. Link stepped up on it and, just as its head swiveled to face him, he rammed the Master Sword into its pulsing blue eye.

He leaped free, turned, and ran away from the Guardian before it exploded. How many had he destroyed now? How long had they even been fighting?

He knew that the only reason that the fort hadn't been completely overrun was because the Guardians were far more interested in killing than actually taking ground. They had all the time in the world.

Something white-hot struck him in the back of his shoulder, and Link spun around, crying out. He hit the ground hard and struggled to lift his head. A Scout rapidly approached. Its eye pulsed more brightly again, and gritting his teeth, Link pushed himself to the side as another narrow band of energy burned into the ground next to him.

He threw himself to his feet again and transferred his sword to his right hand. His left arm didn't appear to be working as well after that last blow. As he did so, however, he caught sight of the sword. It was notched and cracked. Spots of what looked like _rust_ had appeared in places.

 _The sword is… dying_ , he thought, numb.

The Scout fired again, and he moved by instinct, shifting aside just enough to avoid being struck by it and then breaking into a run. Another quick thrust into its eye ended this one.

It exploded, and Link stumbled forward, falling down on one knee. He braced himself with his left arm, and he cried out as pain flared through it.

As his vision cleared, he looked around. Guardians were all around him, but none of them turned towards him now. Instead, they pursued the other soldiers that remained. There were so few left. As he watched, one of the large Stalkers fired a blast that killed three at once, their armor smoking.

 _Why fight anymore?_ he wondered, his thoughts muddled. _I could just… stop. It would be nice to stop._

"Link!"

His head snapped around, staring at the figure in white running towards him. She gripped her dress, lifting it above her ankles as she ran across the battlefield.

 _She didn't run. She **didn't** run._ The thoughts hit him like a spray of cold water, clearing his mind. She hadn't run—and she was _here_.

"Zelda, no!" He pushed himself to his feet and ran towards her. "No, you have to go!"

"Link, wait, maybe you should—"

He grabbed her around the waist and spun, throwing her to the ground. A Guardian's blast shot past, singing his arm. She landed with a cry. "Stay down!" He turned, sprinting towards the approaching Guardian, roaring with what fury he had left.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"They're running. They're _running!_ " cried one of the Rito as he swooped down low.

Link cut down the lizalfo he fought and then looked up towards the Rito. He spared another glance around him but didn't see anyone in immediate need of his assistance. In fact… there were very few monsters left around them, and those that were still around were quickly being surrounded and slaughtered.

He turned and ran to the gate. A stack of old furniture, tables, and bodies had been piled where the doors once stood. It was an imperfect barricade, but it had slowed the flow into the city. Eventually, more soldiers from the northern push had arrived as well—his plan had worked. Even without his assistance, they'd succeeded in pressing the enemy enough that they'd been forced to flee from that area as well.

And now, if they were fleeing here… He carefully climbed some of the pieces of refuse. Much of it was sticky with bokoblin and lizalfo blood, but he was already coated with the stuff, regardless.

Once he reached the top, he saw. The monster army had been decimated. It had lost so many the day prior and today was even worse, as it had overcommitted at the gate. And now… They _ran_. The army's broken remains—a quarter or less of what they once had—fled down the hills and into the valleys.

They had won.

A cheer went up among the Hyruleans, and Link laughed, raising his Master Sword into the air. Some applause broke out. The last of the monsters in the city were put down, one-by-one. Men and women embraced. Wept. Laughed. Mourned.

It was over.

* * *

A light rain began as the day wore on, and it washed some of the signs of battle away, though not nearly all of them. Several buildings had burned or been demolished by the devastating attacks. Others had been stripped of furniture, walls, and other materials to form hasty defenses. The wall that had been erected around part of the town stood in shambles.

Over one hundred defenders lie dead, though that was nothing compared to the estimated fifteen hundred attackers that had been killed in the city or just outside. It would take days to dispose of their bodies, though some carrion animals had already begun the grizzly task. Most of them lay in piles where the forest west of Hateno once sat—the very same forest where Link had once saved Meghyn and Nat.

Though it was solemn work, there was an air of victory in the town as the villagers and defenders went to work. It was a testament to the bonds that Link had built that no one spoke of leaving before the task was completed, though he suspected that some might have to. There still wasn't enough food to go around, and now that so many farms had been destroyed, it would be a difficult winter for the village as it was. Perhaps the other races would share their own wealth of food this year.

Where Link walked through the town, men and women stopped to watch him pass. It was eerie, the way conversation ceased when he neared. How many times had he been thanked? Hugged? He'd even been kissed a handful of times—more than once by a Gerudo that towered over him.

Yet they called him hero. He'd led the charge that retook the north. He'd stood at the front of the gate's defense. He'd killed the enemy's champion and the one whom they believed led the army. Link slew giants.

It made him uncomfortable, but he knew that the time for worrying about his own comfort had long passed. Impa was right. Kass was right. He gave these people hope. He brought with him a passion to fight back, to retake what was once lost.

And so, when time allowed, Impa had gone back to Kakariko Village and returned with a fresh Champion's tunic—she apparently had several made, just in case he ruined his, which he'd made a habit of doing. He bathed himself clean and donned it. The picture of the Hylian Champion. Or, as some had taken to calling him lately, the Champion of Hyrule.

He was still bothered, however, by his lack of memory. Gaps remained, particularly in relation to his last weeks with Zelda. The memories of that final battlefield stood out. Something had happened to them on that last trip to one of the goddess springs. An idea had hatched in his head, but he wasn't sure if Impa would approve.

He turned, looking up towards the distant Mount Lanayru. Could he travel there? It would still take time for the Divine Beasts to gather. He hadn't even had the chance to inform the other three Champion spirits of his victory yet, so they might not even know to begin the journey to Central Hyrule. Not to mention, now Purah was asking for just a little more time, if they could spare. She was close.

He might have enough time, if he moved quickly.

* * *

A colorful explosion went off overhead, sending a cascade of red and blue sparks out in a circle before it faded. Some of the gathered crowd oohed as the Gorons launched another of their fireworks off into the sky. This one exploded with vibrant green sparks.

Tables had been set up in the streets, and they had been covered with food from every corner of Hyrule. Now that the battle was over and the village itself had been rid of monsters, they'd been able to use the two Sheikah Slates, much to Purah's irritation, to send people back to gather food. It was, perhaps, wasteful, considering the state of things, but it seemed fitting.

It wasn't fully known yet, what would happen next. There would be a gathering in Central Hyrule—an army to fight at Link's back as he attacked Ganon. He hoped that it wouldn't be needed.

Some would be sent back to their homes, to raise the remainder of their respective military and militia forces. The majority, however, would march from Hateno Village. It would take time. Possibly too much time, but Link would address that, if needed. He would not risk his entire mission to wait for the last of the army to arrive.

Either way, there was a tentative plan. The rest of it would be decided during the march. However, when the defenders of Hateno Village gathered with the remainder of the forces left from each other race, it would be the largest multi-race gathering in the past century. A force large enough to rival the old Hylian garrison.

Link hoped it would be enough and that he wasn't leading these people to their deaths.

For now, however, they celebrated. Kass sang songs, joined by other musicians of varying talent. Some people danced in the overgrown cobblestone streets. Eventually, they would mourn the fallen, but today was not the day for that.

The other Zora army had even arrived, though they chose to stay clear of Hateno Village. The town was already bursting at the seams. Instead, they chose to remain in Lake Jarrah and even helped gather fish for the celebration.

"Link!" Nat called from her place at the center of the impromptu dance floor. It was already nearing midnight, but many still celebrated. She waved him over, but he simply raised a hand and shook his head, smiling. Instead, he made his way over to a table, where several of his friends had gathered.

Sidon sat there, still paler than normal, though looking considerably better. Teba was there, too, though his right wing was wrapped in a sling. He was extremely angry that he would not be able to join in the fight against Ganon, though Link was just relieved that he survived. Riju and Yunobo were both there, too, though Buliara stood close behind Riju. The Gerudo chief had, apparently, not _told_ Buliara when she left to help with the gate's defense, and the taller guard had gotten engaged with a large group of monsters trying to make their way for the inn, unable to find Riju.

Link settled himself down, groaning as his sore muscle protested.

"Now you just sound like an old man," Riju said, smirking. She tore a strip of meat off a turkey leg, chewing thoughtfully. "Though you _are_ over one hundred years old, I suppose."

"That's not _that_ old," Sidon said, grinning.

Teba snorted. "We don't all live for as long as you Zora."

"How old _are_ you?" Yunobo asked, leaning forward. He stood at the head of the long wooden table—there weren't many chairs that could hold a Goron's weight in the town.

"Oh, I just passed my hundred and fifteenth year," Sidon said, shrugging. "Still quite young, by most Zora standards—especially among those in the royal line."

Yunobo looked between Sidon and Link. "So Link is older than you?"

"Ahh…" Sidon looked at Link. "Would you say that?"

Link chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know what I'd say anymore. I definitely _feel_ that old sometimes."

"And what about you, Riju?" Yunobo asked.

Buliara growled in irritation, but Riju waved at her to stop. She looked at Yunobo. "How old am I? I'm…" She hesitated, glancing around, seemingly embarrassed. "Twelve. Thirteen, next month."

" _Really_? That's…" Yunobo glanced around. "That isn't very old, is it?"

Riju sank down slightly. "No. It's not."

"I have a son nearly that old," Teba said, looking up. The clouds had finally begun to break, revealing the stars overhead. "You act a lot more mature than he does, though." He looked back down at Riju, fixing her with his difficult-to-read stare. "I figured you were older."

Riju sat up a little straighter, and Link couldn't help himself but to smile. Teba, for all his gruff exterior, had a softer side.

"You know, my, uh… sister was about the same age, too," Link finally said, looking at Riju. He paused. "You remind me of her sometimes, actually."

Riju tilted her head slightly, looking at him curiously. "How so?"

"She was mischievous and liked to get into trouble."

Buliara chuckled. Everyone paused, and Riju turned around in her seat, looking up at her guard with a frown. " _That_ makes you laugh?"

Buliara's smile was immediately replaced by her typical stoic expression. "My apologies, Lady Riju."

Riju eyed the older woman suspiciously for a moment, and then looked back at Link. "What was she like? Other than that?"

Link's smile faded. "She was… curious. About everything. I still don't remember a whole lot, but… She liked adventure. She dreamed of being a sailor. A ship's captain. Always talked about how she was going to discover a new land out there. My father never discouraged her from her dreams, despite the fact that I suspect it was an oddity."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Sidon said.

A lump formed in Link's throat. "Neither did I, until recently."

"What happened to her?" Yunobo asked.

Link didn't answer at first. As the silence stretched, Teba reached out with his good wing and smacked Yunobo on the arm. "Isn't it obvious?"

The Goron frowned for a moment, and then his eyes widened. " _Oh_. I'm sorry, I didn't—"

Link shook his head. "It's all right. I'm just still coming to terms with… everything. A couple weeks ago, I didn't even know I _had_ a sister, much less anything about her. But now… Sometimes it feels like I just lost her."

There was silence for a few moments before Sidon cleared his throat. "I can understand how you feel, in a way."

Link glanced up at him.

"I don't have a lot of memories of Mipha from when I was younger. Though I was fifteen when she passed away, that is not old by Zora standards. But now that I've spent time with her spirit, on Ruta, I've come to realize just how much I missed without her around."

Yunobo nodded quickly. "I've been spending a lot of time with my grandfather, as well. Daruk. He's been teaching me a lot. How to use my shield better, how to control Rudania, where the best rock roasts are—"

"He's been teaching you how to control Rudania?" Link asked, surprised.

"Oh, yes! He says that, once Ganon is gone, he thinks that he will have to go. Asked me to take over for him as, um… Champion."

"Mipha said something like that," Sidon confirmed. "She asked me if I would like to take over Ruta when she's gone."

That gave Link pause. Would they even _need_ the Divine Beasts after this? They were created for the purpose of defeating Ganon. Once that purpose had been served, what would they do with them? Or with the legion of Guardians, for that matter.

"Damn," Teba said, scowling. "I should have been bugging Revali for some lessons, too."

"I haven't even _met_ Lady Urbosa," Riju said, pouting. "Link sent her off without giving me a chance!"

A firework went off overhead, casting a red hue on everything around them.

"I'm sure that, if we need to make new Champions, we can teach you," Link said, finally. "Zelda was the one who taught all the original Champions. I'm sure she'll be willing to do so again. She loves this stuff."

Riju leaned forward. "Zelda. The princess? So, when you defeat Ganon, she's going to be back too? She's not…"

"Dead? No. She's still alive and holding Ganon back. When he's gone, she should be free to return."

"Hmm…" The young Gerudo raised a hand, fingering one of her red locks of hair. "So what is going to happen when she does? Does she plan to reestablish Hyrule again? We were once a unified kingdom."

Teba snorted. "I doubt that the Rito will allow themselves to be made subservient again."

"Nor the Gerudo."

The attention turned to Sidon, who shifted uncomfortably for a moment. Finally, he said, "Father has spoken of this, as well. He does not intend to bend the knee to your princess, Link."

As one, the others around the table turned to look at Yunobo.

"I have no idea what Bludo will do!" Yunobo blurted. "He hasn't said anything about it."

Link felt a flush run up the back of his neck. He could already see the issues piling on for Zelda. How did one rebuild an entire kingdom? Would even the Hylians and Sheikah submit to her rule once again?

More fireworks burst overhead, and the crimson hue persisted. He thought he heard his name spoken somewhere in the crowd, but he ignored it.

"I don't know what she's going to do," he finally said. "I doubt she would insist on restoring old… what, treaties? Though I would hope that, given all that has happened, some assistance would be given to help rebuild, if that is her intent."

He met each of their eyes, and it was clear from their expressions that his message was clear. They were friends. But _he_ had also saved each and every one of their peoples.

Sidon was the first to speak. "Of course. The Zora and Hylians were once the closest of allies. I am sure that we will be so again."

Teba shrugged. "I can't speak for Kaneli, but I know that Kass has already been talking to him about it. That bird just can't help but to stick his feathers into a dozen pots."

"We _do_ have to think about our own rebuilding efforts, too," Riju said, guardedly. "Naboris did a lot of damage and—"

His name, again. Link stopped listening to Riju, frowning as he looked around. Who had said it? It had sounded like—

" _Link!_ "

He jumped to his feet. "Zelda?"

"Be on your guard! Something is happening—something _new_. Ganon's power—it's growing. The blood moon—it's strengthening him."

 _Ganon. No, it's not time. We're not ready!_

He unsheathed his Master Sword, though he didn't fully understand why. He heard those at the table around him rise as well.

He heard Zelda make a sound like a gasp. "The monsters! Their spirits are returning to their flesh!"

He looked up. Overhead, the clouds had parted to reveal the full moon. It had turned deep crimson in color.

" _Please_ … be careful."

The Master Sword burst to life with brilliant white light.


	57. Chapter Fifty-Four

**Well, I was called a bastard _twice_ in the reviews for that last chapter. But in a good way! **

**Honestly, the reactions from last chapter were pretty much exactly what I'd hoped to get! I know it was a terrible cliffhanger, but I promise that this one was the worst! If there is anything else considered a cliffhanger in the book, it won't be _nearly_ that bad. But, truly, I'm thrilled that it got such a massively positive response. You all _loved_ the last chapter, which is good because I loved writing it! I kid you not, I was left shaking with adrenaline writing the last chapter... and this one. This one is... well, I think it will surprise you. I'll say more in the next chapter's author's notes because this whole sequence would have been _radically_ different had these two chapters been placed in the center of the novel, between the second and third Divine Beasts, like I originally intended. You'll probably be able to guess why once you get into it!**

 **Also, I got more reviews after the last chapter than any previous chapter, so there's no _way_ I'll be able to respond to them all! I'm sorry if I can't get to yours this time!**

 **Infinite's Ruby: I'm glad you spotted the foreshadowing! I tried not to make it _too_ obvious that the Blood Moon was about to hit, but I also wanted to leave enough to... well, make people start tensing up! But I have to correct you on one thing... This definitely _isn't_ the final battle. No... That's still coming. I can't promise it'll be quite this intense, because I kind of went all out on this one. But it's got a different feel to it that I think people will like.**

 **Saphura: The week I wrote this chapter is also the week I wrote three other chapters, all back-to-back. I think that week, I wrote something stupid like 43,000 words. It was insane, and I don't know how it happened. The stars must have aligned or something, but it was my most productive week by far. Before that, my record had been 22,000 words in a week! And yes, I agree about the ships! It's great that we get Lurelin Village, but this is one of the few Zelda games that actually has a Hyrule that _isn't_ landlocked. It would have been great to see more evidence of larger harbors beyond a few titles on the map.**

 **The Great Walnuts: I love new readers! Thanks for the comments! I came up with the concept for this chapter back before I'd even started posting the story online. Back in March, around the time I finished Chapter 15 (so right around the time I was plotting out the Side Quests I chapter). And I _very_ nearly scrapped it right before I posted that Side Quests chapter. I was right around the end of writing Part 2, and I just didn't know how I could make it work for pacing, according to my original idea for it. Of course, I ultimately decided to retool it into what it ended up being, and I'm very happy with the end result. The Blood Moon, however, was always a part of it. In fact, it was the central idea behind the battle, in the first place...**

 **The Big Bad Wolf-9: Did you... get ahold of an early copy of this chapter? Because your comment was eerily accurate in a number of ways... Also, if you are curious, I definitely watched the Battle of Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings prior to writing this sequence. It definitely fueled my writing process!**

 **Michy21: The lynel is so funny, because _originally_ , it was a badass bokoblin. Very similar in appearance, blind in one eye, named Wark. Ultimately, I decided a lynel was more intimidating and made for a more epic fight... Plus, I got to have an Avengers-style throwdown with all the new Champions and Link. That was a delight to write. Also, those memories in the last chapter-especially the first of the two-went through _extensive_ revisions. Partially because I wanted it to really capture that hopeless feeling, but also partially because I kept changing my mind about what happens in future (but technically past...) memories. I think, after I finish the novel, I might post a few bonus sequences showing how certain chapters and events changed through my various revisions, because many of them are _quite_ different. I've saved them all, too!**

 **Okay, no more replies on this one. You've all been patient enough, especially after that cliffhanger. Please read, enjoy, and leave those comments!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Four**

"Run," Link said, eyes darting about. " _Run!_ Defenders to the walls! Everybody else, up to the top of the hill!"

His words had an immediate effect. Music stopped. Conversation stopped. And then people began to move. It was chaos. People ran this way or that. Some ran for weapons. Others ran for safety. Others still ran to find family. Parents. Siblings. Children.

Everything felt wrong. The air felt off. It felt thick. Oily. _Malice_. _Why is there Malice here?_

And then the screams started.

His head jerked to the side, and he ran, his sword shining like a beacon. He shoved his way through a crowd of onlookers, to where a woman had fallen to the ground, and backed up quickly on her hands.

In front of her was a bokoblin, but it was unlike any other that Link had seen. Its eyes shone from an internal red light. It lay on its belly. Its legs had been crushed—the bones in one of them jutted out, red in the moon's light. Yet, though it was severely disabled, it crawled towards the woman, hands scrabbling at the cobblestone.

Link sprang forward and sliced the Master Sword down, through its neck. As he did so, blackish mist sprayed out of the wound, and the creature fell limp, its head rolling free, eyes no longer glowing.

"Where did it come from?" he asked, breathing rapidly. His eyes darted around.

The woman on the ground—he only just now recognized her as Meghyn—pointed a shaking finger at a spot of disturbed rubble from one of the buildings that had suffered damage in the battle. He took a step towards it, but then more screams broke out elsewhere in the village.

Cursing, he leaped over the still-prone woman and pushed through the crowd. A lizalfo this time, with a gaping hole in its chest that leaked the black smoke. It bent low and then leaped onto a man—a villager—slamming its clawed feet into his chest and digging them in.

"No!" Link cried, running forward and shouldering the lizalfo off the man. Its claws tore cloth and flesh as it was flung off, flailing. He reached it a moment later, slamming his sword down into it, giving it another wound to match the first. Black smoke sprayed free in much greater amounts than its pre-existing chest wound, and he watched as the light in its eyes went out.

He looked at the man, who desperately felt at his chest. He was bleeding all over his tan tunic, but Link didn't think it looked that bad. He would survive. Link reached down, grabbing him by the arm, and hauling him to his feet. "Go!"

A trio of Gerudo rushed by, holding scimitars. Link followed them, running down the hill to where the broken wall stood. He reached it and peered out the now-open gate. What he saw chilled him to his core.

A sea of red eyes.

Illuminated by the bright red moon overhead, he could see the piles of bodies writhing as more and more of the monsters—the _dead_ monsters—pushed themselves back up to their feet and then began to walk, shamble, or crawl towards Hateno Village.

"Archers! We need _archers_!" He looked to those that had already gathered at the gate. "Start a new barricade. We need to block that gate! Don't let them in the city!"

"Where are you—"

"I need to check to the north! We didn't clear it of the bodies yet!"

Link ran, boots pounding through puddles that had turned red like blood. On the way, he found another bokoblin, this one with a skull half-caved in. It had appeared out of another of the destroyed buildings—they must have missed checking some of these for bodies.

Without slowing, he decapitated it and kept moving.

People were running in earnest now. He heard more screams but also commands from the military commanders. They were trying to organize the new defense, but they would be too slow. Too many had gorged on food and already went to bed. Many might even be drunk.

 _Oh, Goddess, please!_

He roughly pushed through a crowd of confused-looking Gorons. "To the wall! Help them repel the monsters!" He kept running, not checking to see if they'd listened to him.

As he ran, he began to hear the clanging of metal on metal and cries of pain. The fighting had already begun to the north.

He rounded a corner and there, before him, lay the plateau that he'd led the charge upon earlier that day. Red-eyed monsters had risen all around, and many of them still had their weapons and the apparent wherewithal to use them.

As he watched, a Zora was run through by a moblin wielding a spear. Link felt as though he could feel the wound himself. " _No!_ " He ran forward, slicing off the moblin's arm and then left a deep cut through its chest.

It died as quickly as the others, but it was already too late for the Zora. Cursing himself for moving too slowly, Link whirled, looking for other fighters. A Gerudo desperately fought against a one-armed brute of a bokoblin. She ran it through the chest, and Link breathed a sigh of relief, until he realized that it _didn't_ die. Instead, it swung a club, taking her in the side of the head and dropping her, all while having been impaled by the scimitar.

Link dispatched it by removing its head and knelt by the Gerudo, feeling for a pulse. She lived. That was all he could do now.

He rose again and surveyed the battlefield. Others fought here. Gorons slammed hammers into the creatures, but it didn't stop them, even as it shattered bones and bodies. Even broken, they kept moving. Others, like the Gerudo, hacked off limbs, which proved just as ineffective at actually killing the creatures. Each wound produced the black smoke, but to a much smaller degree than his own sword did.

 _It's the sword. They, like other creatures born of Malice, are weak to the Master Sword._

It was a horrifying thought. There was an army of upwards of _fifteen hundred_ creatures rushing towards Hateno Village, and the only way he knew to kill them was by using the Master Sword.

It would be a massacre.

"Zelda, what do I _do_?" he said, as he charged forward and finished off another of the creatures.

"Their heads!" she said in his mind. "Ganon's Malice is concentrated there! Perhaps, if you remove it—!"

It was an idea. He looked towards one of the Gerudo still fighting with the now armless lizalfo. "Remove its head!"

The Gerudo didn't need to be told twice and swept her blade through the creature's extended neck. It collapsed, and Link saw its eyes go out. Black smoke sprayed from its wound.

"Spread the word!" he called as he ran past. "Remove their heads, if you can! It's their weakness!"

A lizalfo leaped down onto top of him, its tongue lolling out and rubbing against his cheek as he fell to the ground. It was dry and shriveled. Cursing, Link rolled to the side, throwing off its balance as it attempted to thrust a blade down into his back, and he swept the Master Sword up, removing its hand. Black smoke sprayed from it, and the creature released a scream, collapsing to the ground and twitching. Its eyes went out.

 _Even being cut by the Master Sword in a nonlethal place can kill them._

"Zelda, I need your help. I need you to tell me where people are in trouble. I can't be everywhere at once, but I—"

"I'll do what I can, Link. Ganon is… _fighting_ me. He knows that I would provide you aid!"

He nodded and sprinted forward. Suddenly, he saw a very large red eye in the distance. He grimaced. The _hinox_ had risen.

 _Time to test out my theory!_

He ran forward, rolling under a massive fist as the giant tried to crush him, and swept out at its exposed belly with the sword. It cut deep and black smoke sprayed against him. He flinched, but the concentrated Malice didn't hurt him, instead appearing to flee, as it had when fighting the creature in Naboris.

The hinox bellowed and swept its arm out, catching Link in the back. He was flung forward, and the Master Sword left his hand, spinning across the wet grass. Cursing, Link scrambled to his feet just as he heard the hinox's body hit the ground behind him. He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw with satisfaction that it had fallen, twitching, as the Malice that gave it life fled.

"The gate, Link! They can't hold it! They don't know about—"

"Their weakness! _Dammit_ , I'm a fool!"

Link snatched back up the Master Sword and ran the other way, swiping his sword through the shoulder of an armless moblin as he sprinted past. He spotted a Rito.

"You! Take flight—go tell the Zora down at the lake that we need their aid!" The Rito hesitated, confusion showing in her eyes. " _Go!_ We've got no chance without them. Tell them to remove the heads!"

The Rito finally nodded, and she spread her wings, taking flight by diving off the side of the plateau, flapping hard towards the west.

He kept running. He saw Bludo sweep the legs of a bokoblin out from under it and then bring his massive hammer down on its skull, popping it like a ripe tomato. Black mist sprayed out from under the hammer.

 _That'll work, too_.

Link leaped over the fallen body of a Rito and reached the town's center again. Chaos still reigned here. He spotted Riju and ran towards her. "Riju!"

She turned, eyes wide with confusion and fear. "Link! What is going on?"

"Try to use your Thunder Helm. See if it has any effect on them. If not, get to the top of the hill. Find safety." He looked at Buliara, who held her sword at the ready. "Remove their heads to put them down for good." The tall Gerudo guard nodded in acknowledgement.

Teba was nearby, looking angry as he looked around him. He had his bow in hand, but with his wing broken, it would be useless. "Teba, try to gather your Rito. I don't know what use arrows will be, but maybe if you have any explosives left, they might help. Otherwise, have them get torches. It's too dark here. People are going to end up hurting each other."

Teba hesitated but then nodded, turning and hurrying off in the direction of some of the Rito he'd brought with him.

Lightning crashed nearby, but Link didn't bother to check on Riju. Not seeing either Sidon or Yunobo, he turned and sprinted down the hill for the second time.

Already, he could see that things had progressed poorly.

They'd tried to erect a new barricade, but they had been too late, and monsters poured into the town. The defenders fought desperately, but many of the monsters still had their weapons and didn't appear to feel pain or fear.

He crashed into the middle of them, calling out instructions and hoping that some of them could hear him amidst the din of the fighting. He used quick stabs and cuts, not bothering to go for killing blows.

Yet more came. They flooded in through the open gate, and Link had a fraction of the defenders needed to hold this place. There was still too much confusion. Were they even all _awake_ yet?

Cursing, Link disengaged and removed his Sheikah Slate, which he'd received back after it had been used to bring food in. He pulled up the Remote Bomb Rune and pressed it. When the glowing blue explosive appeared, he picked it up and launched it over the heads of the fighters, towards the gate. He saw it land in the midst of the crowd of monsters pressing to enter the town.

A moment later, it went off, sending their bodies flying. It was followed by a series of other explosions beyond the wall as some of Teba's Rito had apparently found some explosives that remained.

Yet, _still_ , they came, barely even slowed.

How many were out there, even now. A thousand? Could they hold with the gate gone and the wall in its state? There were gaps in it—they could even slip through them.

"Behind you, Link!" Zelda cried.

Link spun around, sweeping his shining sword around in a wide arc that cut through the protruding belly of a moblin. It screeched in apparent agony and fell to the ground as the Malice flowed out of it.

 _I can't—how can I save them? There's too many! We're too disorganized!_

They'd already dismantled so much of their defenses. How could they have been so idiotic as to not leave the barricade up? What if those that survived the battle earlier had returned? _Goddess_ , what if they chose to return now?

The ground beneath Link rumbled as, suddenly, several Gorons rolled by. He was surprised to see Yunobo among them. The Gorons immediately started grabbing pieces of the old barricade and other rubble. They, even Yunobo, ran into the midst of the monsters, trying to slow the flow, using the boards and furniture as mobile barricades.

Link threw himself back into the battle, destroying monster after monster, trying to clear a path for the Gorons. Monsters already began to set upon them, but their thick hides and even thicker backs made them resilient. The Gorons lashed out with whatever pieces of rubble and refuse they were carrying, sending the undead creatures flying.

Suddenly, a sharpened stick rammed into Link's shoulder from behind, and he cried out in pain. He slashed with his sword blindly behind him, catching something. He spun to see the lizalfo fall to the ground, twitching from a cut in its face.

Cursing, Link reached back and yanked the stick from his shoulder and then used it to run a bokoblin through between the eyes. It did not, unfortunately, stop it, though it did throw it off balance considerably. He finished it off with the Master Sword.

The Gorons were making a difference. Already, the pieces of wood and stone they found were piled high enough that the monsters had to climb over it to enter the town. Meanwhile, the word about removing heads had apparently spread to the other defenders. The Zora that used spears were at a disadvantage, but many of them had paired off—one to pin the monster and the other to hack at it with the sharped edge of their spearheads.

Something rumbled on the other side of the wall, and Link tensed, fearing what would come next. A moment later, a weakened section of wall _burst_ in. Standing just on its other side was another hinox. This one didn't even have an eye remaining, though its empty eye cavity still glowed with a dangerous red light.

More monsters began to flow in through this new hole. Screaming in fury, Link ran directly into their midst, sweeping his sword in wide arcs, cutting down dozens before he reached the opening and sliced his sword through the hinox's thighs. It fell, but the damage was done. No longer restricted to just one large entrance, monsters flooded towards this new opening.

And Link stood in their way.

He fought desperately, all finesse gone from his movements as he hacked at the creatures racing towards him. Soon, his cause was taken up by others—Gerudo and Zora who realized that they would be quickly overrun if they didn't hold this spot. Others began to bring what could be salvaged for a new barricade.

"Oh, _no_ ," he heard Zelda say. "Link, the villagers!"

He pulled back, letting his spot by filled by an eager Gerudo who swung about with her great sword.

"What? I sent them to the hill!"

"There are more monsters—from the beach! They're climbing the hill now!"

Link's blood ran cold. The lizalfos from the beach. The ones that Link and Sidon had killed before the battle.

He turned and began racing up the hill. As he did so, he saw that a disturbed cookfire had caught one of the houses on fire, the flames already having spread to its roof. He couldn't worry about that now. He continued to sprint through the city until he reached its center, near the inn.

Monsters had completely overrun this area, having made it past the meager defenses to the north. Cursing, Link glanced towards the hill and saw shadowy forms racing up it towards its peak.

 _No! I'll never catch them in time! I can't—_

His eyes widened, and he grabbed the Sheikah Slate off his belt. He triggered its teleportation circle just as a moblin charged at him, holding a Gerudo sword that it must have gotten off one of the bodies.

He burst into thousands of blue particles and reappeared, moments later, atop Purah's hill, on the circle in front of her hut.

Half of the moblin appeared with him.

Immediately, people began shrieking and running. The top of the hill was packed with the elderly, the young, and the injured. Anyone who could not still fight had fled here.

The half-moblin crawled towards Link on its arms, uttering a guttural sound that sounded unlike any moblin he'd ever heard. Its lower torso and legs had been left behind in the village. He turned the sword over in his hand and stabbed it down, into the moblin's back, and then began to shove past the crowd of people.

"Get back! Everybody get _back_! They're coming!"

More screams, more sobbing. Link saw Purah, who nursed a swollen cheek. Impa was nearby as well, with Paya standing in front of her, still dressed in the traditional Sheikah garb that she'd been wearing in the triage tent. She didn't even have her sword.

 _Oh, Goddess, the triage! Please send someone to protect them!_

He couldn't help them now. He could only hope that he wasn't the only one to think of them. He thought of Dorian and Rivan, and the dozens of others that were resting under the multi-colored canopies.

"Link!" Impa said in surprise as he pushed past them.

"Stay back!"

He found Riju near the edge of the hill, breathing heavily and likely having just ran up the hill. When she saw him, her eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"Link, what—"

"The Thunder Helm! Did it work?"

"No! It didn't do _anything_ to them! They just shook it off like it was nothing!"

Link cursed. "Where's Buliara?"

"Still down, fighting. I told her to stay behind since I was retreating to safety."

 _Damn. I could have used her help._

Link nodded, gritting his teeth. "Stay with the rest of the crowd. I… I'll protect you."

He hurried past her, reaching the path that led down the hill and starting down it. He met the first lizalfo at the first turn. They were already so _close_!

Cursing, Link swung his sword through its chest, only for another lizalfo to leap up from the ground below, landing next to him. Link cursed and dodged a spear thrust before slamming his sword into its open mouth.

Others came up behind it. Half a dozen of them rounded the corner and raced towards him on blisteringly fast legs. Link attacked them but was forced to take two steps back to catch one that tried to race past him.

He heard screams above—people who had noticed the lizalfos, or so he hoped. If any of them had already made it up past him…

"Zelda, tell me what's going on above! Are they safe?"

He received no answer.

" _Zelda_!"

She spoke again, but it was strained. She sounded as though she were in pain. " _Yes_! They're just—" She grunted and disappeared from his mind again.

"Zelda!"

When he received nothing further, he cursed and took another step back up the hill as three lizalfos rushed him, each wielded a different weapon. One of them threw a boomerang at him that left a deep gash in his right bicep. He cursed himself for not bringing a shield—he hadn't had time to retrieve it.

Monster after monster raced towards him, and Link was forced to give ground again, slowing inching his way back up the hill. What would happen when he got high enough that they could just leap up to the upper level? What if some of them started climbing?

A spear pierced his right shoulder, and Link screamed in pain, cutting the spear's haft in two and following up with a diagonal cut down the lizalfo's chest. He wrenched it out and threw it to the side, off the edge of the hill.

Another of the creatures leaped up from the ground beneath the hill. It lacked one of its arms and had a deep cut across its chest, where it had been killed earlier in the day. Link swiped at it, but missed, and it raced up the hill past him.

" _No!_ "

He slowed time and caught the foul beast just as it crested the hill. He rammed his sword into its back and then turned, watching with horror as the other lizalfos came up right behind him. A mere twenty feet away stood the crowd of villagers. Many of them began to scream as they saw the beasts.

Link threw himself forward again, swinging wildly with his shining sword, cutting down three as they attempted to race past him towards the villagers. He spun around, slicing through another two.

As he whirled, his sword shone even more brightly, and he saw a wave of white energy shoot out from his sword's edge in a circle. The monsters that it touched fell dead, as if cut, the black smoke spraying out from their mouths. Some of the light raced back towards the crowd, and he cried out as it washed over them.

Nothing happened, however. As it struck them, it merely dissipated harmlessly, as if it were no more than mist.

 _I have to keep them safe. I won't let you have them!_

Link cut and cut and cut and cut. Eventually, it wasn't just lizalfos that fell before his blade, but moblins and bokoblins too—others from the village had joined the lizalfos. Did the wall still hold? Did any of his defenders still remain alive? What about Yunobo, Sidon, and Teba? What about Kass, Nat, Robbie, Symin, Jerrin or any of the others that he hadn't yet seen? Did Buliara still fight below or had Riju lost her guard and companion?

He stood his ground, at the top of the hill, and he fought an unstoppable tide of monsters. Soon, he faced not just two or three at a time, but half a dozen that crowded their way up the narrow path, all wielding various weapons or fighting with their bare claws and teeth. Some missed limbs, others bore gaping cuts or holes. They all had wounds, yet they all lived on and fought. They didn't even seem that interested in him—their prey were the terrified villagers behind Link.

"You won't _have_ them!" he screamed as he swept his sword through the chest of a moblin. His sword burst with light, sending an arc of white energy into and through the moblin and into the bokoblin behind it, which fell as surely as if its head had been severed.

A lizalfo raced past him, and Link leaped to the side, stretching, straining and nicking its arm. It was enough. But, in that moment, a moblin rammed a spear in his gut and out his back.

"No!" someone cried. He thought that it might have been Zelda. He'd heard her cry like that once before.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

 _Goddess,_ please _!_

Link swept to the side, barely dodging another beam from the Guardian. He was the only one left. He saw no other soldiers on the field, and he'd strayed far from the wall, now fighting in the center of the Blatchery Plain. Beyond, he could see Guardians racing towards the wall and the few defenders that remained there. Some had already reached it and began to lift their spider-like legs to climb it. Once past the wall, they would continue on to Hateno Village.

The Master Sword was a leaden weight in his hand. It felt heavier than it had ever felt before—as unwieldly and unbalanced as a hunk of iron. The rust on the blade had spread further, brown tendrils reaching out to cover parts of it, like rot. Other pieces of the blade had broken free. He used it more as a club now than a sword.

The Guardian raced across the ground towards him, and Link ran towards it. Zelda was behind him, hiding behind the remains of one of the machines that he'd killed earlier. How many had he destroyed? A dozen? Two? It felt as though he'd been fighting for hours, though he was sure it was only minutes.

It was hopeless. He _couldn't_ keep fighting. His body screamed with every move. His left arm didn't even _work_ anymore, forcing him to clumsily use his right.

The Guardian shot fire at him, and Link spun to the side. The beam grazed his chest, searing through cloth and flesh. It burned through the strap on his sword's scabbard, and it fell off his back. He cried out in agony, yet he fought still. He reached it and hacked ineffectually at its leg. It swung its leg, catching him in the side and throwing him into the air.

"Link!" He heard Zelda cry.

He hit the ground and rolled. Somehow, he maintained his hold on the Master Sword.

The Guardian advanced on him, and he pushed himself up, groaning as his body rebelled. He wished he could _die_. But he couldn't. Not with Zelda so close. If he died, then they would fire on her next.

He roared in defiance and ran forward. As he approached the Guardian, its eye flashed with its deadly energy again. He kicked his legs out, sliding onto his back, passing under its huge base. It fired where he had just been, striking another of its kind just behind him.

Link rammed his Master Sword up into the circle of glowing blue energy at its bottom. It had the same effect as piercing the eye. At once, the Guardian grew rigged. He rolled to the side, barely clearing himself from under it when its legs collapsed, sending its body to the ground.

He kept rolling. The machine exploded, and his position low to the ground kept him from the brunt of it. Finally, he stopped and pushed himself to his feet, groaning. Another Guardian destroyed. Yet still, _so many_ remained.

He turned, seeing Zelda peering out from behind the dead Guardian, looking at him with fear. Grass everywhere around them burned, despite the rain.

 _I have to get her to safety. She needs to hide. A cave, the river, somewhere I—_

A Guardian shot him in the center of his back.

Link screamed as the beam carried him off his feet and towards Zelda. He hit the ground in a heap, rolling through a patch of burning grass, to end up lying on his back, staring up at the cloudy sky. His vision had gone dark at the edges.

 _No… No, I have to… Zelda… I have to get her to safety…_

He rolled onto his stomach, shaking fingers clawing at dirt and grass, searching. A moment later, he felt the hilt of the Master Sword, and he grasped it. Groaning, he began trying to push himself up.

Zelda was there. She wrapped her hands under his arms, helping him rise. But he couldn't. Not fully. He placed the sword's tip down, using it to push himself up to a kneeling position. He tried to stand, but he didn't have the strength left in his legs. Everything was going numb. He didn't feel his back anymore, nor his left arm.

Zelda gripped his shoulder tightly from behind. "Link, please. Save yourself. Go!"

 _Go? I can't… go. I have to… keep you safe…_

Everything was fuzzy. The edges of his vision darkened further, and he blinked his eyes, trying to focus on what Zelda was saying.

"I'll be fine! Don't _worry_ about me. You must run!"

 _Run…? I tried getting you to… run earlier. I can't… I can't run. Not while… **No**._

Groaning, Link pushed himself to his feet, wobbling and barely standing upright. His head spun, but he gritted his teeth, focusing on his pain rather than the growing numbness.

" _Please_ , Link, don't do this!"

He lifted his head, chest heaving, heart racing as if it knew its time was short. A Guardian climbed over a rock outcrop, and its head swiveled around, seeing them. Its red lights pulsed, and it approached closer.

In that moment, Link knew everything that he had done wrong in his life. The times that he didn't cherish with his mother, father, and sister. He should have made more time for Mipha before the end. And Daruk. He should have just been honest with Zelda from the beginning. Goddess, how things could have been different between them. So much time _wasted_.

He should have told Zelda that he loved her as soon as he'd known it. And he'd had so many chances. His greatest regret. Why had he waited so _long_?

He should have run away with her. Just taken her far away from her father, from this damn kingdom and its expectations. He'd let it all _burn_ , if it meant keeping her safe. He could have taken her away from these Guardians. From Ganon.

They could have been… happy. He thought that they could have been happy. They could have gotten married. Had children. Zelda could have taught them all about Sheikah technology and all of those little things in nature that she loved to study. And Link? He would have taught them how to cook, and the best ways to scale a tree. No more swords. No more fighting. No more death.

But it was all too late for that. He stared death in the face and accepted it. He had failed. His family. His kingdom. His Zelda. So often, he had lived in failure, and now he would die in failure as well. And his failure would kill her, too.

The Guardian raced forward, climbing onto the bodies of its fallen brethren, and rose up on its six legs, staring down at them. It paused, as if relishing this moment. And then its eye pulsed with energy.

Link opened his mouth to scream one last curse to the heavens, but no sound came out. He didn't even have the strength left for that.

" _No!_ " Zelda cried, and suddenly she was in front of him, hand raised towards the Guardian.

She _burst_ into golden light. All rips, tears, and grime on her dress disappeared in an instant, and she was pristine. Her hair flowed behind her, as if it had been caught by a strong breeze. And her hand… Her hand shone with powerful, blinding _light_.

From that hand, the golden-white light spread out in a dome that blossomed out in all directions, consuming everything around them. For several seconds, the only thing that Link could see was Zelda, standing with her arm outstretched, eyes wide with fear and determination, and that beautiful power, surrounding them.

Then the light faded, save for a single pillar of brilliance that stretched down from the heavens, bathing her in its golden hue. That, too, faded seconds later, though she kept her hand raised towards the Guardian.

The Guardian shook. Its lights flickered and then… went out. Its legs collapsed, and it teetered for a moment before careening back to sink into the wet earth. He saw something burst from it—a red-black mist that rose to the sky before fading.

Others around them fell in the same way. Every Guardian—every single one at the Blatchery Plain—collapsed, their life winking out.

It all happened in a wonderful, radiant moment.

 _She did it. She really… did it._

Link stared at her back, vision growing dark, save for her. He could still see her. His princess. His Goddess.

She lowered her hand, and he heard her say something, but he couldn't make it out. The world upended around him, and he collapsed to the ground, still holding the Master Sword in his right hand.

Zelda was there a moment later, kneeling in the dirt beside him, rolling him onto her lap. His eyelids flickered, and he could see her lips, her eyes, her hair.

 _I can go now, Zel… You've done it. You'll save us… all._

She spoke, but he couldn't hear anymore. He wished that he could hear her voice just one last time. To hear her speak his name. To hear her laugh. To hear her cry.

There had been good times, too, between his failures.

And then Link, hero, Bearer of the Master Sword, Champion of Hyrule, and friend of Zelda, was no more.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

" _Link!_ "

He _roared_. He would not die today. He would not die _again_. He would hear Zelda's voice. He would be reunited with her. He would _tell_ her everything that he had within him—all the things that he hadn't said!

 _And he would protect this land._

He cut the moblin in two and then wrenched the spear out of his gut. His wounds healed instantaneously with a rush of frigid cold. He swept his sword again and again, arcs of white light spraying out and washing over the monsters. They fell, each and every one.

They tried to get past him, but he didn't let them. He stood between them and their prey, slashing through their bodies as if they were made of paper. He moved like the wind. No, he _was_ the wind. Everything around him had slowed to a crawl—in this moment, his abilities knew no limit.

Rage fueled him. Rage at what was lost. Rage at his failures. Rage at Ganon for destroying so much of what he loved! Ganon thought he'd won, but Link would take it back. He would take _everything_ from that monster.

A massive figure raced up onto the hill. The lynel's head hung limply to the side, held on by only a little bit of muscle and sinew. A hole gaped in its chest, where Link had run it through. One of its front legs hung limply.

It looked down at him, its single eye glowing with red fury. It opened its mouth, and emitted a sound unlike anything Link had ever heard. It was a roar and a screech. And, in it, he heard a single word.

 _HERO._

The lynel raced for him, and Link met it before it could near the villagers. It swept one of its fists towards him, but he ducked under it, ramming his Master Sword up and into its torso. It shook, but did not immediately die. It tried grabbing him, but Link spun away again, leaving a gash on its army.

 _Why isn't it dying?_ he wondered, as he watched black mist spray forth from the two wounds. The creature still stood, baring its teeth on its lopsided head. It charged towards him.

Link ducked to the side and focused his mind on nothing else but this single monster. Everything stopped. Not even the wind blew. The lynel remained still, arms outstretched, reaching for him. Its mouth was open in a silent roar.

He attacked. He slashed, stabbed, cut, and bled this creature. He left gaping holes and open wounds all along its flank. He attacked and attacked until he had nothing left. Until time reasserted itself with a lurch.

Mist burst forth from the lynel in a cloud not unlike that which came from Ganon's blights. It rose above the lynel's body, swirling around itself, and began to take shape. It grew, black and red and grotesque, forming a pig-like face with tusks and glowing yellow eyes.

And then… it dissipated. The lynel collapsed to the ground, limp and dead. Other monsters that had arrived behind it, likewise, began to collapse, the light in their eyes going out.

Overhead, the moon shifted from red to a pale white.

 _It's over… They're safe. I… protected them._

With a soft groan, Link teetered and then fell, the blackness of exhaustion overtaking him.


	58. Chapter Fifty-Five

**So, after the last two chapters, I think Link deserves a break. Wouldn't you all agree? Well, here is that break! More or less. And let me just say that the response to the last two chapters has been insane. Not only did we break the daily hit records, but we also broke the review count record-first with the Battle for Hateno chapter and then again for the Blood Moon chapter! And I got called a bastard again! I _love_ it. Keep it up! **

**Speaking on the last chapter, I'm glad that so many people were on board with my rendition of the Blood Moon. I originally envisioned the chapter as a horror-themed chapter that would have taken place between the second and third Divine Beasts. Link would not have had his Master Sword yet, and it would have been even more... desperate. Certainly more people would have died, considering only Sidon and Yunobo would have been there to help, and I was even toying around with wiping Hateno Village off the map! I changed it (and almost cut it entirely) due to pacing issues, but if you all remember, Link went to Hateno Village following Death Mountain. It would have happened there! I'm much happier with where it ended up-and what ended up becoming an epic team-up of all four races. A prelude to the final battle!**

 **As for the zombies, I came up with that because I was trying to figure out a way to bring the stal- enemies into the story naturally. Mind you, none of those ended up really being stalfos, and they instead became something more like the cursed bokoblins from Skyward Sword (hated those things). So I don't know how it works as a horror chapter, but I'm very happy with the overall feel of it.**

 **As for this chapter... well, there is definitely one part in it that quite a few of you asked for after a certain scene from several chapters ago. Along with some much-needed closure on a few other things. And _next_ chapter... oh boy. It might be my favorite chapter in the novel. I _agonized_ over it to make sure I got it just right. **

**midnaisbae: Link didn't _cheat._ I based his sword beam off of Skyward Sword's Skyward Strike, which I _believe_ didn't require Link to be at full hearts to use. If it did... ****¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well! I'm pretty okay with subverting some stuff for the sake of storytelling. And yes! These chapters have all been pre-written. I finished the last chapter of the novel the first week of September, however I am still making edits and tweaks as I go on. For example, I wrote an additional conversation _and_ an entire extra scene last night for this one when I realized that it was missing some important things. Up until September, I was usually about 15-20 chapters ahead of posting.**

 **KNSLWRATH: The significance of Link holding the sword in his right hand is really just a nod to the game itself, which depicted Link as being right-handed. I prefer Link to be left-handed, personally, and have written him as such (and have to constantly remind myself while choreographing fight scenes, since I am _not_ left-handed). But that memory in the game has him holding it in his right hand, so I decided to give him a reason to do so! And I'm glad you like my version of Link and Zelda so much! They are the two characters that had to be spot-on, since so much of the story hinges on them (and my version focuses even more heavily on them than the game).**

 **iCards: I used to have that poster! I've always wanted to play _that_ game. If I ever wrote an OoT novel (which won't ever happen!), I would definitely find a way to write that scene into reality... And oh yeah, Zelda wasn't about to make Link face all that alone! **

**Michy21: Yeah! That's pretty much exactly what I did after writing it! I had to take a break to let the adrenaline rush pass. Probably didn't help that I was listening to epic battle music the entire time writing. And I'm glad you liked the memory. That was a tough one to write. Not because I had trouble writing it, per se, but I just wanted to get it right. And I never really thought about it, but you're right! That memory was definitely more from Zelda's perspective than Link's. But that's why I left out the things like her speaking to the Master Sword and all-it made more sense to me to have him go unconscious.**

 **GiaKommo-o: Nah, no Champion's Ballad quests. I did consider it, and I really enjoyed the DLC quite a bit... but it just doesn't fit story-wise. However, I have incorporated much of the additional lore into this story. I think I've touched on pieces from each of the Champion's diaries quite a bit, and I even name-dropped the Master Cycle in the earlier chapters (though that was more an Easter Egg than any actual hint that it might be in the story).**

 **The Big Bad Wolf-9: I'll have to reread the chapter with that song playing and see what you mean... That was entirely unplanned! I was listening to epic battle music on Youtube when writing it. And as far as who screamed Link's name... I think there were likely a chorus of people screaming his name in that moment. I wrote it as Zelda, but it could have been Paya, Impa, Riju, or any of the rest of the gathered townspeople that knew him. More than one, for sure!**

 **Okay, this is getting long! No more. I'll let you all get to this chapter, as I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting it... So please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Five**

 _"I've prayed at the Spring of Courage and at the Spring of Power, yet neither awoke anything inside of me."_

The day had been… perfect. A truly perfect day. Their travel preparations were complete. The other Champions—those that had shown up, at least, damn that Rito—had arrived. And Link managed to convince Zelda to go riding with him.

It was only _supposed_ to be an early morning ride. Link knew that Zelda was excited to spend time with Urbosa and hadn't intended on taking her away for the whole day. But, as they'd ridden out, he let Zelda choose their direction and pace, and she just kept going. She'd laughed, looking freer than she had for days, her hair streaming out behind her as she galloped Storm over fields and through streams of water.

 _"But maybe up there… Perhaps the Spring of Wisdom, the final of the three, will be the one."_

He'd meant it as an early birthday present, since her actual birthday would be spent traveling in the direction of Mount Lanayru. Tensions were high at the castle. He still didn't think she'd spoken to her father since he berated her outside of her tower. And the priests were… well, the less he thought about them, the better.

Link figured that she would enjoy some time away. In the castle, Zelda seemed to suffocate—especially now that she had been forbidden from her studies. She spent days locked away in her room, only coming out to pray. She didn't even visit the library anymore. He and the priests were often the only people that she saw during the day.

But out in the wild, she came alive. She was like a different person. Vibrant. Happy. She was always beautiful, but the grass, the trees, and the flowers accentuated that beauty to an otherworldly degree. Her eyes, her smile, her skin, her hair.

 _"To be honest, I have no real reason to think that will be the case. But there's always a chance that the next moment will change everything."_

He loved her.

It was painful for him to admit, but he'd given up trying to pretend otherwise. He knew that there wasn't the likelihood of a future for them. He was a knight—and not a highly placed one, at that. She, a princess. Perhaps, if the Calamity arrived and he defeated it, then his status would be elevated enough… But no. That was like wishing to break one's arm to get out of sword practice. Foolish.

But… he allowed himself to dream on days such as this. When they laughed together. When they confided secrets to each other. When they walked together. When they laid together in the grass, looking up at the clouds, and spoke of a future without this burden hanging over them.

On days such as this, he allowed himself to dream that she loved him back. That when she saw him, she saw not a close friend, not a hero, not the Champion… He dreamed that she saw a man. A lover. Maybe even a husband. A companion for the rest of time.

But all good days must, eventually, come to an end.

 _"Tomorrow… is my seventeenth birthday."_

Tomorrow, they would begin their journey to Mount Lanayru. It would take several days to arrive, but Zelda insisted that they not _leave_ until she turned seventeen. That was important to her. She would not risk even that.

And so, with a heavy heart, Link finally insisted that they needed to go back to the castle. He'd promised Aryll that he would cook dinner for them tonight. He would spend just a little more time with her before they left on this next journey.

Maybe he would pick up a trinket from Kakariko Village for her on the way back. She always loved their carvings.

But there was one last thing that he needed to do first.

"Princess, are you… going to be retiring to your quarters?" he asked, careful to show proper deference now that they were near the stables, where any number of servants could overhear him. The rumors lately were getting even more salacious. Not that this would, honestly, help prevent them.

Zelda turned and looked to him, curiously. "I was going to—" She hesitated, seeing his insistent expression. "Oh. Um, yes. That is where I am going right now."

Link nodded. "Very well. There is something that I need to retrieve, and then I will meet you there."

She frowned in confusion, but Link said nothing more, bowing and then hurrying off into the castle.

He made his way through the castle at a controlled pace, not wanting to seem too rushed. Too excited. But each moment apart from her felt like a lifetime.

 _Goddess, now I sound like Rao. I probably got that from one of his stupid songs._

He tried not to think about the Sheikah poet, or the way that his songs and poetry seemed to capture what Link felt far more eloquently than he, himself, could ever hope to put into words. At the very least, he was fairly certain that Zelda wasn't interested in the Sheikah. He knew that Rao had done some research on some Sheikah Shrines with her, but that had been before he and Zelda even began traveling together. She rarely remarked upon him.

Link finally made it to the place he'd hidden the object. It wouldn't have done to keep it in his room—he'd chosen an interior room close to Zelda's, and it had no windows. So, he kept it in a secluded place in one of the other towers. The room was used for storage, and people rarely frequented it. The dust on the floor had been disturbed by the many times he'd visited this room over the past weeks, but everything else was how it should have been.

He retrieved the object he came for, carefully setting it inside of a simple sack that he'd found. This way, no one would comment on him walking through the castle with it in the direction of Zelda's room.

 _Oh, the rumors that it would cause… Of course, what else is new? I can't even glance in her direction without the maids giggling and whispering to each other lately._

He'd even been questioned by some curious knights last week. Apparently, the rumors were spreading. They would have to do something about it, but… what? What, exactly, could they do to stop such things from being said?

Finally, he set off for Zelda's bedroom. He stuck to the upper levels of the castle, making his way through its labyrinthian halls until, finally, arriving at her door. He carefully shifted his package behind his back in one hand, and with the other, he lifted a hand to knock.

The door opened before he could knock twice.

Zelda stood there, no longer in her riding attire, but in a simple dress. It wasn't her prayer dress, thankfully, but it was just as beautiful on her. She'd brushed her hair, too. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked out at him. She'd gotten changed surprisingly quickly.

"Ahh, yes. Sir Link. So, you are here."

Why did she sound so… nervous?

"Yes, princess." He glanced to the side. Some servants were further down the hall, but they weren't looking in their direction. "I… had something that I wished to discuss with you, if now is a good time."

Her eyebrows quirked up. They'd spent the _day_ discussing things. But she didn't voice that question, instead smiling graciously at him and stepping back from her door. "Please."

 _Maybe I should have done this somewhere else. In the garden? No, too public. I should have done it while we were out riding, but then it might have been damaged…_

It was too late to change course now. He nodded and stepped into her room, careful to keep her from seeing what he hid behind his back.

Zelda gently shut the door behind her and then turned, looking at him with a frown. "What are you doing?"

Link chuckled. "I am keeping up appearances."

"Yes, but… what are you doing? What couldn't you discuss with me while we were out riding today?"

Link took a deep breath. A steadying breath. His heart raced traitorously in his chest. "It's not… I have something that I would like to give you. For your birthday."

Her cheeks flushed deeper. "Oh. That is—"

She cut off as he pulled the sack from around his back and walked to her tea table, gently setting it down before stepping back and nodding to her. "I figured we wouldn't have much time tomorrow."

She eyed him curiously, seemingly unsure of what to make of this interaction with him. In truth, Link didn't know what to make of it, either. He was acting brashly. Far too familiarly, even for them. He was… too close to revealing the truth.

But, at that moment, he didn't care.

Finally, Zelda stepped up to the table and pinched the top of the sack, lifting it off of the object underneath. And there, sitting on the table, in a simple flower pot, was a beautiful Silent Princess flower, fully bloomed and healthy.

Zelda's breath caught, and she lifted a hand to her breast, staring at the flower with wide eyes. "Link…"

He slowly stepped up to the table, looking at her. She looked up at him, eyes wide.

"It is beautiful, but…" She bit her lip, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows. "It is a wonderful gift, thank you."

Link's heart sank. Was it a poor gift? "I… You seemed to like that one we found in the field so much, and I thought…" He trailed off. Goddess, this _was_ a bad idea.

"No, I do!" Zelda said, quickly. "It's just… well… Now that it has been potted, the flower will die soon. No one has ever gotten them to survive more than a couple of days out of the wild."

"That one has survived for over a month."

"What?" She looked back up at him, her frown deepening. "What do you mean?"

Link shook his head. He hadn't known what to expect. After that day with her and Aryll, he'd thought repeatedly about that simple flower. Unable to flourish anywhere but in the wild. The comparison to Zelda was unmistakable.

And so, one morning after their trip to the Spring of Power, before the sun had even risen, Link rode back out and retrieved it. He expected it to die quickly, as Zelda indicated it would, but it hadn't.

"That flower has been alive in the northeast tower for over a month now."

Zelda was silent for a long time. He could tell that she was thinking through what he'd said. That spot between her eyebrows was crinkled in exactly the same way it was whenever she was working through a difficult puzzle. It wasn't a frown, but more a look of concentration. He'd learned to pick out the difference.

Finally, her curiosity got the better of her, and she quickly took out the Sheikah Slate, snapping a photograph of the flower. Then she leaned in close, inspecting it.

"Where did you get it?"

"The Irch Plain."

She paused, looking back up at him. "The same one?"

He nodded. She frowned even deeper, looking back at the flower. She took one of its petals between her fingers, gently rubbing it.

"It _is_ a Silent Princess… How did you care for it?"

Link rubbed the back of his neck. "I… watered it. And gave it direct sunlight." That was about all he'd been able to get out of the royal gardener when he'd asked about caring for flowers. The man had acted _threatened_ by Link's questions.

"Yes, but what _else_ did you do? You must have done something special."

"I… watered it every day?"

"Did you _feed_ it anything special?"

"You can feed flowers?"

"Link, be serious, I need to know everything that you did!"

"I _am_ being serious."

She looked at him, exasperated. "Link, these don't survive in this condition. _Period_. Countless attempts have been made to cultivate them. They won't even survive in a garden, much less in a _pot_."

"Zelda, I just did what I told you. I retrieved the flower, I put it in a pot, and I watered it. Every day."

Her fingers twitched, as if she desperately needed to be writing something down. Did she even realize that she did that?

"Okay, then… what kind of soil did you use?"

Link shrugged. "Dirt."

"But where did you get the dirt _from_?"

"Well, _some_ of it is the dirt it was sitting in… And the rest, I dug up from the gardens. Don't tell the gardener, though—he's been looking for moles for weeks."

"And you… kept it in the tower?"

"Mm-hmm."

"But… they've tried that. They've tried different altitudes and dirt compositions. They've tried using the dirt from where the flowers grew in the wild. They've done experiments with different nutrients and levels of sunlight…"

Link smiled, amused. "I didn't know that people did so many experiments on flowers…"

"Well, of course, they do. People do experiments on everything." She looked back down at the flower, growing quiet. She ran a gentle finger over its petal again. "Link, I don't… I don't know what you did, but this shouldn't be… _possible_."

"Yeah, well, there are a lot of things that shouldn't _be_ but are, regardless."

Zelda's breath caught. Link felt a flush rising up his neck. _That_ had been an incredibly forward and _foolish_ thing for him to say.

"What… do you mean?" She didn't look at him, eyes still focused on the flower before her.

Link swallowed. "I don't…"

She rose, turning to look at him. Her eyes held a question. "What else shouldn't be?" Her voice was breathless. He saw a pink flush rising on her cheeks.

His hands twitched. _What else shouldn't be? Every thought I have of reaching out to you. Holding you. Kissing you. Telling you how much I—_

No.

"It just… sounded like the right thing to say. I don't know."

She continued to meet his eyes for a time, and then, finally, she exhaled slowly. Some of the tension left the room, but he couldn't help but to think that she looked… disappointed. But that could have also been his own wishful thinking.

Zelda turned back to look at the flower. "How did you know it would survive?"

"I really didn't. I actually expected it to die, though I didn't know how long it would take. But… there's always the chance that the next moment will change everything, right?"

Her eyes widened briefly before closing. A warm smile appeared on her lips. "Yes. Yes, you're right…"

They remained like that for a time. Finally, Link cleared his throat. "I'd… better get back to town. Aryll is going to scold me for getting home so late."

"Oh!" Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly nodded. "Of course. We—we wouldn't want that now. Please—tell her that I said hello."

"I will. I, uh… happy birthday, Zelda."

"Thank you, Link. This has been a very… special day. I am very glad you convinced me to go with you."

The room got much warmer as she said that, and he smiled, embarrassed. "Well, what kind of knight would I be, if I didn't look out for your well-being?"

"Of course."

After saying a final good-bye, he stepped towards her door, opening it.

"Link?"

He paused, looking back at her. Her back was still turned towards him. She was gazing down at the Silent Princess.

"Maybe there _are_ things that shouldn't be, but I'm happy they are. I'm… very happy they are."

He closed the door, mind spinning and heart racing.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

He awoke to the feeling of a cool, damp cloth upon his forehead.

Link groaned softly, his eyes fluttering open. Whoever was wiping his forehead gasped and pulled back. It took a moment for his vision to clear, but when it did, he found Paya standing over him, the wet cloth held tightly in her hand.

"Paya, what…" He paused, taking in the rest of his surroundings. The bed, the beige walls, the rafters… "My house?"

"O-oh, yes. We thought that you would be most comfortable here."

"We?"

"Grandmother and I. And Aunt Purah—she's the one who showed us where it was."

As the memories of the distant past faded, they were replaced by much more recent events. He gasped and sat upright, though doing so immediately sent the world spinning around him. He groaned and reached up, pressing a hand to his head.

"Careful!" Paya said, voice growing sharper. "You might not be back to full strength yet!"

"What… happened?" Link finally asked, when the room settled again. "I remember the blood moon and… fighting."

The dead lynel. The endless waves of monsters. The villagers to his back, helpless as he, alone, stood between them and destruction. The way his strange power had… peaked, somehow.

"You protected us," she said, breathlessly. "I'd never… The way that you…"

He waited for her to continue, but she apparently didn't know what else to say. So, finally, he asked, "What about the others? Those at the gates? Did they survive?" So many monsters had rushed up the hill towards them.

Paya nodded quickly. "We suffered some losses, of course, but the monsters didn't seem very interested in fighting them. They just… tried to get to the hill. To us."

Link understood. "They were being controlled by Ganon." Paya's eyes widened. "I think that he must have known that he couldn't defeat us in time, but maybe… maybe he thought by killing the helpless, he could…"

 _Break me again._

Paya was silent for a time. "It was…" She released a shaky breath, eyes growing distant. "Terrifying. But you—" She stopped, face turning red. She quickly looked away from him, pressing her hands to her cheeks. "When you arrived, I… I knew we would be safe."

Link smiled fondly at her embarrassment. She could be incredibly endearing. "How long was I out?"

"All night and most of the day."

"I need to get moving, then." He threw off the blankets, and Paya yelped.

"L-Link!"

He looked down at himself. He wasn't wearing a shirt _or_ pants. He only had on his pair of undershorts.

"I didn't _know_ ," he protested, pulling the covers back over himself. "Where are my clothes?"

She pointed to his small bedside table, where a fresh Champion's tunic had been laid out for him, along with clean trousers. And then she quickly hurried downstairs so he could get changed.

He rose from the bed, still feeling weaker than normal, but strong enough to move around now. He quickly donned the clothing and found his boots at the foot of his bed. They had been scrubbed of all of the grime from the battle. The Master Sword hung from a hook on his wall, and his shield sat against the wall right below it.

When he was dressed and wearing his gear, he made his way down the stairs, surprised to see that a table with chairs now sat in the middle of the room below. Impa, Purah, and Robbie all sat around the table. Paya wasn't in the room, and he supposed that she might have left to give them privacy.

"Click, snap, there he is!" Purah said, grinning up at him when she saw him.

Impa looked up at him from her seat and smiled warmly. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Link. You had us worried."

"Nonsense," Robbie said. "There wasn't a scratch on him after the battle!"

"You weren't _there_ ," Purah said. "I swear, I watched him get run _through_ by a spear. His tunic was even torn in the front and back!"

Link absently reached down, touching his belly, where the spear had pierced him. He glanced back up to see Impa eyeing him curiously.

"There are some things that you haven't told us."

Link walked to the table and sat heavily in the last remaining chair, sighing.

"Yeah, like how you can survive being _stabbed_ and move faster than the blink of an eye," Purah said. "And how you can look so…" She waved her hands at him. " _That_ after what we all just went through."

He raised an eyebrow towards Purah but decided to ignore that comment. Instead, he looked at Impa. "Mipha. When I freed her, she somehow gave me her healing power. It doesn't usually… work _that_ effectively. But it interacts strangely with the Master Sword sometimes."

"Very useful," Impa said, nodding. "And what of your… speed? Purah is not exaggerating—you moved faster than I've ever seen someone move before. When that lynel showed up, you—"

" _Hell_ , I don't know _what_ you did to it!" Purah said, cutting Impa off. "One second, it was charging you, and the next its entire side was open and spraying Malice."

Link shrugged, not really sure what to say. "It's just… something I can do. I've been able to do it for a long time, though I didn't really know how to control it until recently. But, when I concentrate during a battle, I can… slow everything else around me."

" _Fascinating_ ," Robbie said, leaning forward. "I've heard of this before—time dilation."

"That's what that Yiga master called it."

"Yes, that doesn't surprise me. The question is—why do _you_ know how to do it? From what I understand, it is an ancient Sheikah technique. One that I only know about from a mere scrap that mentions it—the only that I've ever found. It easily predates the previous iteration of Calamity Ganon."

Link fell silent for a time. Finally, he shook her head. "I don't know. But I think I've been using it all my life. It's… stronger now than it used to be."

"Well, of course. It's probably like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it will become." Robbie tapped his fingers on the table for a moment and then hopped down from his chair. "I need to write this down."

Impa cleared her throat, looking at Link. "What you did last night was… incredible. You slew well over two hundred monsters on the hill—and that isn't counting those that you were responsible for at the gate and elsewhere."

 _Two hundred?_

"The Master Sword helped. It could kill them with even the slightest nick."

Purah snorted. "Oh, yes. You win a fight against hundreds of monsters single-handedly, come out without a scratch on you, and you give your sword the credit."

"I was _stabbed_. Repeatedly!"

"Still, Purah is right. Even after everything you've accomplished, the skill that you showed last night was… unlike anything I have ever seen or heard of. I believe that you are ready to end this."

Link hesitated. "How long will it take to get things ready? To move the armies and prepare… whatever it is that you are preparing?"

"Two weeks." Impa pursed her lips. "Many will arrive sooner, but the bulk of the Hylians and Sheikah will not have horses. Even without taking extensive supplies, it will take at least that."

Link swore softly and then looked at Purah. "And what about you? Do you think you'll be able to retake control of the Guardians?"

Purah tapped a pencil on the table for a few moments. "I _think_ so. But this is complicated stuff! Snap, this isn't something we can just solve overnight—even _with_ those books." She glanced at Impa. "Two weeks, though? Assuming that our theories are spot on, then yes. I think so."

Link nodded slowly. "Then we attack in two weeks. That'll be plenty of time for the Divine Beasts to get into place, too. Maybe too _much_ time."

Robbie looked up from the bag that he was rustling through. He finally came up with a pad of paper. "Do you think Ganon will break free before then?"

"I… don't know. Zelda says that he's preparing for my arrival. But he's not fighting to escape now like he was."

Purah's eyes narrowed. "Okay, I need you to explain. What do you mean that she is telling you all of this?"

Impa gasped. "She was _with_ you in the battle, wasn't she?"

Link hesitated, looking down and studying the grain of the wood for a time. "Yes. For a while, she was. She can… speak to me, at times. She's the one who told me that they were going for the hill."

There was silence at the table for a time. Purah and Impa looked at each other, their expressions difficult to read. Finally, Impa looked back to Link. "Some villagers saw her with you."

" _What_?"

"It is something that I heard following the battle. Some in the crowd claimed to have seen a woman floating in the air just above you while you fought. I did not think much of it at the time—a hallucination, perhaps—but now I wonder if they were seeing her."

Link didn't reply for a long time. Had she been there—that close—throughout the fight? Had she been subtly helping him during it? He hadn't _felt_ her, but his mind had been focused on the task at hand.

" _So_ …" Purah said, drawing out the vowel. "You're able to talk to her right now? And she can see you?"

"She can see me at least some of the time. She… comes and goes."

"But she can actually _see_ you?"

"Yes."

"So, we can say with _confidence_ that Zelda has seen you nude." Purah looked over at Robbie. "That means I _win_."

Robbie looked confused, head turning to glance at Link and Purah. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Our bet!"

"Bet?"

"Oh, come _on_ , Robbie—you don't remember our bet? I bet you that Zelda totally got the chance to see Link in the buff."

"You _what_?" Link said, alarmed.

Robbie frowned at her and then his eyes widened. "Ahh! Purah, I _hardly_ think that this counts!"

"Nope, it counts. You owe me fifty rupees."

"No. No, I think that Princess Zelda's current state as a disembodied, semi-deific being is beyond the scope of that bet. And that was over one hundred years ago!"

"Wait, why would you bet that?" Link demanded. "Why would Zelda have—"

"Oh, stop being so flustered, Linky! You two were traveling around a lot together, and we just had a friendly wager going on… I bet Robbie that Zelda would come across you naked at _least_ once. Bonus, if it was intentional. _Which_ … if she's been watching you, then I would call that intentional. Robbie, you old fart, you owe me _seventy-five_ rupees!"

Impa groaned softly, reaching up and rubbing her forehead. "Honestly, Purah, we have much more important things to be—"

"What _other_ bets did you have going on?" Link asked, cutting Impa off.

Purah hummed for a second, bobbing her head from side to side as she thought. "Well, there was also the bet that you would sneak a glimpse at Zelda while she was bathing."

" _What_? I wouldn't—"

"And then I bet Rao once that you two probably snuggled up together to keep warm—he _hated_ that."

"You can't be serious."

She began ticking off on her fingers as she continued. "I also bet one of the maids that she would run off on you at _least_ twice."

"You won _that_ one."

"And I tried getting Impa to bet that you two would end up having sex, but she yelled at me pretty good for it."

Link felt his face turn a deep shade of red, and he stammered, struggling to articulate a proper response for this.

Impa cleared her throat, pursing her lips at Purah. "Are you finished, dear sister?"

Purah thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged. She turned back to Robbie. "Cough up the gems, old man!" Robbie scowled at her and then reached down into his bag.

Impa looked at Link, her expression serious. "Now, I _do_ have an important question for you, Link."

Link licked his lips, trying not to think on Purah's _bets_. "What is it?"

Impa gave Purah a sidelong look and then her lips twitched into a mischievous smile. "Who _would_ have won that bet?"

Purah screamed with laughter, and Impa cackled. Link groaned, lowering his face into his hands. "Can we _drop_ this? Please?"

Impa chortled and waved her hand. "Of course, of course. I am just…" She exhaled slowly. "I am excited to see the end of all of this. To see the princess again. It makes me feel… younger."

"You know, I can make that a reality," Purah said, eyes twinkling. "Just a little trip up to my lab and you'll have all the guys looking at you again."

" _No_."

Purah shrugged. "If you say so, little sister. Personally, I think it's great. You realize that I can basically live forever, right?"

Link cleared his throat loudly, silencing the discussion before it could go any further. He sat up straighter and hoped that his flush had faded. "I've got one last thing that I want to do before the attack."

"Oh?" Robbie asked. "What is that?"

"I want to make a trip to Mount Lanayru. To the Spring of Wisdom."

Purah quirked an eyebrow and then leaned forward, tapping the table with a long nail. "Why? _Did_ you—"

" _No_." Link felt his neck growing warm again, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "But… it's a gap in my memories that I want to fill. Ganon rose right after that, right? I'd… like to see what happened those last few days before everything went wrong. I think it will help."

"How much do you remember now, Link?" Impa asked.

"I know a lot now, and more comes back every day. But that… I think going there will help."

Impa nodded slowly. "It seems reasonable. There isn't much else you can do now at least until the Divine Beasts arrive. But are you certain you wish to relive that again? I imagine that some of those memories—especially the ones that follow—are… unpleasant."

He smiled somberly, eyes growing distant. "Yesterday, I remembered dying. I can hardly think it will be any more unpleasant than that."

Silence fell among the four at the table. Finally, Purah clapped her hands together. "Well, now that you've _completely_ ruined the mood, it's settled. Me and Robbie will keep working on the Guardians. Link will go on a quest to recover some memories. And Impa…" She looked at Impa, curiously.

Impa sighed softly. "I will return to Kakariko Village. I still have a people to lead. And a new era to prepare for. Link, I recommend that is where you begin your journey, as well. There is a path from Kakariko that leads to the mountain."

"Snap, sounds like we've got a _plan_."

* * *

Making his way through the village today was even more uncomfortable than yesterday. Yesterday, the people had praised Link as a hero. After the previous night's battle, he felt that he had taken on an even more… _legendary_ status in their eyes. Even Nat, who rarely seemed to let his deeds affect how she treated him, just watched him as he walked past.

 _There was a time that I longed for a quiet life,_ he thought, a wry quirk to his lips. _Even before the Calamity, I didn't_ want _to be the hero. But I suspect that someone would tell me that was a heroic quality in itself._

The village had suffered even more damage in the battle the night prior than he'd realized. Several of the homes and shops had burned down after the initial fire, the structures no more than blackened skeletons now. It would take a long time for things to be rebuilt, and Link doubted it would ever be back to the way it was.

The bodies, at least, had been cleared away, though the gruesome work left many of the townspeople and warriors that he saw looking haggard. They'd likely been up much of the night while he rested.

He glanced up towards the hill behind the village. From this distance, it looked pristine. But he could still remember seeing it the night before—a line of lizalfos sprinting up it to reach Purah's lab. What a nightmare that had been.

"Link!"

He looked around and spotted Sidon emerging from the triage. Much of the color had returned to his scales, and he walked tall with the Lightscale trident held casually in one hand. Link smiled broadly and hurried over to him.

"Sidon, I'm glad to see you made it through all right." He grasped his friend's hand tightly.

"Oh, most of us came out of that just fine. Those… things were difficult to kill, but not very skilled in combat. Most of them didn't even have weapons."

"What about the triage?"

"We protected them, of course. Did you think we wouldn't?"

Link laughed softly and shook his head. "No, I know you wouldn't have let anything happen to them. I just… last night is a blur."

"I'd imagine it was, especially for you. The stories that I've been hearing—"

"Don't worry about those. What about your guards? Did they all make it out?"

"Save for a few new scars, they're all right. Bazz is already going on about how the cut in his fin will make him more attractive, and Rivan is determined to relearn how to fight with a sword so he can still serve in my guard with his missing arm. Gaddison somehow found time to make a necklace out of bokoblin horns."

"Good. Do you… know where the others are? The other…" He hesitated. What did he call his group of friends? Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju all helped him defeat the Divine Beasts. They were all, as far as he was concerned, worthy. "The other Champions."

"Oh, is _that_ what we are calling ourselves now?"

"Well, two of you are already learning how to control the Divine Beasts, and I'm sure the other two will be doing so as well."

"Hmm… An interesting point. Well, come. I just saw young Yunobo in the triage. I believe Teba already left to go back and rally the remainder of his warriors and inform Revali of the coming battle. Little Riju is still around here somewhere. I spoke to her earlier and she indicated that she would be traveling with her Gerudo warriors."

Link followed Sidon into the tent. A hush fell over the wounded as he entered, and he kept his face carefully neutral. Would these people ever be able to treat him like an ordinary man again?

He spotted Yunobo a moment later, sitting on the ground while a short Zora woman inspected his arm. The Goron saw him a moment later and raised that same arm in greeting, only to wince and lower it quickly, grimacing.

Link made his way over. "What happened to you?"

Yunobo smiled broadly up at Link. "I got attacked by one of those moblins!"

"Oh. Is that… a good thing?"

"Yes! Because I didn't run away from it! I knew we had to keep blocking off that gate, so I just…" He used his other arm to make a fist and then a punching motion. "I mean, it got right back up and then someone cut off its head, but I still fought back!"

Link laughed, reaching out and patting Yunobo on the shoulder. "Daruk would be proud. How is your arm?"

Yunobo glanced towards where the Zora was inspecting what appeared to be a deep cut along his bicep. He blanched and quickly looked away. "It's… _okay_. It's not that bad, really."

"Well, don't overdo it."

He remained by Yunobo's side for several minutes before, finally, bidding the Goron farewell and moving onto another of the tent's occupants. Dorian lay on the ground, being tended to by an older Sheikah woman, but his eyes widened when he saw Link. With a soft groan, he pushed himself up to a seated position.

"Master Link," he said as Link knelt beside him. "It's good to see you walking about."

"The same to you," Link said. "When I saw you last, Paya was worrying… well, I'm glad to see you came out of the fight all right."

Dorian nodded, but then winced, reaching up to prod his forehead gently. "As well as can be expected, I suppose." He hesitated and then glanced back at the Sheikah woman. "Please, I'm feeling fine. Why don't you go check on someone else?"

The woman pursed her wrinkled lips, but then turned, walking away to another Sheikah whose torso was wrapped with bandages. Dorian watched her for a moment before looking back at Link.

"I apologize, Master Link, but I must ask you… Before the battle began, you told Lady Impa something. You said that the Yiga Clan had been defeated. Is that true?"

Link met his eyes, searching. The things that he'd seen in the hideout… Had Dorian once truly believed those things? Had he known all along about the Yiga's experiments with Guardian technology? Had he worshipped Ganon? It all seemed so… unlike this reliable, kindly man.

"They are, as far as I know. I'm sure some still survive—I'll probably have to keep an eye out for retaliation, now that I think about it. But… Kohga is dead. And the Gerudo killed a lot of them. Hopefully enough to break the organization."

Dorian closed his eyes tightly and his expression showed some of the emotion that he was repressing. Finally, when he spoke again, his voice came out thick and halted. "Thank you. You… I know that this likely means little in the face of everything, but your actions have likely ensured that my daughters will be safe. I had feared that I would have to take them and run when the Yiga got wind of my… betrayal."

Link smiled faintly and reached out, squeezing Dorian's shoulder. "I'm glad I could help."

The older man's eyes shot open, and he reached up, placing his hand over Link's. "Master Link, if there is anything you ever need—anything at all—please do not hesitate to ask. I will forever be in your debt for what you have done."

Link swallowed and nodded, not sure what to say. Finally, he bid Dorian farewell, standing back up and finding Sidon speaking with one of the Zora healers, who looked quite flustered to have the prince speaking to her. When he saw Link, however, he smiled and disengaged before tilting his head towards another of the tent's occupants.

"Ahh, Link. Prince Sidon. It is wonderful to see you both again," Kass said, bowing slightly toward the prince as they approached.

Sidon clapped a hand on Kass' shoulder. "Kass! How's my song coming along?"

"I'm still writing it, unfortunately. As you can imagine, there has been quite a few events as of late that I have begun writing songs for." The Rito glanced at Link, beaming.

Sidon laughed. "Splendid! I look forward to hearing all _about_ Link's misadventures once this is through."

"And I assure you that I will make my first stop Zora's Domain. It would only be right, as that was where this all began—and where we all had our own first adventure."

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Sidon said.

"I don't," Link said. "It feels like years ago to me, by now."

Kass chuckled. "You have certainly done enough in the last three months to earn such a statement. Speaking of that, when you have a chance, I would love to hear about your experiences in the Gerudo desert."

Link grimaced slightly. "There are parts that I would really like to leave out of song."

"You mean the part where you had to dress up as a woman?" Sidon asked.

"Riju _told_ you?"

Kass' eyes widened. "Oh, now, I _do_ need to hear this story. Please, Link—I promise you that I will not put this into any of the epics sung about you." He paused. "Now, the comedies, however…"

Link groaned. "No. Nope. I don't want anyone to be singing about what a cute Hylian vai I made."

Sidon laughed. "Oh, you should hear some of the Gerudo talk about you already! Many of them seem to be very taken with you."

"I'm going to have a very stern conversation with Riju about this."

Both Kass and Sidon chuckled, and Link soon relaxed. They spoke for several minutes, during which time Link _did_ relay some of his experiences in the desert, including his first experiences with Gerudo hospitality—and their prison. Finally, however, he sighed.

"I actually came by to tell you that I'm going to be leaving for a time."

"Oh?" Kass asked.

Link nodded. "There is one last thing I have to do before the end. One more… missing piece that I need to collect."

"Regarding your memories?"

Link nodded.

Kass smiled in that knowing way of his, and Link frowned slightly.

"And you know something, don't you?"

"About?"

Link gave him a flat look, and Kass laughed.

"Ahh… You mean you and the princess. I wondered when you might finally ask me."

"I…"

"Tell me, friend. What of _your_ feelings on this matter? Have you come to a conclusion, yourself?"

Link hesitated. He wondered if Zelda was watching him now. If she could hear him. In that moment, he decided that he didn't want to admit his feelings for her to Kass. Not like this. Besides, the Rito had _clearly_ known about them long before he even had.

"I have," was all he said.

Kass smiled warmly. "And would it not be better for you to hear of these things from the princess, herself?"

Link felt heat rise up the back of his neck, and he cleared his throat. "Right, you are, as usual." He paused, and then his eyes widened, a thought occurring to him. "Oh! I know a bit about your teacher, Kass."

"Really? What did you remember about him?"

"That I didn't like him," Link said, chuckling. "The man was far too good with words."

Kass chuckled merrily and reached out, placing a wing on Link's shoulder. "Yet it was he that was most jealous of you."

"I guess you're right." Link smirked, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Perhaps rightfully so."

Finally, he left Kass behind to continue his music for the injured. Sidon walked back out into the sunlight with him.

"I… have no idea what any of that was about," Sidon said, looking down at Link.

Link laughed. "And I'm going to keep it that way. Sorry."

"No, no, it is quite all right." Sidon's smile grew wistful. "I will be going back to Zora's Domain soon, to join Mipha upon Ruta for its march on Central Hyrule. I am glad to have had a chance to see you before I left."

"Me too, Sidon. Thank you for everything. We wouldn't have survived without you and your warriors."

Sidon grinned. "Of course, my friend! And it goes without saying—anytime you should need aid, we will provide it again."

"Same here."

"I suppose I shall see you in, what, two weeks?"

Link nodded, his smile fading. "Two weeks."

Sidon held out his hand, and Link grasped it firmly. "When we meet again, Link."

* * *

He found Riju standing near a series of pyres just outside of Hateno Village, Buliara at her side, along with Captain Teake and Liana, and many other Gerudo warriors. Each fallen Gerudo had been placed on her own wooden pyre. There were at least twenty of the pyres lined up in rows, and the smoke from each rose into the sky in thick, black columns before mingling together and blowing away with a breeze.

An older Gerudo spoke just loudly enough that the gathered Gerudo could hear, but Link couldn't understand her. The funeral rites were in their native Gerudo tongue.

He watched, solemn, as the other Gerudo repeated certain phrases together and then a group of them, each dressed in ceremonial golden armor, slammed the butts of spears to the ground rhythmically. Each thud felt like a blow to Link. He had protected many… but not all. He would never be able to protect everyone, no matter how hard he tried.

It took several minutes before the funeral rites were completed. By the end, each of the pyres were fully ablaze, the orange flames rising high into the sky. Riju did not move or shift during it, standing straight and regal in far more formal attire than he'd ever seen her in. Gone were the sand seal-patterned skirts, replaced by a dark, nearly black skirt, adorned with the symbol of the Gerudo. She wore golden armor on her shoulders, like her Gerudo warriors, and the crown glimmered prominently upon her head.

As the last words were spoken by the Gerudo elder, the gathered women all raised their heads, ululating. And then the gathering broke. Some women turned while others remained close, holding small pouches that he assumed would be used to gather the ashes.

Link didn't approach the gathering, fearing what it would do to him to be that close to those whom he'd failed. He knew, logically, that such thoughts were wrong. These were warriors who fought for a just cause. They fought to save lives, just as he did. Yet… the fact that they had to fight at all still bothered him.

Eventually Riju turned. Her expression was stoic and far older-looking than he was used to seeing. She saw him, meeting his eyes, and nodded. She glanced up towards Buliara, speaking softly, and the tall guard glanced over as well. She looked at Link appraisingly before turning her face back down to Riju and nodding.

Riju left the gathering—and Buliara—and made her way over to where Link stood. "I'm happy to see you awake," she said, giving him a solemn smile.

Link forced his gaze away from the burning pyres and met Riju's eyes. "Yeah, I…" The words died on his tongue. Why was this so difficult for him to face? "I wanted to come thank you. For…" His eyes darted back up to the crackling fires. "Everything."

"It was only natural that we would help. After all, you saved our people." She paused. "Link?"

His eyes found hers again. She frowned up at him. "Sorry, I…" How did he explain? How could he?

"Is the sight of the dead so difficult for you Hylians?"

The words, so blunt, were like a slap to his face. "What? No, it's not the death. It's just…" He exhaled slowly, looking away. "I'm responsible for them."

There was silence for a time. Long enough that Link began to grow concerned. He finally looked back down at her and was surprised to see that her expression had grown… angry. Her hands clenched into fists, and she looked ready to use them.

" _I_ am the Gerudo Chieftain." She met his eyes brazenly. "And my people are _my_ responsibility."

"I'm not saying that you—"

"Do not assume that you are responsible just because you needed our help." Her words were sharp, at complete odds with her small, childish frame. "You did not order my warriors into battle. _I_ did. Do you understand?"

He remained silent, not fully trusting his own words right now.

Riju glared at him, but then released a pent-up breath, relaxing her hands. "We achieved a great victory yesterday. Captain Teake warned me that it would be a difficult, likely impossible fight. I _knew_ that many would die. I was prepared to lose far more. I'm surprised that you weren't."

"It's not that… I _knew_ that some would die." He glanced back towards the pyres and spoke in a softer tone. "I just can't bear the thought."

"Well, that is stupid."

He looked back at her, eyebrows raising. "It's _stupid_? That I don't want people to die for me?"

"Yes."

" _Why_ is that stupid?"

"Because we are _at war_ , are we not? People will die. And what makes you think they died for _you_? That's stupid too! They died to protect these people. And, as your villagers are still alive, they did not die in vain."

Her words brought back memories of his battle on the Blatchery Plains. He'd fought to protect the towns beyond Fort Hateno, and he'd fought to protect Zelda. Ultimately, though he'd fallen, he had accomplished both, had he not? At least, he had bought enough time for Zelda…

The image in his mind of her stepping out in front of him—protecting _him_ —blossomed again into his mind, and it was nearly enough to take his breath away. Why then? Why had her power awoken at that moment?

"Link?"

He came back to the present and focused, again, on Riju. He felt… different, suddenly. The deaths of the Gerudo bothered him, still, as did any fallen Zora, Gorons, Rito, Hylians, and Sheikah. Yet… her words rang true. None of it had been in vain. Still, he had to know something.

"How… how do you make that decision, Riju?"

"To send my warriors to their deaths?" He nodded, and she frowned, looking down. In that moment, she seemed to shrink slightly. "We Gerudo will always do what needs done. That is not always easy, but necessary. And to try to spare my warriors from all harm would be a…" She struggled to find the right word. "Bad service? It would be a bad service to their dedication and skill."

"So, you accept their deaths because they are warriors?"

Riju remained silent for a time, and Link thought that he saw some of her own conflict on her expression. This _was_ a burden to her, and a difficult one for someone so young to bear. Yet, bear it, she did.

He didn't think he would ever look at her as merely a child again.

"To achieve victory, sacrifices must be made. This Calamity Ganon… If it breaks free again, it will not merely stop at your Hylian lands. It will eventually come for the Gerudo, too. Stopping that from happening is worth any sacrifice."

"And saving the village?"

A look of annoyance passed over her face. "I already _told_ you. You saved us, too. If you hadn't come to the desert, we would have never stopped Naboris. _Far_ more than that—" She pointed at the funeral pyres. "—would have died. Do you think the Gerudo would not seek to repay our debt?"

Link remained silent, frowning. Those words still made _him_ feel somewhat responsible, though he understood her meaning.

"Besides…" Riju looked away from him, face softening. "You are not the only one who wishes to protect innocents."

"Thanks, Riju. I doubt we would have made it without your help."

She smirked slightly and nodded. "True. Our debt has been repaid, then." She paused and looked up at him. "But… that does not mean that we will not provide aid in the coming battle and in your rebuilding efforts."

He smiled, standing just a little taller. Rebuilding. A life after Ganon. It was not such a distant hope any longer.

He remained with Riju for a short time after before, finally, bidding her farewell. She turned back to her people that remained, and he began walking away.

"Link!"

He stopped as Buliara walked up to him. Her armor pieces were polished to a golden sheen, and she had gotten a new claymore at some point, which she wore, rather than carried in hand. When she reached him, she looked down at him, her expression serious.

But then, finally, she reached up to forearm and removed one of her golden vambraces. He held it out to Link, which he took with a frown, turning it over in his hands.

"I don't understand," he said, finally.

Buliara's nostrils flared with irritation. "Lady Riju told me of what you did upon the hill. You protected her in my absence. And… you did so other times, as well. I have not forgotten."

"I… thanks, Buliara. But I still don't—"

She snorted. "The armor I wear signifies that I am the chief's personal guard and attendant. She may have other guards, but only _I_ have the honor of wearing it." She paused. "Now do you understand?"

"Yes." Link held the piece of armor a little more reverently. "Thanks, Buliara. It's an honor."

She nodded curtly and then held out her hand. He reached out, grasping her forearm, meeting her eyes.

"I will see you upon the battlefield," she said before releasing him.

"Yeah. I'll see you there."


	59. Chapter Fifty-Six

**So... someone asked me for a bonus chapter, and I said, "Be careful what you wish for!" I loved writing this chapter. It went through tons of revisions (or, at least, the last two scenes in it did). And I'm quite excited to see what you all think of it!** **But I fear that it might be a long wait until Tuesday for the next one...**

 **Lord Halcyon: You might be right about some Sheikah and Zora being willing to de-age themselves... But I'm afraid that Purah has no idea yet how her de-aging rune would work on the Zora! For that matter, it didn't seem to me that she had it properly set-up yet to control how young people got when using it... More experiments may be needed before turning it on other races! And... you might be surprised about what happens in this chapter.**

 **iCards: Hmm... that Silent Princess is an oddity. How could it survive so long? I have a theory that it has a lot to do with Zelda herself and her power. As for how Link kept it alive... well, he's got a bit of that power too, doesn't he? The Master Sword was, after all, created by the goddess... I figure that, as well as the proximity to Zelda and her own latent powers was enough to keep it alive. And yes! That chapter was the break! Because _this_ chapter sure isn't. Fun fact: that Riju scene didn't exist three days ago! I realized that I needed something was missing, though, and wrote that up just a couple days ago. The chapter previously ended with Sidon and Link's final conversation.**

 **midnaisbae: Rhoam had other things on his mind! Perhaps he expected that Link would always be a perfect gentleman. Maybe he asked Link's father if he was trustworthy... Who knows? And Zelda is definitely very confused as to why Link has suddenly shown amazing skill at cultivating an impossible flower! Little does she know that she's part of the reason he was able to do it at all...**

 **heartnut: I think Riju would be well-adjusted to the idea to sending warriors to their deaths. Perhaps not used to actually _doing_ it, but well-prepared for the possibility, at least. Doesn't mean it doesn't take its toll on her, though. As for what awaits Link... Let's just say that it might be surprising.**

 **Meyssa: Thank you so much! These past few chapters are, in my opinion, some of the most intense moments in the novel, though I hope the chapters to come can match them! There are certainly some big moments on the way...**

 **All right, let's get this party started. Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Six**

"Tell me, Link," Mipha asked, as she wove some of the river grasses into a kind of circlet. "How have your travels with the princess been going?"

Link sat by the riverbank with his bare toes in the cool water. Autumn was upon them in full now. He wished they could have traveled to the mountain during the summer—it would be _bitterly_ cold up there. He hoped that Zelda wouldn't insist on wearing that prayer dress of hers.

"Oh, things have gone… well." Link glanced at her, smiling. "We get along all right."

The Zora princess looked at him, eyes narrowed slightly. "There's something that you aren't telling me."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Am I that transparent?"

She nodded. He supposed that he appreciated her honesty.

Finally, he sighed, looking at the river water as it burbled by. He tried not to glance to the right, where a copse of trees blocked his view of the river around the bend—where he knew Zelda was bathing, with Urbosa keeping watch. It was best not to think about Zelda bathing. Not after—

He looked back at Mipha. "We're friends," he said, simply. It was a true enough statement.

"Are you… just friends?"

Link snorted softly. "She's a princess."

"That doesn't _matter_." Her expression had grown oddly haughty. Why had that irritated her? "And that _wasn't_ an answer."

"We're… friends, Mipha. I am her knight, and she is my charge. Anything beyond friendship would be inappropriate."

Mipha hummed a response softly, looking back at her hands to inspect the grass circlet that she worked on. Link was surprised at its intricacy. She had even woven little river flowers into it, which formed spots of color almost like little beads.

They sat in comfortable silence for a time, and Link watched as small fish swam around his feet. The sun dipped low in the distance, and a pleasant breeze blew down off the mountains. They were still at least a four-day journey from the base of the mountain, and another day to climb it, at the minimum. They would arrive in Kakariko Village tomorrow. Tonight, however, they would camp under the stars. There was talk about building a way-stop near here in the future.

"You know… I've often wondered why the princess chose me to pilot Ruta," Mipha said after a time.

Link glanced at her but said nothing.

As he knew she would, Mipha continued. "I am not our most skilled warrior. Someone like Seggin, really, would be a much _better_ choice."

Link snorted. "That grouch? I can't see him learning all of Ruta's intricacies like you have."

"She's not so difficult, when you understand her. I'm sure Seggin could have learned, in time."

"Do you _really_ think that? Or are you just being modest?"

Mipha paused for a moment, and then she gave him a small smile. "I suppose it _is_ difficult to imagine someone like Seggin handling something as delicate as Ruta."

"Only _you_ would call a towering machine with the power to create giant ice weapons delicate."

"That's not true," Mipha said, protesting. "The princess called it that, as well."

"And that's probably why she chose you." Link flicked his big toe in the water, scattering some of the minnows that swam close. "You understand your Divine Beast better than anyone else could have."

"Perhaps. But, still, it is flattering that she chose me."

"You're a _princess_."

"So?" She looked at him, her expression holding a challenge. "I _am_ a princess, but I am also just a person. Just like Princess Zelda is, in fact. Despite her rank and title, she is here, too, sleeping under the same stars we are.

"Being royalty doesn't mean you can expect greater things from them. There have been plenty of terrible royals throughout both of our histories. Being a princess doesn't mean that I would be the best candidate to pilot Ruta—as we just discussed. So that is why I'm flattered. Because…" Mipha hesitated, looking down at her woven crown. "I am sure that she understands that just as acutely as I do."

Link remained silent for several moments, turning her words over in his head. They came uncomfortably close to some of his own struggles to even see Zelda as a princess anymore. He often only saw the woman now. And that was dangerous.

"Well…" he said. "It never surprised me even for a moment to hear you were chosen." He stood, shaking his feet off above the river. "Come on, we should get back to camp. Zelda doesn't usually take very long to bathe—especially not with how cold that water is—and the soup should be ready by now."

He held his hand out to her, but Mipha looked up at him, her expression difficult to read. He thought that he saw sorrow in it, but that could have been a trick of the light. He was about to ask, but then she smiled and reached up, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

They made their way back to the small camp, where a number of simple tents had been erected. As expected, Zelda had already returned from her bath, wearing a pink dress that was still slightly damp. It clung to her form in a way that Link couldn't help but to notice, especially in the light of the fire. She sat on a stump, running a brush through her wet hair.

"Ah!" she said, when she saw him come into the camp. She smiled, meeting his eyes, though an odd look of uncertainty passed over her expression when she saw Mipha step into camp behind him. That disappeared quickly, though Link filed it away to consider later. "I was wondering when you would get back. I'm hungry."

"You know, _any_ of you could have checked on the soup…" Link said, grumbling, though inwardly, he felt his heart lift at the subtle praise.

"You wouldn't have wanted _me_ to check it," Daruk said, lounging back against a stone. Link noticed that several chunks of the stone had been broken off—the Goron had started eating without them, it would seem.

"No. Not you. Last time I left you watching over my food, you put rocks in it."

"It was much better that way!"

"I nearly broke a _tooth_."

"You Hylians need to grow better teeth."

Link grinned at Daruk, and the Goron grinned back. He walked over to the pot, lifting the lid. The fragrant aroma that met him told him all he needed to know. He knelt down, using a spoon to stir the mixture of fish, vegetables, and spices around. Finally, he lifted it to his lips, taking a slow sip.

"It's done."

Link began to fill each of their bowls, save for Daruk, who merely broke off another rock with a flat chisel and munched on it loudly. He passed a bowl to each of them, and then went to his pack, pulling out a loaf of bread.

"Now, I suggest dipping the bread in the soup." He handed chunks of the bread out as well. "I think they'll go well together." He reached Zelda, and she smiled warmly up at him. When she took the bread, he felt her fingers brush his, and something like an electric shock raced up his arm.

"It is amazing," Urbosa said, a few minutes later. "that you haven't made Zelda fat with your cooking." She had taken to his cooking with surprising gusto. The Gerudo was not usually very fond of fish, but she seemed not to mind them as much when Link was cooking.

"Oh, I don't eat _that_ much," Zelda said, holding her second bowl. She was wearing Mipha's woven circlet. "Besides, Link is very conscientious about what he puts in his dishes. He's always going on about the right balance between good taste and nutrition."

Link felt his cheeks warm, and he stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth to keep himself from grinning _too_ much. He felt Mipha's eyes on him, and he glanced towards her briefly.

"I don't know…" Urbosa said, tapping her lips with her spoon. "It's possible that you _have_ put on a little bit of weight since you started traveling together."

Zelda gasped, and then her eyes narrowed. "Well, we can't _all_ blessed with Gerudo height and perfect _abs_."

Link laughed, spitting some chunks of bread out of his mouth in the process. Both Urbosa and Zelda turned to look at him in surprise. He flushed and quickly covered his mouth, swallowing the bread down. "Sorry."

Urbosa smirked at him for a moment longer, eyes twinkling with mischief. Finally, she looked at Zelda. "You know I am only teasing you. You look perfectly fit and as beautiful as ever." She paused. "Wouldn't you agree, Link?"

 _Oh,_ hell _. Damn you, Urbosa._

He shoved another piece of bread in his mouth, glancing between Urbosa and Zelda, who now _both_ looked at him far too expectantly. He'd almost forgotten much these two—especially Urbosa—liked to tease him while together.

"Mm-hmm." He nodded, still chewing his overlarge piece of bread.

He couldn't tell due to the fire's glow, but he thought Zelda might have blushed. His thoughts traveled back to that moment in her bedroom, as he was leaving. Her comment about being happy for things that shouldn't be. It could have been innocuous. It could have just been about the flower. It _could_ have.

It didn't have to mean that she shared his feelings, even though he suspected that is exactly what it meant.

Daruk crunched— _loudly_ —down on another rock behind him and stirred Link out of his thoughts. He'd been staring at Zelda, and he was fairly certain that everyone in the camp had noticed. Well, perhaps everyone but Daruk.

He quickly scooped more of his soup into his mouth, not looking up again until well after he heard Zelda and Urbosa resume speaking with each other.

* * *

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* * *

Link sat atop Spirit before an ancient stone archway nestled in the canyon made by two ranges of peaks and plateaus. Moss grew along the stone, and vines hung down like little, green ribbons. Overhead, clouds had gathered, and Link thought that it looked as though it might start to rain.

Beyond the archway lay a bridge that stretched along the canyon wall. He could remember seeing this bridge in another of his memories. It took him a moment to place it, but they hadn't been far from here when the four Champions had each split off to go to their respective Divine Beasts.

It was here that Link had last seen the Champions alive. His heart clenched, and he gripped Spirit's reins tightly, lowering his head and allowing his hood to cast his face in shadow. He wished that he had spent more time saying farewell to each of them. He wished that he had understood Mipha's feelings for him, and that he could have told Urbosa how much he respected her loyalty and dedication to Zelda. He wished he could have hugged Daruk and thanked him for always treating him the same, before and after he drew the Master Sword. He even wished he could have seen Revali one last time, if only to tell him…

Well, Link didn't really know what he would say to Revali.

He remained there for a long time, reliving the cherished moments he had with each of them. The countless memories that he had now of spending summers with Mipha in Zora's Domain as a child and then as an adolescent. Those had stopped, eventually, as his duties under Sir Russell took priority, but he would always remember them fondly.

He could also remember sparring with Daruk. The huge Goron happily fought with Link, letting him test out new moves and techniques to be used when fighting larger foes. Link knew now that many of his abilities to handle creatures like a hinox or lynel came from those sparring sessions. And, afterwards, they would always go rest their weary muscles in the hot springs.

He remembered trading jabs with Revali—less so at the beginning, but he'd been freer with his tongue near the end. He never truly understood the Rito, however, though Link thought he did now. The pride, the jealousy, was a part of who Revali was, and that was fine. Link could still appreciate having him as an ally and, perhaps, even a companion, regardless of whether or not they could ever be friends.

He remembered how Urbosa always enjoyed walking barefoot through the grass, since the grasses in the desert were often razor sharp and the sands were either too hot or too infested with dangerous creatures. And he remembered how she would speak to Zelda, eyes so warm, expression so compassionate. Zelda was the daughter she never had, and Urbosa was fiercely loyal to her.

"I miss them," he whispered. Zelda didn't respond, but that was all right.

Finally, he urged Spirit forward, out onto the bridge.

* * *

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* * *

"You know, this place is still a mystery to us," Zelda said as she walked along the bridge, Link by her side.

They had set up camp underneath a large alcove in the canyon wall, where an upper walkway had once stretched from this bridge over to the stone structures on the other side of the canyon. The walkway was broken now, though Link could tell that Zelda itched to find a way to cross it anyway so she could study the carvings on the other side. If Revali had actually been there, then perhaps she would have enlisted his help.

Daruk and Mipha had already gone to sleep for the night, though Link suspected Urbosa was still awake. He'd heard her and Zelda talking just a short time before the princess asked him to go for a walk with her. Link was awake, because he always went to sleep after Zelda. It was a habit born out of the days back when she liked to sneak off, but it was one that persisted for other reasons now. He liked to make sure she was safe.

"How old is it?" Link asked, looking out. Where they were, canyon walls opened up, revealing a magnificent, if crumbling, series of structures. Huge stone pillars rose out of the water, and Link could tell that there had once been bridges connecting many of these old buildings. There was even a waterfall directly across from them, and Link saw what he thought might have been viewing platforms facing it.

"We don't know." Zelda stepped back and sat down on the lip of the bridge, her back against the canyon wall. "It is thousands of years old. Likely pre-dating the scission between the Royal Family and the Sheikah." She looked at him. "Before the _last_ time Calamity Ganon rose."

Her words and the tone with which she spoke sent a small shiver down Link's spine. He heard fear there. Dread. They were getting close to the mountain now. Tomorrow, they would camp at its base and say farewell to the Champions. Then, together, Link and Zelda would climb to the peak alone.

"Do you know why it was built?" he asked, hoping to keep her mind focused on the things that interested her.

Zelda shook her head, frowning slightly. "There are theories, of course, but it is difficult to say. It wasn't built by the Zonai tribe, but we don't know _who_ built it, exactly. Likely Hylians, I suppose. Despite its proximity to the current Kakariko Village, the Sheikah didn't live here before their falling out with the Royal Family."

He walked over and sat down next to her, leaning his head back against the rock. He looked up at the stars overhead. "So, nothing in that library of yours that talks about it?"

She inched closer to them until their arms brushed against each other. It _was_ a chilly night, he reasoned. "There are a lot of books in the library that talk about it, certainly. But none that have any definitive conclusions. Instead, the scholars mostly just bicker and argue about what it once was."

Link looked down at her. "And what about you? What does Zelda, the scholar, think?"

Her lips pulled into a smile. "Well… I think this is far, _far_ older than most scholars place it."

"How old do you say?"

"I think it is from prehistorical times. Before the kingdom. There are markings—" She sat forward a little, pointing at a distant spot. "up there that I've seen sketches of. They depict great birds and people riding on their backs."

"People flying on _birds_?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow. "What, birds like Rito?"

Zelda leaned back, and this time she even leaned into him some. "Something else. Perhaps an ancient species that died a long time ago. You've heard the myths of the people from the skies, haven't you?"

"No, but I have a feeling I'm about to find out."

She laughed softly. "Of course, you are. Legends say that, once, there were a people that came from the sky. They flew on the backs of enormous birds and lived among the dragons. But, one day, they came down to Hyrule—here the legends diverge. Some say that they came to conquer Hyrule, and its inhabitants fought them off. Others say that they came to help us against a great ca—" She paused, and Link knew why. She'd been about to say _calamity_. "Evil. They helped us and, afterwards, went back to their city in the sky, where they watch over us to this day."

"Hmm… And do you believe that?"

Zelda shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a legend, really. Probably _born_ of markings like the ones up there. But those markings came from somewhere, didn't they?"

"True. But you never told me what you thought this place was."

She shifted, grunting, and apparently trying to get comfortable. What was she—

He gave a start as she turned, grabbing his arm and placing it around her shoulder, before leaning back against him. She glanced up at him, and he could see her flush, even in the dim light. "I'm cold."

"I could get my cloak, if you—"

"This is fine."

His breath caught as she nestled further into his arm, which hung limply across her shoulder. He didn't dare move it.

"I think that this may have once been a place of worship. Or, perhaps, even just a place from which to view the mountain, and Naydra, of course."

"The dragon?"

She nodded. "She flies right over here. Every night, actually."

"I haven't seen her yet."

"We will."

 _Oh. So that's why—_

"And I also wonder if, just maybe, the people of the skies never actually left us," she said.

"Oh?"

"It's a silly thought, but… what if _we're_ the sky people?"

"And why do you think that?"

She paused for a long time. "I had a dream not that long ago. I dreamt of…" She cleared her throat, not looking at him. "You and I. Riding on the back of a bird, far above the clouds."

"Well, my mother _did_ always tell me that I had my head in the clouds…"

Zelda shook with quiet laughter. Finally, when she composed herself again, she said, "Yes, that _does_ sound like you. Link, the dreamer."

 _You have no idea, Zelda._

"So, you are basing this theory—which upends our _entire_ history, if I understand things correctly—on a dream you had recently?"

She scoffed. "Of course not. There is some anecdotal evidence that suggests it could have been possible. Those motifs came from _somewhere_ , after all, and there are other curious locations throughout Hyrule. I'm not the _only_ one to come up with this theory, either. There have been at least two other highly respected scholars that have suggested as much, as well."

"But your dream confirms it?"

"No, it was just…" She hesitated. "It was just a nice dream. I've been having a lot of bad ones lately."

Link frowned, looking down at her. "Like what?"

She exhaled slowly. "Like…" She trailed off, glancing up. A moment later, she gasped, her body stiffening. "Look! There she is."

Link glanced to the left, and his eyes widened as he saw the long, sinuous form of Naydra, the patron dragon of the Lanayru region. Her skin radiated with a pale blue-green light, while the series of spines that jutted out from her head like a mane and the ones that ran down her back were an icy blue. She undulated through the air, her many claws slowly moving, as if swimming.

The dragon circled Mount Lanayru's peak before slowly uncoiling and beginning towards the canyon and the Lanayru Promenade, as it was now called.

"She's _beautiful_ …" Zelda whispered, eyes wide.

Together, they watched as Naydra approached and eventually entered the canyon overhead. Link glanced over and saw that Urbosa had stepped out to watch further down the pathway. Mipha and Daruk had both emerged as well—she must have woken them. He wondered if he and Zelda should let their companions see them like this.

But then he decided that he really didn't give a damn.

Naydra slowly undulated through the air above them, causing a powerful wind to pick up and blow down the canyon. Zelda shivered, and Link, not even considering his actions, drew her in, gripping her shoulder.

The dragon continued down the canyon, never changing its speed or giving any indication why it was there. It just continued down the path, never veering from it, until it finally passed out of sight.

Zelda didn't pull away from him when the wind stopped blowing, nor did he loosen his grip.

"I'm scared," she finally said.

"I know." He paused. "Me too. But the next moment might change everything."

She was silent for several seconds after that, and then she leaned her head to the side, resting it on his shoulder. Despite everything in him that told him that this was wrong—despite his sense of duty and honor that _demanded_ he pull away—he only drew her in even tighter, enjoying the feel of her small, warm body pressed against his.

Eventually, he leaned his cheek against her head. And they remained like that for a long, long time.

* * *

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* * *

The next day, as the clouds overhead finally broke and rain began to fall, Link, now bundled in his thick Rito cloak, set back out with Spirit. He'd slept in the very same alcove that the five of them had shared one hundred years prior.

Naydra had flown over the night prior, just like in his memories, and Link had watched her pass, remembering the feel of Zelda under his arm. He itched to feel that again. The more he saw, the more he felt the need to have her back with him. He had felt this way since the beginning—since he first heard her voice waking him from his slumber—but it only grew stronger with every passing day.

 _Soon_ , he promised himself.

His priorities were mixed. His journey, his whole _purpose_ , was to save Hyrule. It was far larger than one woman. Yet when he imagined defeating Ganon, he didn't see the thousands of people that he saved or even the kingdom's rebuilding. He saw her, standing in a field of grass, smiling at him.

It drove him on.

He hadn't gotten Zelda to respond again to his speech. In fact, he hadn't heard her since the Blood Moon. He hoped that she hadn't been hurt. He could still remember the pain in her voice as she appeared to struggle in answering him.

 _Just two weeks. I know she can hold out for two more weeks._

Spirit clip-clopped his way up the stone bridge as it began to incline again. The bridge was incredibly long, and it took several hours before they reached the end. Finally, however, they passed under an arch similar to the one on the other side, and out into a large valley nestled between Mount Lanayru and Madorna Mountain.

The air was cooler here, despite the summer warmth, and the valley was overgrown with thick, verdant grass and a variety of trees, many of them bearing fruit. The rain drizzled down, dripping off the leaves in thin streams. Beyond the valley, Mount Lanayru rose, its snow-covered peak obscured by the thick clouds.

He passed through the valley, passing by numerous woodland animals as he did so. Deer were plentiful here, as were rabbits, foxes, and some boars. They seemed at peace here, and his intrusion on their home didn't scatter them as much as he would have expected.

The peace of the valley was almost broken when he saw a lynel in the distance. It was tall, proud, and covered in white and black fur. Link's initial instinct was to ready himself for combat. However, the lynel made no move to attack him, and Link didn't even see any weapons on its back. It merely watched him warily.

Finally, his neck prickling at the thought of turning his back on it, Link continued on. He circled back after a couple of miles to make sure the lynel hadn't followed him, but it hadn't. It appeared to be living in peace, enjoying the fruits of the valley, and Link felt no need to disrupt that.

He continued on until he reached a place at the other end of the valley, where the land began to slope up, and the grass transitioned to rock and, higher up, snow.

Here, he left Spirit, patting the horse's neck and removing his saddle. He wasn't worried about Spirit's safety. The horse had plenty of food and water here, and the lynel had been left behind hours ago. Even if the lynel _had_ followed, it appeared to be living at peace with the other animals—he doubted it would hurt Spirit.

"I'll be back in two days, boy," Link said, nuzzling Spirit's face. Then he took his pack and gear, and began to make his way up the mountain, clutching the cloak tightly around him as the drizzle continued to fall.

* * *

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* * *

True to his word, Revali swooped overhead and landed in front of them shortly after they passed into the valley. Link had wanted nothing more than to throttle the damn Rito, but Zelda had laid a calming hand on his arm, and then greeted him as warmly as any of the others.

"I am glad that you were able to make it, Revali," Zelda said, smiling warmly at him.

Revali fluttered his wings, and then bowed low, his beak almost touching the snowy ground. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the _world_." His voice was controlled, but Link thought that he caught a hint of disdain in it.

"Your timing is impeccable, as always. It is fortunate, too. I was worried, considering how taxing the flight must have been for you."

The insult was slight, and Link almost didn't catch it, largely in part with Zelda's light, airy tone. He wasn't even sure if Daruk or Mipha did, though Urbosa certainly did, considering she threw her head back and barked a laugh. Revali's feathers puffed out slightly, and he opened his beak to retort… though then, oddly, he appeared to decide otherwise. He inclined his head towards Zelda and then walked to join the Champions.

"Oh, _quiet_ ," he muttered to Urbosa, barely audible enough for Link to hear.

"Well, that was surprising," Link said softly, leaning closer to Zelda.

She smirked at him. "One picks up a few things in court politics. How to properly veil insults is one of them." She paused. "You're going to have to learn it, sometime."

His heart leaped. "Why is that?"

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "What? Do you think the bearer of the Master Sword will remain a member of the lower nobility for long?" She shook her head and continued walking forward, leading Storm by his reins. "No, I expect that you—and your house—will be elevated in status when this is all over."

That… gave him some pause. He'd considered it in the past, fantasized about it, scolded himself for it. But to hear her so casually mention it… It made his heart race. Not that it would place him and Zelda within the same standing, but he would certainly be closer. Maybe even close enough to…

She looked back at him, curious. "Are you just going to stand there?"

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Link pulled Epona forward until he took his place at Zelda's side. He glanced towards her. She had a small smile on her lips.

Zelda had been in a surprisingly good mood today, considering their proximity to the Spring of Wisdom. He had expected today to be a day spent in quiet reflection and anxiety, but she'd awoken early and greeted him with a warm smile that morning. She'd been excited to see snow so early in the season, and even threw a snowball at Daruk when the big Goron wasn't looking.

He began to see the anxiety settling in as they approached the base of the mountain, however. Her smiles faded, and Link saw her eyes continually flick towards the peak.

"You know…" he said as they neared the place they would make camp for the evening. They were riding on horseback now, their respective horses clopping along at an easy walking pace. Urbosa to Zelda's side, and both Daruk and Mipha walked. Revali—being Revali, and therefore, an ass—had announced that he was going to fly ahead and wait for them at the camp site.

She looked over at him, curious. "I know what?"

"Lord Link _does_ have a nice ring to it."

She frowned, confused by his sudden pronouncement. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I mean, when this is all over and my family gets elevated through the ranks of the nobility. I'll be _Lord_ Link, rather than just _Sir_ Link."

"Technically, you are _already_ a lord in the land your family manages."

Link snorted. "Somehow, I think if I tried getting old Mabel to call me lord, she would beat me over the head with a rolling pin."

Zelda smiled, eyes twinkling with renewed mischief. "And whose fault is that?"

He waved his hand. "Probably my grandfather's. He was the first among us that was knighted. Anyway, what kind of title do you think would be bestowed? Baron? Earl? Surely not _duke_?" As he spoke, he adopted a somewhat more refined tone, mimicking her own accent.

"And what would do with such a title?"

"I…" He hesitated, meeting her eyes. _I would probably ask you to marry me._ "I honestly have _no_ idea. What do the upper nobility do when they're not trading insults at balls? I feel like I should know this, being a lord and all, but I do not."

"Important work, I'm sure."

"Then I'll be a natural. I am, after all, considered to be a very important man in some circles."

"In some circles."

Link grinned at her. "They're usually full of people who don't know me very well. Once people get to know me and see just how much of an uncultured…" He paused, and Zelda looked at him expectantly. "I can't think of the word."

"Rube?"

"Rube? _That's_ the word you suggest?"

Zelda shrugged. "You _do_ smell like horse most of the time."

"I… I do, don't I?" He looked down, patting Epona on the neck.

"That's all right," she said, lifting her chin and causing her hair to shimmer behind her back. "I've grown fond of the smell of horses. I don't mind it at all."

"O-oh, right. Well, that's good and all…" Link tried to keep himself from showing just how much he hungered for more comments like that. "But I'm afraid the other nobility won't be impressed by my, ah, smell."

She looked back at him, face serene. "Well, it is a good thing that I am the only one you need to impress, then."

Link felt his face growing warm, and he opened his mouth to stammer out a reply, though he had no idea what to say. Zelda saved him from the necessity, however.

"Oh, there's Revali. I suppose this is where we will camp for the night," she said, pointing.

"Thank the ancestors," Urbosa said, smirking towards Zelda. Link hadn't noticed that she'd ridden closer to them. "If I had to hear you two and your awkward flirting for another minute…"

" _Urbosa_ ," Zelda hissed, eyes widening and cheeks reddening. "We were _not_ —"

Urbosa laughed and kicked her horse into a trot, passing by and riding to where Revali had set himself up a small canopy and already set up a fire.

Zelda drew her horse to a stop, glaring at Urbosa's back. Link stopped as well, and both Daruk and Mipha passed to his left. The Goron gave them a curious look, but Mipha walked very quickly, not looking at them for some reason.

"She… likes to tease far too much sometimes," Zelda said, cheeks still flushed.

"I hadn't noticed," Link said, dryly.

She looked back at him and opened her mouth, but then appeared to think better of it, closing it. He watched her struggle for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Well, come on. It's gotten cold, and that fire looks inviting. Besides—I'm hungry."

"Yes, your highness."

She gave him a withering look and urged her horse into motion. Link did the same, and they both moved to join up with the others.

* * *

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* * *

The next day brought with it more cloud cover, though no rain fell when Link started climbing the mountain. He'd donned his Rito boots and trousers, though he kept his Champion's tunic on for now. He would put the Rito tunic on as he got higher and the temperatures dropped.

As he set out, he found that he could faintly remember doing so with Zelda one hundred years prior. That morning had been a solemn good-bye, despite the other Champions' assurances that _this_ would surely be it. That when they saw Zelda next, they were confident that she would have her power.

Zelda hadn't believed them, but she forced up a brave face, anyway.

And, together, they made the trek up the mountain, following an ancient stone path that wound all the way up to the peak. It wasn't as large as some of the peaks in Hebra, nor as tall as Death Mountain, so they reached the top before the sun set.

As Link wound his way up the mountain on this day, he was struck by the loneliness of his journey. He tried, again, to speak to Zelda, but still, she didn't respond. He worried for her, but Ganon _hadn't_ broken free. He was confident in that much. So, she must have still been holding him back. Perhaps he had started to fight again, and all of her strength was needed there.

But he spoke to her, anyway, hoping that she could hear him. He told her of the new memories he was discovering, and how he hoped to learn even more. He spoke of how uncomfortable he was with the near-mythical status he had attained among the populace, especially the residents of Hateno Village. He even complained about the cold wind on the mountain.

And, finally, he reached a place where the mountain leveled off, near the peak, and there, before him, was the Spring of Wisdom.

Enormous pillars of ice surrounded the spring and formed its backdrop. The very peak of the mountain behind it was partially covered by these pillars of ice. There was no roof, not even any walls. Just a stone path with pools of water on either side. Much smaller stone pillars jutted out of the water, though these had been worn by age.

A small staircase led up to a dais, where four pillars once stood, though these had long-since broken and fallen into the pool of water before the dais. On either side of the raised dais was a small waterfall—the pool that housed the goddess statue at its center was even with the dais.

The water was shallow here, and he could see another stone walkway a few inches under its surface that led right up to the statue, which itself was raised out of the water. Link noticed an engraved stone just in front of the statue. It born a symbol—three circles that formed a triangle, each with a crescent facing out between them. He thought he recognized it. Had he seen it somewhere in Zora's Domain?

Link stepped onto the dais and knelt there, in the snow, looking at the statue of Hylia. "Are you there?" he whispered, staring into that face with its benevolent smile. He received no answer and expected none.

Sighing softly, he leaned forward and dipped a finger into the water, wondering just how cold this water must have been.

* * *

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* * *

Now that they had reached the spring, Link found that he wished they could have taken a little bit more time. Climbed a little more slowly. He should have distracted her. Derailed her, somehow. Another minute, another hour, another day, another _lifetime_.

But he hadn't.

He stood beside Zelda as she looked down the brick path, mostly covered by thick snow, and looked at her face, trying to judge the emotions she felt. She'd fallen almost completely silent as they neared the top. Her face was pale, save for her cheeks, which were red from the cold.

She wore thick Rito clothing, but he knew what was in her meager pack. She had already informed him that she _would_ be putting her prayer dress on, despite his protests. He hoped she would keep on a thick underlayer, at least, though he wasn't really sure how he could enforce that. Their relationship had taken a turn over the last few days, but it hadn't progressed _that_ much.

After several moments of watching her, he reached out and gripped her hand tightly in his own. She started and looked at him. He smiled at her. "I'll be here with you. You aren't alone."

He watched as a range of emotions passed over her face, each almost too fast to tell. Finally, she gave him a feeble smile, nodding. "Thank you."

He squeezed her hand once again and then released it. "Why don't I get us a fire started. It's damn cold up here, even with all these layers I'm wearing."

"Please do. That would be… good. Do you—do you think you could make us some supper before I begin?"

She sounded so hopeless. All of the smiles and bravado from the day before were gone, and all that was left was that small form that he'd held against him after watching the dragon pass them by. _Goddess, I hate this._

"You're kidding, right?" he said. "I would like to _see_ you try to keep me from feeding you to bursting tonight. Why, uh… why don't you pull out some of my utensils for me? I'll get started on the fire. I'll cook up that pheasant from earlier."

She knelt and began to go through his pack, pulling out the cooking utensils and ingredients while he cleared a patch of snow and set the wood he'd gathered on their way up down.

They worked in silence for a long time. More so than ever before, Link found that he didn't know what to say. Zelda looked as though she were preparing to face the headsman. This felt too much like a last meal. He couldn't come up with any clever tricks this time. No last-minute diversions.

So, he worked, and she worked, and together, they made the small camp where they would spend the night. There was only a single tent, but it would be large enough to hold them both. It sent his heart fluttering to think about it, but with temperatures as low as they would be this night, sleeping near each other was important for heat conservation.

Finally, when the fire crackled and melted the snow around it in a wet patch that soon dried, and the pan atop it sizzled with the fragrant smells of cooking pheasant, Zelda seemed to brighten some. She sat down before the fire and pulled off her gloves, warming her hands.

"Feel my hands," she said, reaching over and placing the back of her palm on Link's cheek.

He hissed and shied away. "Freezard hands! What are those gloves made of—paper?"

"My hands felt quite warm for most of the day. What about you? Are you staying warm?"

"I stopped feeling my extremities hours ago. I'm feeling _great_."

"I told you that you should have bought warmer clothing from that Rito merchant in town," she said, voice lifting in the hint of a lilt.

He snorted, reaching out with one of his utensils and turning some pieces of pheasant over. He had rubbed a variety of spices into the meat. Another pot held boiling water and rice. "I'm _fine_. Hylian-made cloaks are perfectly warm enough."

"Mm-hmm. How many layers do you have on right now?"

"I don't really see how that is relevant to this discussion. What is important is that each and every one of them was made by Hylian hands."

Zelda laughed, and Link's heart lifted. "Do you really love Hylian clothing that much, or is this just because you wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything Rito when Revali is around?"

"A little bit of both. Mostly the latter."

"You two are _incorrigible_."

"No, _he_ is incorrigible. I'm a rube, remember?"

She released a happy sigh and then scooted her way around the fire so that she sat next to him. She looked up at him. "You're not a rube. I think that you have more kindness and honor than any _ten_ men in my father's court."

Link opened his mouth to say something witty, but he suddenly found that no words came to his lips.

"You are far more patient than anyone I know, you're always looking for ways to help people—to help _me_ —and you bring… _hope_ to everyone you meet." Zelda looked down at her hands. "You are the very _embodiment_ of the spirit of the hero, in every way. Far better than I ever expected. And… you deserve to have a much more capable princess by your side."

Link reached out, taking her hands in his own, drawing them close. "Hey. Don't say that. That isn't true at all."

She looked at him, eyes searching. "Link, if Ganon comes back, I won't—there's _nothing_ I can—"

"Your powers _will_ awaken, Zelda. I know they will. I _believe_ in you. And, until they do… I'm going to be right here."

"And if they don't?"

"Then I guess you're going to be stuck with me for a long time."

She bit her lip, looking as though there were a hundred other things that she wanted to say. He didn't release her hands at first. Words spun through his own head. Things that he could say. Things that he _should_ say. Things he should do.

But, finally, he let go of her, and her hands returned to her lap.

They ate their supper quietly. Link tried to spark up conversation again several times, but nothing seemed to work anymore. Zelda had drawn into herself, and he could see the conflict in her emotions plainly visible in her expression.

After the meal was over, she finally rose, passing into their shared tent to change into her prayer dress. While she did that, Link began to add logs to the fire, building it up. Within a few minutes, it had grown in size, and burned hot enough that it was uncomfortable to sit close. He still doubted it would be enough to combat the icy chill of the spring.

Zelda emerged from the tent, her hair down, the dress reaching down to her calves. Her shoulders and arms were still bare, and with a start, Link saw that she wore her sandals. It didn't appear that she'd even kept any layers on under the dress.

"Zelda, you need to put some more clothes on under that. You're going to freeze."

She hesitated, looking at the frigid pool, and then shook her head. "This spring was set on the mountain for a reason. Maybe it's part of the trial."

Link stood, shaking his head. "No. I'm not going to let you give yourself frostbite just for—"

"I will do whatever I need to do!" Zelda snapped.

His mouth closed, cheeks reddening.

She sighed, reaching up and rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry, I… I will be careful, Link. I intend to begin my prayers on the dais. Hopefully, I will not even need to step into the pool."

He remained silent for a time and then nodded. "But if you start feeling too cold—if your fingers or toes start to tingle or burn—you need to get close to the fire." He paused. "And if I see any signs of frostbite or worse, I'll throw you over my shoulder and force you to get warm."

She smiled faintly. "That is _hardly_ appropriate treatment for a princess."

"When it comes to keeping you safe, propriety can _rot_."

Zelda's eyes lingered on his for a few seconds before she exhaled slowly and stepped forward, brushing past him. "You'll stay close, won't you?"

"I'll be right behind you."

She nodded and stepped up onto the snowy dais, her sandaled feet sinking down into the inch or so of snow that was on it. She stiffened, and Link heard her soft gasp as the cold hit her.

He released a sound not unlike a growl and moved past her onto the dais, kneeling on the ground. He began to brush the snow off the dais in a wide patch, using his bare hands to sweep it away. Finally, when he was satisfied that she wouldn't have to kneel in the snow, he stood back up, wiping his freezing hands off on his cloak. He looked at her, meeting her eyes, and nodded, before stepping back off the dais.

She watched him go and then stepped forward, kneeling carefully on the stone, looking up towards the statue of Hylia. Then she reached forward, dipping her fingers in the water. She stiffened as her fingers touched the icy water, but then she pulled her fingers out of the pool and allowed some of it to drip down onto her forehead. She gave a sharp intake of breath and shuddered.

Link watched all of this, lips pursed, and then looked up and met the benevolent stone eyes of the goddess, sending up a prayer of his own. That done, he reached back and slid the Master Sword out from its sheathe, spread his legs shoulder-width apart, and placed the sword's tip against the cold, snowy stone.

* * *

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* * *

"What was missing?" Link asked, kneeling on the stone and staring up at the statue. "Why not give her the power here? Now? Why make her go through such pain? Why make _all_ of us go through so much pain?"

The statue merely stood, as silent now as in his memories. Cold. Unfeeling. Empty.

Link scowled and reached over to a piece of stone from one of the broken pillars. He threw it at the statue, and it bounced off its face, harmless. The act did little to satisfy Link's frustration. Worse, it made him feel… childish.

Sighing, he rose, turning his back on the statue. He began to set out supplies for his camp. It was beginning to get dark, and he wanted to have it set and a fire burning before temperatures plummeted any further.

As he began to set up his tent, however, he looked out— _really_ looked out—and saw the eastern sea stretching out before him. Mount Lanayru bordered the sea, and from here, he could see for miles and miles. He saw no ships, nor indication that anyone sailed upon these waters anymore.

Seeing it made him think of his sister, which only darkened Link's mood further. If it hadn't been for Ganon, then she would have been a captain on a ship—he was certain of it. She would have, likely, sailed this very ocean. But Ganon killed her long before she ever had that chance.

And their _goddess_ had done nothing to stop it.

* * *

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* * *

Link watched her as she prayed. She had, like the other times, been at it for hours, offering her desperate supplication to Hylia for her blessing. She had, in his estimation, tried everything she could. She knelt on the stone. She lay prostrate. She stood in the frigid pool, and she knelt in it, too. He had been forced to demand she stop to warm herself by the fire repeatedly—a process he hated doing. She looked so dejected every time she finally succumbed to his insistence—as if she had failed a grand test.

Well, if that was Hylia's idea of a test, then she could rot with Ganon, for all he cared.

Now, however, Zelda simply stood on the stone dais. Snow gathered around her feet, flaking her hair and dress. He could see ice forming at the hem of her dress again—it hadn't fully dried the last time he forced her to sit by the fire. He couldn't tell if she were still shivering or not. Another minute, and he would be forced to drag her away again to get warm.

He only caught the occasional word. Her voice had grown hoarse, and she spoke much softer now than she had earlier in the night.

 _Why? Why won't you answer her?_ Link silently demanded, staring at the statue. _She has done everything you could have ever required of her. She's shown you devotion. Discipline. Compassion. Patience. She's undergone trial after trial, never wavering in her faith. Don't you see how much she_ needs _this?_ He felt the comfortable weight of the Master Sword on his back, and his expression darkened. _Why choose me? Why would I be able to draw the Master Sword if you weren't going to give her the power?_

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to suppress the anger he felt. It… wasn't the time. She needed his support now, not his indignation.

He heard a shuffle of fabric, followed by a soft thud. He reopened his eyes quickly, worried that she'd collapsed, but no. Zelda knelt on the stone, head bowed, her shoulders trembling.

" _Please_. Don't send me away empty-handed again," she whispered, hands clenched into fists at her sides. "What more can I do? I—I've traveled to every corner of Hyrule! I've given up _everything_ for you. What else do you _expect_ from me?"

 _Oh, Zelda._

"Is that what you want?" she asked, voice growing stronger. "Am I to cease being _myself_? I already sacrificed my childhood. My _passions_. Will you demand that which I love, as well? I… I-I don't—"

The mountain began to rumble, and Zelda gasped. Link immediately rushed forward, crouching near her and looking about warily. The silence of the night was rent by a devastatingly loud roar. He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to her feet, pushing her behind him as he looked around for the source of the terrible noise.

And then, from Mount Lanayru's ice-covered peak, Naydra burst free, flying straight into the air. Zelda released a soft cry of surprise behind Link, and he tensed, watching the dragon free herself of the mountain. She flew up until her tail finally cleared the mountain's peak, and then she began to lazily circle around above them.

"Is it safe?" he asked over his shoulder.

"I don't… I don't know."

"Back to the tent."

Neither of them moved, however, both transfixed by the colorful dragon that flew overhead. Naydra slowly began to descend until she began to round the peak itself, barely a stone's throw above them. The wind picked up, and Link winced. It bit at him, even through all of his layers; it must have been excruciating for Zelda.

The dragon did not attack them, however, nor make any sign of even _noticing_ them. The dragon released one more roar. It didn't sound angry to him. It felt more like… a statement. She lorded over this mountain. And then she uncoiled and flew off in the direction of the Lanayru Promenade, just like she did every other night.

Everything fell silent around them again, except for the crackle of the fire, and Zelda's soft cries.

He turned quickly to find Zelda crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around her knees, her body wracked by hoarse sobs.

"Oh, Zel… _Zelda.._." He knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. After a moment, he leaned closer and wrapped his arms around her huddled form. She remained huddled for several seconds before, finally, leaning into him, pressing her face to his chest.

Her sobs came harder and more violent now, and he held her as tightly as he dared. She felt too cold. The dress was damp from the snow, and the skin on her shoulders and arms was frigid. He should have insisted more firmly that she wear something else, or at least put clothes on _under_ the dress. This whole ordeal had been madness. Near suicide.

His expression hardening, he shifted and, with little effort, lifted her up into his arms, cradling her tightly against his chest. She gasped, looking alarmed as she gazed up at him, cheeks stained by tears, as he marched off of the dais, down the stairs, and to the fire.

He gently set her down on a patch of dry ground and then walked over, pulling out the heavy Rito cloak that she'd brought. He sat beside her and put the cloak around the both of them while also wrapping his arm around her and drawing her tightly against him.

"Link, I—"

He shook his head. "You're going to catch hypothermia if you keep this up any longer."

Zelda remained silent for nearly a minute before, finally, her expression broke again, and her body began to shake with renewed sobs. She turned into him, and he encircled her in both the cloak and his arms, drawing her onto his lap.

"Shh…" he whispered, gently stroking her hair. "It's all right. It's… going to be all right."

"No," she said in a choked cry. "It's _not_. I've done everything I can, I—what else can I _do_? I've done everything that I or the priests can think, and _still_ , she finds me unworthy! I prayed for _six hours_ , and I didn't—" Her breath hitched, and she closed her eyes tightly, clinging closer to him. "I didn't feel _anything_."

"I know…" He honestly didn't know what else to say. So, he just tightened his grip on her and pressed his lips to her hair.

"And I-I'm afraid that something _terrible_ is going to happen soon," she said, her voice muffled by his tunic. "I keep having these dreams, and I have this sense of _foreboding_ and—Link, if we're unable to seal Ganon when he rises again—"

"We'll find a way." He pulled his face back to look down at her. "We'll find a way, Zelda."

"Everyone will die, and it will be _my_ fault. Because I can't—I _can't_ —" She choked on another sob and clenched his tunic, body shaking violently.

"That _won't_ happen…"

"And then, even if we _do_ somehow manage to _win_ , you… you'll almost surely be given a new title and lands. You'll leave, you'll have to oversee, you'll—"

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"You'll _leave_ me, Link! The only reason you were ever even given this position was to protect me during this journey and when Ganon rises—if that is no longer needed, then you'll—"

"I'm not going _anywhere_ , Zelda." Propriety could go to _damnation_. He reached under her chin, turning her face up to look at him. "I will stay with you as… as long as you'll have me."

Her reddened eyes widened. "That… that isn't _fair_ to you, Link. You deserve to have your _own_ life. I know this is never what you wanted. You deserve to be able to roam free, to enjoy the wild, to sleep under the stars—you deserve the life that you _love_."

"This _is_ the life that I love," he said, his voice lowering to barely more than a whisper. His hand shifted so that it cupped her cheek, still wet with tears. "This is exactly where I want to be."

Her lip quivered, and her eyes darted between each of his.

"Zelda, you… You _are_ … everything that you are supposed to be." His lips moved of their own accord, forming the words that he spoke. He didn't try silence them. Not anymore. "It isn't your _devotion_ that I value most. It isn't your dedication. Your patience. It isn't your strict adherence to _prayers_. It's… your intellect. Your wit. Your _curiosity_. I can look at a tree and just see a tree. You look at that same tree and you see a… a _history_. You see so much _deeper_ than anyone else.

"You're always solving a puzzle or coming up with a new theory. And even though I can never keep up, I don't want you to _ever_ stop that. That's who you _are_ , and it's all you _should_ be. Anyone who doesn't see that is a _fool_." He didn't care that her father was among that number. "And if _Hylia_ doesn't see that, then she's the biggest fool of them all."

"Link—"

"Zelda, a world where you have to give up being _who you are_ is… not a world worth saving."

Her breath caught, and she shifted, sitting up. She was still in his lap, and now her face was level with his. His hand still cupped her cheek. He should have moved it. He didn't. Instead, he gently stroked a tear away with his thumb.

"Not so long ago, you asked me what I thought of you," he said, staring into her eyes. They were so green. He could get lost in those eyes. He already had. "At the time, I-I didn't know what to think. You were… so different than anyone I'd ever met before. But I knew that I wanted to know more."

"Link…" She leaned ever so slightly into his hand.

She was so close now. He could feel her breath on his face. On his lips. He could feel the warmth of her body, pressed against his. He felt a source of heat rising from deep within him.

"Do you know what I would say now?" he whispered.

"I…"

He knew this was wrong. A thousand warnings flashed through his mind. Propriety. Duty. None of it mattered anymore.

"I would say that I think I love you."

Her eyes widened.

He wasn't sure who moved first. Maybe he did, but he thought it might have been her. Either way, their lips met. Hesitantly, at first, but then more forcefully. His hand left her cheek, and he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in closer, kissing her—this woman that he had come to love so deeply. And she kissed _him_. She kissed him desperately and with a passion that he hadn't expected from someone raised as she was. Not that he was any more experienced in these matters.

And, for a brief, shining moment, everything was _right_.

But then it was over.

Zelda pulled back, shaking her head, her eyes tightly closed. She took a deep breath—the same breath she took before speaking something that she dreaded. His heart began to sink. "I… I _can't_."

"Zel—"

"No, I—we — _can't_." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his shoulder, shaking. She gripped his tunic tightly, as if afraid to let go.

And with a horrible sinking feeling, Link feared that he had been mistaken. Duty and propriety reasserted themselves. He feared that he'd taken advantage of her in this moment of weakness, and now he'd ruined everything. "I… I'm sorry. If I misjudged—"

" _No_." Zelda lifted her head quickly. She stared into his eyes, fresh tears forming in her own. "I-I…" She glanced to the side, looking at the statue of Hylia, dark and shadowy in the night. Finally, she released his tunic. "I'm _sorry_."

He didn't make any attempt to keep her with him as she rose from his lap, no longer looking at him. She turned and made her way to the tent, entering it, and closing the flap behind her.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

Link broke.

His emotions roiled, nearly as uncontrollable as they had been the day he went to the castle. At the center of them was Zelda. Her refusal felt as though he'd been run through. He physically _hurt_ from it. But he wasn't sitting mutely by the fire while Zelda wept quietly in their tent any longer.

He could see better now than he'd seen on that day. He understood more. He hadn't misjudged her feelings for him. He hadn't _misunderstood_. She'd been as desperate that day as he'd been. And he didn't think for a _second_ that her refusal had come from propriety. Not his princess, who grew so irritated with him anytime he used her title, even in jest. And only the day prior, she'd spoken of how he could have a proper title. One that would, quite possibly, make a relationship between them acceptable.

Which left one source of her reticence.

A new source of heat burst to life within Link. Not desire. Not love. Not even passion. Fury. Hatred. _Rage_. His memories fueled it. Memories with Zelda. Memories with his family. With his friends.

" _Damn you_!" He shoved himself to his feet and whirled on the statue of Hylia. " _You_ did this! If you had woken her powers sooner, then _none_ of this would have happened! She wouldn't have been _trapped_ in that castle with that—that _creature_ for the last one hundred years!"

He was in the pool, the icy water coming up to his calves, but he barely noticed. The Master Sword was in his hand.

"You ruined everything. You _destroyed_ everything. I thought you were supposed to _protect_ us! It's because of you that so many died! Mipha, Daruk, Urbosa, Revali—all dead because of you! My father, my _sister_ —" He choked on the word. " _Aryll._ She would have lived, if you had just—if you—"

His arms shook, and he raised them above his head, preparing to slam his blade against the statue. What would break first—the sword made by the goddess, or the goddess, herself?

But he couldn't. He felt the sword in his mind, a voice that told him this wasn't right. This wasn't what _she_ wanted. He let the Master Sword clatter to the water below and sank down on his knees, body shaking as he wept for the lives that they all could have led.

"Give them back… Bring them _back_ …"

As he knelt there, in the freezing water, the statue burst to life with light. He hesitantly looked up and saw that the clouds overhead had parted just slightly—enough that a single shaft of moonlight shone down upon the statue of Hylia.

The statue sparkled in the light, awash with a variety of colors. Blues, greens, reds, oranges. It was like the light had passed through a prism on the way down.

He stared up at that face, so benevolent, now lit by a rainbow. It smiled down at him.

And images began to appear in his mind. People. Places. Events. Sounds. Smells. Textures. Tastes. Hopes. Dreams. Regrets. Pain. Love. A rush of everything that made up a life.

In that moment, Link remembered. He remembered everything.


	60. Chapter Fifty-Seven

**Ahh, it's so good to finally be able to talk about that last chapter! I poured a _lot_ of effort into it, and I wanted it to be perfect as the... well, climactic relationship moment between Link and Zelda (in the past, anyway). I'm so glad that you all enjoyed it so much. And I just crossed 300 reviews! That feels _incredible_. Thank you everyone who has left comments for me-I truly relish reading them. Especially after chapters like the last one and... well, the one you're about to read. Because if you thought the feels would end after the last chapter, you are crazy. I've got one more big one for you today, though it probably won't be what you expected. But this is a part of the story that needed to be told, and this was the best way I could think of to do it.**

 **Before we get to that, though, I've got to respond to a couple reviews! I got a lot with the last chapter...**

 **Jason Brody: I am _not_ a published author, nor have I ever attempted to be. This is the first novel I've written since I was in high school, sixteen years ago... But I will say that writing this has put me back in touch with that side of myself, and I hope that, with the experience I've gained writing this, I can one day be published. I never really thought I would ever get back into writing, as any attempts I've tried to make over the last decade or so have just not been satisfying. But the stars aligned to give me the time and motivation to make this story happen, and I've fallen in love with writing all over again.**

 **Michy21: Yeah, I used a little bit of subterfuge in the Blatchery Plains memories! If you reread it, you'll see that I never stated that Link _didn't_ tell Zelda his feelings. Instead, he lamented that he didn't tell her _sooner_. That and he didn't want to tell her then, for he feared causing her more pain. Of course, there are some alternate scenes that I wrote for that memory back when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do at the Spring of Wisdom...**

 **bladeofbookworms: I always regretted the fact that they didn't have a Mount Lanayru scene! I wish they had one for each of the springs, because I really felt that the Spring of Power scene is among the better memories. Lanayru could have been really powerful. ...Of course, they probably wouldn't have gone the route I took it.**

 **Infinite's Ruby: Thank you! It feels awesome hitting 300 reviews. I remember starting out and feeling frustrated when I wasn't getting any reviews and hits... Now, though, this feels good. And I won't pretend writing that kiss wasn't cathartic to me, too. I wrote this story entirely in order of posting, so I've been anticipating Mount Lanayru since the _beginning_. I didn't always know what I was going to do there, but I knew it was going to be where the past-romance arc comes to a head. **

**pastelCow17: I'm... struggling to understand why you were holding your shampoo while reading this, but thank you! And... eventually, it will be understood why Zelda did what she did.**

 **imaturkey: Yes... _yes_... Bring on the tears. I love them. And yeah... Everyone was talking about how intense the Hateno Village chapters were, and inside, I was cackling like a madman, for I knew what was coming. I literally wanted to rewrite that scene to make it happier-if only to comfort myself. Stuff like this gets to me! And it's definitely one of my favorites, too, though... there are others still yet to come...**

 **iCards: I wrote that conversation with Riju on... Friday, I think? Maybe Thursday night. I'm glad I did, though, as I think the chapter would have felt emptier without it! And, yeah, I loved including Naydra in last chapter. I know some people were expecting the big corrupted dragon fight (and I'll admit that I went back and forth on whether or not I would do it). Ultimately, I chose not to do that for the sake of keeping the chapter focused on Link and Zelda's relationship.**

 **Okay... I think I've answer enough to hopefully hide the surprise long enough from people that just opened the chapter up. Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! This chapter is another doozy...**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Seven**

 **One Hundred Years Ago**

The trip back down Mount Lanayru was a nearly silent affair. Link didn't know what he could even say anymore, and Zelda didn't seem to be interested in speaking either. For some reason, she wore her prayer dress still. At least she wore her heavy Rito cloak over it, with her hood pulled up to shield her face, and she had on her boots as well. He was even certain that he could see the outline of pants on under it.

He initially thought that she might have wanted to try praying again in the morning, but she made no effort to do so. So, he packed up their tent. He dismantled their fire. He scattered the ashes. And, together, they walked down the stone path.

He tried to say something, and there were several times that he thought she tried to do the same, yet no words passed between them until they'd neared the bottom of the mountain. Only a small rise in the land blocked them from where he knew their companions would be waiting.

Zelda stopped walking, and he did the same, looking back at her. She wrung her hands tightly, biting her lip. "Link, I… There is something that I must tell you."

He didn't answer but simply stood still, waiting.

She glanced at him and then looked back down, taking a deep breath. She forced her hands apart. "When we get back to the castle, I… I am going to tell my father that I will no longer be traveling to inspect any of the Divine Beasts. Without those, and now that I have visited each of the springs, I… will no longer have a need to travel at all.

"As such, I feel that it is necessary that he… reassign you to something more befitting someone of your stature and… accomplishments. I do not know if he will listen to me, as he never did so in the past, but… I believe that I can better explain my reasons now in a way that I could not before."

Link stood, numb. Had he been so wrong? Had he ruined everything _that_ much with his idiotic confession the night before?

"It isn't…" She glanced up towards him, and he saw pain in her expression. "It isn't that… I don't wish you around. I do. But if I am to spend all of my time in the castle, then you would be _wasted_. You should be training. Preparing. _Doing._ Not standing outside of my door and staring down an empty hallway."

He felt as though a pit had opened up beneath his feet that threatened to swallow him whole.

"I, in turn, will rededicate myself to unlocking my sealing powers. I will spend each day in prayer— _all_ _day_ , if I must."

Ruined. He'd ruined everything. He'd ruined her. He'd ruined himself. He'd ruined any _chances_ that they had at happiness together. Why? Why couldn't he have just left it alone? Just stayed _silent_ , like he'd so often been taught to do?

"I… Link? Will you… answer me?"

He looked at her, then, his face blank. "I will do whatever you wish of me, princess."

She looked as though she had been slapped. Something dark and primal within Link relished it, for the hurt that he felt. But then he rejected that feeling. This was not her fault, but his. He had brought them to this inevitable conclusion.

He closed his eyes, sighing softly. "I… I'm sorry. It's just—I feel as though there are certain… boundaries that need to be reestablished, after… after what happened last night."

He could still remember the feel of her lips on his. Her body, trembling, pressing against him. Had he misjudged? Had it all been an illusion of his own desires?

"This has _nothing_ to do with last night," she said, stepping forward. "What you did—what you _said_ —it—"

"It was wrong. I took advantage of you in your moment of vulnerability. It was selfish of me. I see that now. It… will not happen again."

"No… _No_ , you didn't—that's not how I—"

"Princess Zelda." He met her eyes. "I am a knight. Perhaps, one day, I will be something more. But, for now, I am a _knight_. And you, a princess. The things that I said were… inappropriate."

"You are so much _more_ than just a knight, Link. So much more than that to _me_ …" She stepped forward and almost seemed ready to reach out to him. But she stopped herself. "That is why I must do this… I _have_ to unlock my sealing powers. Before it is too late."

He didn't understand. Not truly. But he didn't wish to argue. It wasn't _appropriate_ for a knight to argue with his princess. So, he remained silent and still until, finally, she looked down and continued down the path.

He fell into step behind her.

Together, they crested the small rise in the land and came into view of the camp they shared with the Champions. He saw Daruk first, stretching his arms high above his head. Then there was Mipha, who spoke quietly to Urbosa. And Revali, who had apparently decided to practice his archery by shooting thin tree branches.

Urbosa saw them and stood. The others followed suit, watching in silence as Link and Zelda walked down the stone pathway until they reached the camp.

"Well?" Daruk asked, hopeful. "Don't keep us in suspense. How'd everything go up there on the mountain?"

Link could see from the expressions on Urbosa and Mipha's faces that they had already guessed what Zelda's answer would be. Zelda didn't meet any of their eyes, but simply continued to look down. She shook her head, releasing a soft sound that might have been a no.

Daruk's face fell, his shoulders slumped. Revali frowned and stepped closer, speaking in a surprisingly tender tone that Link wouldn't have expected from him. "So, you didn't feel anything? No power at all?"

"I'm sorry, no," Zelda said.

For a moment, there was silence. And then Urbosa stepped forward, reaching a hand out and squeezing Zelda's shoulder firmly. "Then let's move on." She lowered her face so that she could look the smaller woman in the eyes. "You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself now won't be of any help."

Zelda met her eyes but said nothing. Urbosa must have seen something of the hurt she felt, though, for her expression softened further. "Oh, little bird… This isn't the end. Your last shot wasn't up there on Mount Lanayru. _Anything_ could spark the power within you. We just have to keep looking for that… thing."

Link watched Zelda, pain tearing at his heart. His words on the rise, his insistence to put that barrier up between them again, seemed so callous now. Another mistake. Another regret. Could he not find a way to _help_ her, rather than hurt her?

"That's… kind of you," she said, her voice soft. "Thank you."

"If I may…" Mipha stepped closer to Zelda, gazing up at her. She didn't continue until Zelda finally looked up and met her eyes. "I'm… not sure how to put this into words." She stepped closer again, her eyes darting from Zelda to Link and back. "It's actually quite embarrassing to say it, but I was thinking about what I do when I am healing. You know—what usually goes through my mind as I do it."

Mipha looked even more nervous now, bringing her hands together between her breasts, fingers slightly interlocked. "It helps when I think—when I think about—"

The ground began to rumble beneath their feet. It shook violently, and each of them stumbled, throwing arms and wings out to maintain balance. Link reached out, grabbing onto Zelda's arm to steady her and throw her behind him, in necessary. His eyes darted about, looking for the threat.

And then he saw it. A cloud on the horizon. A growing, pulsing mass of red and black that spiraled up from the ground. It was miles and miles away, and the mountains prevented him from seeing where it originated from… but he knew what lie in that direction.

The others saw it, and Revali suddenly crouched low, spreading his wings. There was a burst of an updraft, and he was airborne, flying in a tight circle.

He kept a tight hold on Zelda, watching Revali as he became a speck in the sky. Dread filled his heart as he watched that cloud, full of darkness and red lightning, billow up into the sky. Zelda trembled. The others waited in silence, tense. The ground beneath them continued to rumble.

Revali swooped back down, landing on the ground. He looked… _terrified_. "It's… it's here."

 _No. No, not this. Not_ now _!_

"Are you sure?" Mipha asked, voice quavering.

"Positive."

Zelda's legs nearly gave out, but Link caught her, holding her upright. She shook violently now, hand to her mouth. Her skin had gone white. "Ganon," she whispered.

The world spun around him, but he anchored himself by holding Zelda as tightly as he could. The words from just minutes ago were forgotten. Now all that mattered was her. He had to keep her safe.

Daruk turned, his expression hardening. "Let's stop wasting time. We're going to need everything we've got to take that thing down! Champions—we need to get to our Divine Beasts!"

The others turned to look at him. Daruk was no longer the affable Goron who liked to smile and joke. In an instant, he had become the leader among his people. The general who led the Goron army, small though it might have been.

"Link will need to meet Ganon head-on when we attack. This _needs_ to be a unified assault. That doesn't give us much time. Little guy—you get to Hyrule Castle."

There was something there, in his eyes. An understanding that, no matter what, Link could never get there in time. None of them could. He only hoped that the Guardians present in and around the castle could repel Ganon for a time.

Urbosa placed a hand on Link's shoulder, forcing him to look up at her. "But, first, you need to get the princess to safety. Perhaps Kakariko Village—"

"No." Zelda's voice came out strong and firm. She pulled away from Link's grip, stepping forward and staring up at the mass in the sky. "I'm _not_ a child anymore. I don't know what use I will be yet on the battlefield, but I cannot leave now. I will face him with you all."

" _No_ ," Link said. "No, Zelda. That's suicide. We'll handle this, you—"

She whirled on him, cheeks spotting with color. " _No_ , Link! I will be there. This may be the event that sparks my powers—I will _not_ run and hide when I am needed! Those are _my_ people, and I will be there for them!"

He began to grow angry. Didn't she _see_? She needed to be safe. She needed to be _protected_. How could he protect her if he was engaged in combat with Ganon? He opened his mouth to argue, but Urbosa squeezed his shoulder tightly.

"She's right," she said, voice soft. She stared at Zelda. "You're right. You are as much a part of this as we are." She turned her face to look at Link. "Protect her, Link. With your life."

He hesitated, staring up into the taller woman's eyes. He'd never actually noticed that her eyes were a very similar shade of green as Zelda's. She really _could_ have been the princess's mother. And Link could tell that these words hurt her, as they would any mother. But he saw a hardness there, too. Necessity.

"I will."

"I'll go now," Revali said, bending down and preparing his gale again.

"Revali," Link said. The Rito looked back at him, frowning. "Be careful."

Revali scoffed. "I'm not the one who's going to be exposed." He paused. "You too." He met the eyes of the other Champions and nodded, and then with a rush of wind, he was off into the air again and rapidly traveling west.

"Come on," Urbosa said. She reached Zelda and, to the smaller woman's surprise, lifted her off the ground and onto the back of her white stallion, who had already been saddled in preparation for their departure today. Her dress bunched up around her legs, revealing tight-fitting white trousers underneath. "We need to get moving. Daruk, try to keep up. You've got a distance to travel. Mipha, you can ride with one of us until we get to the river."

Link approached Epona and climbed into the saddle before reaching a hand down. He pulled Mipha up behind him. Urbosa, likewise, mounted her own tall stallion. "Let's ride."

* * *

"Princess!" Impa's voice cut through the late evening darkness as Link and Zelda finally rode into Kakariko Village. Their horses were spent—pushed far past the point that any horse should have to endure in their journey from the mountain to the village. They'd been afforded very little rest and had been forced to keep running or, at least, trotting for hours.

It was amazing that neither of them died. It was a possibility that one or both of them still could. And it had been for what? To save a _day_? They still had days yet to reach the castle. Would there be anything left? He thought of his father and sister and prayed to the heavens that they'd been able to get out.

 _Let the Guardians hold it back. Delay its attack for just a few more days._

Impa ran up to Zelda, her white hair disheveled. Link saw both Purah and Robbie there, too—they'd all said that they would meet in Kakariko Village on the way back from Mount Lanayru. Fortunate for them to have been away from the castle at the time of the attack.

Zelda wavered in her saddle and moved to dismount, but she slipped and Impa barely caught her as she fell from the horse. She was barely _conscious_. He thought that she'd been able to get some sleep in the saddle—should he have stopped them? He'd been so desperate to get back—

He quickly dismounted off Epona and his own knees nearly gave out as he did so. He was just as exhausted as she. He hurried around Epona to kneel on the ground next to Zelda, where Impa had sat her down, looking into the princess' eyes with concern.

"I'm sorry," Zelda said, her voice faint. "We've ridden far and… we have a great deal left to go. Perhaps something to eat and drink, and we can—"

Impa cut her off. "Princess, you can't leave in the state you are in… What about the other Champions? Have they gone on to their Divine Beasts? Urbosa passed through here just hours ago and took a fresh horse to continue on."

"They've all gone… I expect that they've all reached their Divine Beasts now, with the exception of Urbosa. It will take her several days to get there."

"She said she could make it in three," Link said, glancing at Impa. "But I'm sure she'll push it even faster than that."

Impa looked worried. "And it will take her another two, at least, to bring her Divine Beast into position."

Zelda shook her head. "I doubt it will take even that long. It won't have to stop to rest. She will be back within a day, I am sure of it. Likely even less. Maybe half a day. She always keeps Naboris near the entrance of the desert when she leaves."

"So, three days from now. The earliest she will arrive will be in three days. The other Divine Beasts will already be on their way and likely there soon, if they haven't already."

Zelda nodded slowly. "Impa, what have you heard?"

Impa hesitated, glancing back towards Purah. The other Sheikah woman looked as worried as Impa did and crossed her arms, hugging herself. Finally, Purah approached, kneeling in front of Zelda.

"It's… not looking good, Zelda," she said. Link noted the use of Zelda's name. Purah usually only did that when they were in private. "We haven't been able to get any information from the area."

"The scouts that have been sent have gone missing," Impa said, frowning.

Zelda bit her lip, glancing from Impa to Purah. "And the Guardians? Have they been activated? Do we know if they are attacking Ganon?"

Link shuddered at the name. _Ganon_. It had truly returned. _And they_ _weren't ready_.

Purah shook her head. "We don't know. We just don't know."

Zelda closed her eyes, shaking slightly in Impa's arms. "Then… we shall leave after a short rest."

"What?" Impa asked, eyes widening. "Princess, _no_. It will be days before all of the Divine Beasts are set in place. We need to give Urbosa time to arrive."

"I need to check on—on my _kingdom_. My people. I need to make sure they are _safe_."

"And your power? Has your power awakened?"

Zelda hesitated, and then she looked down. "No."

Impa closed her eyes and remained like that for a long time. Finally, she opened them again. "Princess, it would be best if you stayed with us. In fact, we should take you somewhere else that you can be safe."

" _No_ ," Zelda said, more forcefully now. "I will not simply _run_ and abandon my people! I will go and give them hope while we wait for the other Divine Beasts to arrive. I am sure they are terrified now."

The words were hollow, and Link knew it. Neither of them had spoken the fear out loud, but he knew they both felt it. What if the Guardians _hadn't_ been able to oppose Ganon? What if… there was nothing left of Castle Town?

"Zelda," he finally said, kneeling beside her. " _I'll_ go. I'll check on the state of things and then return here immediately. Then we both can go and join the Divine Beasts."

He didn't know if he would truly return. If he could keep her here, out of harm's way…

"No." She shook her head again. "No, Link. We will go together."

Impa gently helped Zelda back to her feet. "There is no use speaking about this now. You both need rest. We can discuss our future plans in the morning."

Zelda looked ready to object, but then she gave in to Impa's prodding, leaning on the slightly-shorter woman as she led them to a nearby house. Her own family's house, Link knew, though she primarily lived at the castle.

After some hesitation, Link followed. He _couldn't_ ride off alone now. He didn't know how much longer he could remain awake either.

* * *

The soft sound of a sliding door woke him. Groaning softly, he looked around, trying to judge what time it was. The room was still dark, and no light bled through the closed window shutter. For a moment, he thought about going back to sleep—he was so _tired_ —but then a thought occurred to him.

He cursed and threw the blankets off of himself, hurrying across the room to the bed Zelda had slept in. _Empty_.

Swearing, he grabbed his tunic off the bed and slipped it on as he crossed the room to the door. He slid it open and peered out. And there, quickly crossing the courtyard to the village stable, was Zelda, in her white dress.

 _Running_ , he thought, grimacing.

He took off after her, not wearing any boots. "Zelda!"

She froze and looked back at him. The stars overhead provided limited illumination, but even with how dim it was, he could tell that she'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy and hair disheveled.

"You can't just _leave_ ," he said, reaching her. "You heard what Impa said—it will be days yet before Urbosa arrives."

"I can't just _wait_ here," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I have to see what I can do to help. Perhaps the Guardians—if the Sheikah need assistance controlling them, I could—"

"Zelda…" He could understand her pain. He wanted to leave so desperately, himself. His _family_ had been there. He needed to know if they were safe. He _prayed_ they would be safe. "Let… let me get my boots. We'll go together."

 _It's just to look. We won't attempt to engage Ganon until after the others arrive._

Zelda bit her lip but finally nodded.

"Good. Go try to get some horses ready. Pick out some sturdy ones—we've got an even longer ride ahead of us this time. Maybe we'll get lucky and pass some refugees on the road that will trade horses."

She nodded again, and Link turned back to Impa's home. It had been emptied of everyone beside the two of them. He appreciated that Impa didn't even hesitate to offer Link the other bed in the room. He would have insisted, if she hadn't.

He hurried back towards the dark home to put on boots and grab the Master Sword.

* * *

They passed no refugees on the road from Kakariko Village and eventually reached the river crossing that would take them into Hyrule Field.

"Link, look," Zelda said, pointing towards the castle. Ganon's red haze swirled around it, dark and foreboding, and the storm circled above it, still shooting out bolts of red lightning. "Do you see them?"

He didn't know what she meant at first but understood a moment later. Five enormous columns, each the size of one of the castle towers, jutted out of the ground and angled towards the castle.

"Do you know what this means?" Zelda asked, looking back at him with wide eyes. "It means _Guardians_. Those are the columns that stored the bulk of the Guardians—I am sure of it. They must have activated when they sensed Ganon's presence. With any luck, the Guardians themselves will have activated as well. Perhaps they are keeping it at bay!"

He saw hope in her eyes and felt a burgeoning sense of optimism as well. If Ganon had been contained… He feared for those at the castle, of course, but if the town had been kept safe…

That hope died shortly thereafter, when they passed through the Mabe Prairie and began to see the burned remnants of farmhouses.

"No… _No_ , what happened?" Zelda asked, staring with wide eyes at a house that had been reduced to its foundations. It looked as though it had been blown apart.

Link said nothing, staring at the home. They were still miles away from Castle Town, but this… this appeared to confirm his fears. He closed his eyes, again praying that his father and sister had made it out.

But they still hadn't encountered any survivors. It was possible that many had gone to the Orsedd and Carok bridges, but had _none_ of them traveled towards the Rebonae?

"This… The damage must have been caused before—before the Guardians responded to him," Zelda said, but that did nothing to help either of them. If Ganon had destroyed _this_ little farm, then what had it done to Castle Town?

He gripped his reins and shook his head. "Zelda… we should wait here."

"What?" She looked back at him, eyes wide. "No! We need to keep going. We could reach Castle Town by morning, if we—"

"Our horses can't make it that far. You _know_ that. They're exhausted already."

She bit her lip, looking down at the brown gelding she had selected for herself. Link could see the sheen of sweat on its neck. His own speckled horse wasn't any better, if even a little worse off. Its sides heaved with exhaustion and foam dripped from its mouth. Neither horse had been built for this kind of distance riding. Epona or Storm could have likely made it in one, extended trip, but it would have pushed them to their limits, and they had already been spent the day before.

"We could walk," she whispered. "We've ridden all day—if we started walking now…"

Link shook his head, though his heart sank even further as he did so. _Please… Please let them be all right._ "We need to rest. We can rest until morning and continue on. It… will be for the best, anyway. We still haven't seen any of the Divine Beasts. I thought that we would have at least seen Medoh flying around by now."

"It's a long trip. Perhaps Revali had to rest, or… or maybe he went to help some people from Castle Town. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

 _No. He wouldn't have stopped to help. He knows how important it is to get his Divine Beast into position. And, besides, we should have seen Mipha by now as well._

"Maybe you're right." Link dismounted from his horse and walked to Zelda's. "But we need to rest. Come on—we can sleep in that patch of woods over there."

They led their horses into the grove of trees, and Link removed the horse's saddles. Once they and Zelda were situated, he went back out to the old farmhouse. Gratefully, he found a well that still stood, and it even still had a bucket attached to the pulley. He began to search the destroyed house itself.

And that was when he found the bodies. Three of them. Burned corpses, barely recognizable. One was small—only a child. They were huddled in a corner, partially buried under the wreckage of the house.

He remained there for a long time, trying _not_ to imagine that the dead child was Aryll, but failing. Finally, he went back to the grove of trees with two buckets of water and gave some to each of the horses. He returned to the farmhouse once more to grab another bucket for him and Zelda to share.

He didn't tell her about the bodies.

* * *

Light streaming in through the tree canopy finally woke Link that next morning. He was sitting up with his back to a tree, surprised that he'd even been able to sleep like that. He had been unable to lay down as Zelda had fallen asleep leaning back against him, her cheek resting against his. His arms were still around her torso, their hands interlocked.

The night had been chilly, and Link hadn't dared start a fire. They used the saddle blankets to cover their legs and relied on body heat to keep them warm. She was still in her dress. Why hadn't she changed out of it back in the village? It was too late now, though—neither of them had brought any extra provisions. No clothes, no bedrolls. Link had the Master Sword and a shield. Zelda didn't even have that.

What were they even _doing_?

The cry of a distant bird of prey, but far louder and mechanical-sounding, finally woke Zelda. She jerked her head up, looking around in confusion. She looked back at Link, eyes widening in alarm, but then understanding set in.

"That's _Medoh_ ," she said, voice hoarse. She jumped to her feet, and Link rose after her, wincing at the soreness he felt in his back.

She slipped her feet into their sandals and hurried towards the edge of the trees. Link followed quickly, uncertain about what threats remained in the area. When they emerged, however, nothing attacked them. There was Hyrule Castle, still miles away, only visible because of its greater elevation.

But flying much closer was the Divine Beast Vah Medoh. It flew in a spot between them and the castle, circling high in the air.

Link frowned. What was Revali doing?

"If Revali has arrived, then perhaps the other two have as well." She looked at Link. "We need to get going. I am certain that Ganon will try to retaliate when he sees the Divine Beasts arriving. Perhaps… perhaps with just three, we can still defeat him."

She didn't mention it, nor did he. But both of them knew there was a fatal flaw in that plan—they had no actual way of _defeating_ Ganon, to the best of their knowledge. Could the Master Sword even deal a deathblow? It seemed unlikely from the lore that suggested Zelda's power was central. And from the creature that Revali described, he didn't know how he was supposed to fight such Ganon at all, much less kill it.

They saddled their horses and quickly rode for Hyrule Castle. As they crossed the last leg of the trip, other signs of battle appeared to them. Other farmsteads destroyed. Lines of scorched earth on the ground. An entire village razed. And more than one burned corpse.

With each one they passed, Zelda grew more and more disturbed. Her skin was white, and it was amazing that she hadn't gotten sick. She was far, far tougher than any princess had any right to be. But he worried for her and would only continue to worry.

For that worry was the only thing that kept him from dissolving into panic himself.

"What could have caused this?" Zelda asked, voice barely above a whisper as she looked at a stone silo that had been obliterated, burned grain spread out on the ground all around it. "Even if Ganon's monsters attacked, they could have never caused this kind of destruction… Not this quickly."

"I don't know," Link said, staring at the destroyed silo.

But he had begun to notice more and more disturbing signs. The lines of scorched earth—he'd seen those before. And there were what appeared to be three-toed footprints in places, too. He was growing increasingly certain that Guardians had been here. But why? Where they chasing Ganon? Was it possible that Ganon didn't even _remain_ in the castle anymore? The red storm still circled above it, but they'd seen no sign of the creature.

They continued on and passed under Medoh's slow circling form. It screeched again, and continued to circle overhead, following them back towards the castle. Perhaps Revali had been looking for them?

Finally, as their horses began reaching the point of exhaustion again, Ruta's tall form came into view. Rudania stood right next to her, its tail resting on the ground.

And, beyond the Divine Beasts, lay the ruins of Castle Town.

* * *

" _No_ … This can't be—what _happened_?" Zelda asked, staring around at the destroyed city around them. The buildings were blackened and collapsed. He saw bodies—they huddled against walls or lay in doorways. Hylians and Sheikah were sometimes only distinguishable from each other by the scraps of clothing that remained, but there were Zora, Gorons, Gerudo, and Rito, too. There was death _everywhere_.

Link stood, numb. He could barely think about—barely _comprehend_ —what he was seeing. Death and destruction on a scale that he had never known before. Castle Town housed over one hundred _thousand_ residents—a mix from all of the races. Had _anyone_ escaped? And this was what the Calamity Ganon did within _days_ of rising? How was anyone supposed to oppose this… monster?

He stumbled forward, walking past Zelda. He already knew what he would find deeper in the city, but he had to… he had to know. He _had_ to see.

"Link?"

He didn't stop walking, his boots scuffing the ash-strewn ground. There was a cart in the road in front of him. It had been turned over on its side and burned. The horse that pulled it remained attached, dead, though it was not as burned and desiccated as many of the corpses were.

He heard rapid footsteps behind him and didn't turn to look as Zelda caught up and grabbed his hand.

"Link, maybe… maybe we shouldn't do this. Urbosa hasn't arrived yet. We should regroup with the others—we'll be safe on one of the Divine Beasts until the last one arrives."

He hesitated and then nodded. "Good idea," he said, hollowly. "You go." And he gently, but firmly, pulled his hand free and continued walking.

Zelda made a pained sound behind him and hurried to catch up again. She didn't stop him this time, however, but grabbed his hand within her own and held onto it tightly as they made their way deeper into Castle Town.

The destruction didn't get any better as they went further in. It didn't take them long to come to the city square, where the fountain still stood, though much of the stonework and statues had been broken and lay on the ground. Here, they began to see a new substance. A thick tarry substance colored a mottled red and black that coated parts of the ground and the fountain. It spread out like creeping vines, and grew more concentrated the closer they got to the castle.

The _castle_. Neither of them had spoken of it, but it stood like a broken bone jutting out from a body. It had suffered its own destruction in Ganon's rise. Towers lay crumbled on the ground, and stone walls had exploded both inward and out, as if a great creature had thrashed about mindlessly.

They both knew that no one survived that assault. Zelda was, in all likelihood… _queen_ of Hyrule now. Or she would be, assuming there was a Hyrule left when all of this was through. Her father, along with most of the force of knights, squires, servants, and other inhabitants of the castle were all gone. Those that escaped the initial destruction surely would have fallen victim to it in the city. He tried to care about that, yet he could not summon the emotions to be bothered by the death of his monarch or the others that he had grown up around.

He led her deeper, saying nothing. He should have taken her away from this place, but now that he was here, he _couldn't_ leave. He had to see with his own eyes.

And so, they made their way down another familiar street—one that both of them had traveled several times in their short time together. They'd taken a slightly roundabout way of getting here—the horror of seeing the large-scale destruction kept Link from thinking about where his legs took him. Perhaps they'd even been drawing him towards the castle. Towards his destiny.

But now they were on the right path, and it wasn't long until he found what he came here for. His family's home.

And it had been obliterated.

Link slowly sank down to his knees as he stared at the broken form of the house, where his father and sister both lived in peace. The roof had collapsed in one corner, while the opposite wall had been blown completely free, bricks spread out in the street beside it. Fires had raged here, burning away the wooden support beams and the roof tiles. He could see the ashy remnants of furniture through the shattered wall.

"Oh, Link…" Zelda knelt next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so _sorry_."

He saw no bodies. But that didn't matter. He'd seen enough bodies around the town to know that _no one_ had gotten the opportunity to escape. They'd passed no refugees. The destruction had been quick and brutal. His father and sister were likely buried in there—under the broken roof—or perhaps they'd run and ended up as two of the corpses that they'd passed in the streets.

He closed his eyes and shook violently. He reached up with trembling hands to his head and gripped his hair, releasing a pent-up scream of horror that echoed off of the broken stone walls that surrounded them. Zelda sobbed and clutched him even tighter, burying her face in his shoulder.

But suddenly, he didn't want her to touch him.

He ripped away from her, sending her spilling to the cobblestones. He rose quickly, still holding his head and fighting the urge to scream again. He could see broken debris strewn about in his house. The table that Link had served suppers at had collapsed. A portrait of their family had burned up and the blackened remains of its frame lay on the ground. A wooden model ship— _a model ship_ lay shattered and burned.

Link stiffened, staring at it. Aryll had loved that gift. And he promised her that he would make sure to spend her next birthday _with_ her. He hadn't known—how _could_ he have known? He'd missed her last birthday. His last opportunity to celebrate her life.

All because of Zelda's pilgrimage. Her useless pilgrimage.

He whirled on her, shaking. "I should have _been_ here!"

"Link—"

"I could have _done_ something! I should have been here to _protect_ them!"

"There's nothing—"

"Don't _tell_ me that! Don't tell me there's nothing I could have done! I'm the hero, aren't I? The _Champion_! I carry the legendary blade—don't _tell_ me there's nothing I could have done! I should have been _here_ instead of running around visiting those damned springs!"

Zelda's face crumpled, but he didn't care. The anguish and rage he felt was too great to be contained.

"And for _what_? You're no closer now than you were before, and now everything is _gone_! My _sister—_ " He choked on the word and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry…" Zelda whispered. "I'm so _sorry_ , Link…"

"My sister is… _she's_ …" He turned to look into the broken house, eyes searching the wreckage. And he froze. There, in the collapsed portion of roof, was a three-toed footprint, just like out in the field. Just like he'd seen elsewhere, too. It had clearly gripped the roof tiles, its claws digging in deeply. It had climbed onto the house. Perhaps even been the cause of the roof's collapse. And the blown-out wall. It had been blown out from the _inside_.

"The Guardians," he whispered, eyes widening. "The Guardians did this."

"W-what?"

Suddenly, it all made perfect sense to him. This hadn't been Ganon. _None_ of this had been Ganon. No, it had been their Guardians. Their protectors. That's why no one had been able to escape. The Sheikah had begun parading the Guardians through the city. They patrolled around its outskirts. They made the people feel safe, especially considering the recent uptick in monster encounters in and around Hyrule Field.

"We have to go," Link said. "We have to go _now_."

"What are you—"

He wrenched her up by the arm. She yelped in surprise and pain, but he didn't pay any attention to that now. He began to pull her towards the main street, where they'd come from. They would go to the Divine Beasts, like she had suggested.

"Link, what is going _on_?"

"Where are the Guardians?"

"What?"

"Where are the _Guardians_ , Zelda? You said there were more stored in those columns, didn't you? So, where are they? Shouldn't this place be swarming with them?"

"I don't…" She frowned, looking back at the massive columns, which glowed red with the Sheikah constellation patterns. "Maybe they didn't activate properly."

"No, they activated." He pulled her into the fountain square and onto the thoroughfare that led out of the city. He could see all three Divine Beasts now. Both Ruta and Rudania stood, just where they'd been when he and Zelda arrived, and Medoh circled overhead. Why were they just standing there? Why hadn't any of the Champions come out?

It took Zelda a moment to realize his concerns. "No. _No_ , this wouldn't have been caused by them. They were created to _fight_ Ganon."

Something was off about the Divine Beasts, but it took him a moment to place it. Hadn't their lights once been blue? Why had they turned red? Were they responding to Ganon's presence? All the more reason to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"Come on—we can worry about it later. Right now, let's get to Ruta." Mipha would house them. Of the four, Ruta was the most protected of the Divine Beasts and had some of the most effective defensive measures, though he wasn't sure how good it would be away from water. But she could reposition nearer the river or even the Sacred Grounds pond.

His heart wrenched at the thought of leaving behind his family. His home. But he still had a duty to accomplish. He needed to protect Zelda. He could still protect _her_.

The ground beneath them began to tremble, and Link cursed. They broke into a run, tearing down the street, around the broken horse cart and over the burned corpses of people they may have once known.

They approached the exit of the city quickly and—what were those on the ground?

Link stumbled to a stop, and Zelda bumped into him with a soft grunt.

"Link, what—"

She saw them. Three bodies, arranged on the ground directly in their path. A Zora, a Goron, and a Rito. Mipha. Daruk. Revali.

She screamed.

Mipha lay on the ground, her eyes open and unseeing. Daruk, his body broken and torn. Revali, his neck at an odd angle. They all bore the wounds of battle—cuts, gashes, burns. And they were all very, _very_ dead.

 _No. No. No no no no no no._

Mipha, dead. His oldest friend, and one of the best people he ever knew. They had spent so many summers with each other. She taught him how to swim, and he taught her about cooking, even though she was never good at it. Daruk, his brother. He could remember the countless hours they'd spent laughing together, complaining about each other's food choices, or just relaxing in the hot springs. Even Revali. They had never been friends, but Link respected him as a warrior and someone as dedicated to protecting Hyrule as he was.

"We have to run," he whispered, staring at the bodies with wide eyes.

One of the nearby buildings shook. The rubble trembled, small pieces falling and clattering on the stone. And, suddenly, something rose up from within it. Six legs. Red lights forming a constellation pattern all over its body. A single, pulsing blue eye.

 _Guardian._

Link shoved Zelda to the side as it fired, the beam passing just between them and smashing into a house behind. Zelda cried out in alarm, and Link reached to his back, placing the shield on his arm. When it fired again, he reflected the beam right back towards it, catching it directly in the eye. The Guardian began to tremble as its systems overloaded.

"Come on!" Link helped Zelda to her feet and held her hand in his right as he drew the Master Sword with his left. The sword _shone_ with a bright, white light. Zelda gasped when she saw it, but Link could spare no time thinking about it now.

Guardians began to appear in front of them. They climbed out of the rubble of homes and buildings, their spidery legs tearing at the brick and mortar with ease.

"No… _No!_ This isn't—it's not—!"

Link pulled Zelda down a side street, and he heard the pursuit behind them. He spared a glance back and then flattened Zelda against a wall as another of the Guardians fired at them, its blast leaving a line of scorched cobblestones right where they'd been running.

" _Come on_!" He pushed her into a ruined house and out through a broken wall into another alley. They ran, and the Guardians pursued.

They burst out onto a street, and suddenly, a Guardian raced to block them, its eye pulsing angrily. Link shoved Zelda to the side and ducked as it fired over his head. He ran forward and swept his sword at its leg. The Master Sword cut through with almost no resistance and the Guardian shook, its lights flashing madly. He cut through two more of the legs before it toppled, and he bounded up onto it, ramming his sword into its eye.

"Link!"

He whirled and saw Zelda point as one of the flying Guardians hovered into view. He barely reached her in time to get his shield up and protect her from the blast. It hit his shield hard, and the beam bounced off, tearing into another building with its destructive power.

He pulled her back to his feet and ducked down another narrow alleyway. The alley's exit showed a blue eye, so he pushed her down another side passage, just as it fired towards them.

The ground trembled again, and Link heard a terrible roar from the direction of the castle. When they came out onto another street, he glanced back, and what he saw made his blood run cold. The beast, Ganon, had risen from the haze that swirled around the castle. It was without solid form—he could see a pig's snout and tusks, and two shining yellow eyes, but the rest of its body was nothing but trailing smoke.

 _This was a trap. It lured us here, drew us in, and waited until we were surrounded._

Cursing himself for a fool, Link pulled Zelda down behind a broken wall as another Guardian beam lanced out and struck it. The wall shook and pieces of it blew free, pelting them with debris. He left her there for the moment and vaulted over the wall, his shield out. When it fired again, he was prepared, and he sent the blast back in its direction.

Something hit him, tearing through his tunic and leaving a gash on his side. The blow threw him to the side; he grunted and rolled across the ground, coming to a stop some five feet away. A Guardian, one of its six feet now red with his blood, stood over him.

"Link!" Zelda cried.

The Guardian paused, apparently not having noticed her. It turned its head in confusion towards her huddled form, and Link attacked, removing two of its legs with two quick strikes. When it toppled, it rolled onto its side, and he struck the glowing blue point at the center of its base.

He leaped back behind the wall and pulled Zelda down into him as it exploded. A moment later, they were running again. He dragged her towards another of the city's gates, but a swarm of Guardians moved to block him. A beam flew past, burning his shoulder and making him cry out in sudden, fiery pain.

Zelda yanked him to the side, down another alley, before any of the other Guardians could fire on them. He hissed in pain but soon took the lead again. They were slowly rounding the city now, being herded back in the direction of the castle. Back towards Calamity Ganon. Could he fight that thing? Could he somehow _defeat_ it?

No. The Divine Beasts were gone. The Champions were dead. Zelda didn't have her sealing power. And Link had no idea on how he could fight a thing made of shifting mists. Even if he could, Ganon didn't _need_ to fight him. Its Guardians were plenty.

One of the smaller Guardian scouts entered the alley and fired. Link grabbed Zelda and whirled, shielding her with his body. The blast struck high on his back, and he grunted, clenching his teeth to keep from crying out. And then he spun away from her and rammed the Master Sword into its eye.

"Come on," he hissed and pulled her across another street. Guardians swarmed on both sides of them now. There were _dozens_ of them. He could see several of the fliers overhead, as well as many of the walking variety. Could he, somehow, fight his way through them? Not with Zelda in tow. He couldn't both protect her _and_ go on the offensive.

So, they ran. They ducked through broken buildings and down cramped alleys. They ran through debris and refuse. They stumbled over the bodies of Hylians, Sheikah, Gorons, Zora, Gerudo, Rito—men, women, and children, all dead before they'd even had a chance to escape. Link fought Guardians one after another, each time just enough to clear the way to another alley, another street, another building. The Guardians were not hard to fool, but there were so _many_ of them that they didn't need to be smart. They didn't need to guess where he was going—there were so many of them that they were often waiting for him when he emerged anyway.

Throughout it all, he protected his princess. He destroyed the mechanical beasts, he blocked their blasts, and he shielded her with his body more than once. By the time, they finally reached their destination, he ached from a dozen different burns and cuts. Her white dress was stained with his blood.

Ganon roared its fury, swirling around the castle in an angry cloud. Why didn't it attack, itself? Surely the great Calamity was more powerful and deadly than these machines, yet it remained back. The Guardians pursued, however, racing over the buildings that still stood or flying through the air.

They left the streets behind and emerged into an open area near one of the enormous columns. The remains of the old cathedral—a structure that had stood, according to the priests, for over one thousand years—lay before them, broken and reduced to rubble.

Another Guardian's beam burned a fiery line beside them, but Link kept running, leading Zelda into the ruins of the cathedral and out the other side. This was a place he knew, because Aryll had brought him here on multiple occasions.

As they emerged out the other side of the cathedral, he saw it. A section of wall that had cracked with age. It formed a narrow passage that led out onto the banks of the river and, hopefully, their freedom.

"Go!" he said, shoving Zelda towards the crack. "I'll hold them back!"

"No, I'm not leaving you!"

"I'll be right _behind_ you! But we both can't fit in there at once. Now _go_ , before it's too late!"

She went, getting onto her hands and knees in the muck and crawling through the narrow passage. He watched her to make sure she was progressing, and then he turned as two Guardians raced across the ground towards him and one of the flyers approached.

They fired, and Link focused his senses. Things appeared to slow around him, and he spun into motion, dodging the first beam and knocking the second one back. He swung the Master Sword towards the flying Guardian, and an arc of light shot out from its edge. Time sped back up around him, and two Guardians collapsed, their lights flickering rapidly. The first of the three fired again, and Link deftly knocked this blast back towards it.

He didn't understand his power, nor the Master Sword's apparent destructive capabilities against these machines, but he didn't care. For now, it kept them alive. Zelda could speculate about what it all meant another time.

He sheathed his sword and dove towards the crack, desperately crawling into it. He heard and felt more Guardian blasts striking the wall above him, and pieces of stone and dust rained down on him. What if this whole wall collapsed on him?

Grimacing, he crawled faster. Zelda had already emerged out the other side. Finally, he did so as well, standing up and looking around to see her with her back pressed against the wall, staring at him with wide eyes. The river stretched before them, the current swirling with eddies where the river met with the castle's moat and split off. It was at the bottom of a steep cliff, but there was a narrow patch of dirt and grass between the wall and the cliff's edge.

He grabbed her hand and began to drag her along the wall to the right. The Boneyard bridge lay that way. Perhaps they could reach it and make for the north. Towards Akkala. The Citadel, perhaps, could provide them with enough protection to plan… plan for what? A counterattack? It would have been a laughable suggestion, if things weren't so dire.

One of the flyers passed overhead and fired down at them. Link cursed, turning and holding his shield up. The beam of energy bounced off, hitting the river with a hiss of steam. He saw other Guardians, as well, climbing over the wall in pursuit, and suddenly, the spot where they'd escaped exploded outwards as a Guardian charged _through_ the wall, turning its blue eye on them.

" _Jump_!" Link cried. He grabbed Zelda's hand again and yanked her off the cliff. They fell the short distance down into the cold water of the river below. As they landed, he lost his grip on her hand and swept about in the murky depths, trying to find her again, but the current here was wild and random.

Finally, he clawed his way to the surface, kicking at the depths ineffectually with his boots. His shield felt heavy and weighed him down, but he didn't dare release it.

He spun around, looking for his princess, who didn't emerge with him. "Zelda!" Some rocks fell into the water nearby, and he looked up to see one of the Guardian's perched on the cliff's edge, its legs gripping the rock tightly and its body at a steep angle so it could bring its head around to fire at him.

He took a deep breath and dove back under the water as it fired. He felt the water's temperature around him suddenly grow hot, but then cool again quickly as the river continued to swirl and flow. He stayed under the surface of the water, desperately searching with his hands. Finally, he touched something soft, and he grabbed it. The hem of her dress. He pulled it towards him until he finally felt one of her hands brush his arm. She flailed, panicking as her dress billowed around her, entangling her legs.

He found her waist and drew her close before kicking hard for the surface. Their heads burst out of the water, and they both took a deep breath—and then Link shoved Zelda back under the surface again as more Guardians fired upon them. He began to swim with the current, hoping that he was traveling in the direction of the river and not the moat.

The Guardians continued to fire. But their blasts were ineffectual against the surface of the river, and they seemed to have a difficult time tracking them in the river's depths. He pulled Zelda up again, taking a deep breath, and looked around. One of the Guardians spotted them and fired, but most of the others were still looking at a spot some thirty feet back.

Before Zelda could say anything, he pushed her head back under the water, and together, they kicked their feet, trying to put as much distance between them and the Guardians. It wasn't that hard—as they made their way away from the spot where the currents met, the river's pull became stronger. Soon, it was all Link could do to even keep their heads above the water as it pulled them inexorably along.

He could see the Boneyard bridge nearing, but there were steep cliffs on either side of them, and the Guardians were still too close behind them. Cursing, Link held onto Zelda as they passed underneath the bridge and the branch of the river they were in rejoined with the main Hylia River.

She clung to his arm tightly, obviously struggling now to keep her head above water. Link could understand. His arms and legs burned with the effort of swimming in the strong current, especially with his sword on his back and shield still attached to his forearm. If they'd tried swimming against the current, they would have undoubtedly been swept under.

He began to look around for a bank they could make for. He tried to swim to the bank opposite Hyrule Field, towards the Crenel Hills, but the current fought against him, continuing to sweep them downriver with little ability to direct their path.

He looked around and realized that Zelda's head had passed under the water. Cursing, he pulled her back up, and she gasped, clinging to him even tighter and nearly dragging him back under himself. Water splashed against the back of his head, and only his fervent kicking in the depths below kept him from going under. He finally gave up holding onto his shield and released it. The current quickly pulled it off of his arm.

"We need to—" He choked as some water flooded into his mouth. "Swim to the shore!"

He pointed at the opposite bank, and they began trying to swim together, but it was still no use. The current _had_ them, and there was no fighting it now. So, he kept ahold of her, and they both fought to keep their heads over the surface of the water as they were swept downstream.

* * *

Eventually they reached a shallower spot on the river, where they were able to fight their way back onto the bank nearest Hyrule Field, near a thick forest. He thought that he might have recognized it as the Applean Forest. He'd hunted a buck here with his father several years back.

He helped Zelda out of the water, and the two of them collapsed in the mud, coughing and heaving. His muscles burned from the effort of keeping them both above the surface. It was amazing that they hadn't drowned. He'd never been the strongest swimmer, and it was clear that Zelda wasn't, either.

They remained there for a long time before, finally, Link pushed himself back to his feet with a groan. Fat rain drops had begun to fall from the clouds, making the bank even muddier. His body hurt from the places he'd been hit by Guardian fire. His shoulder and back, in particular. He walked to where Zelda lay, curled onto her side, still trembling.

"Come on," he said. She didn't move. "Come _on_ , Zelda. We have to keep moving."

"We have to go back," she whispered, though she remained still.

He knelt down in the mud, reaching out and placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "You know we can't."

"We _have_ to! The other Champions may be gone, but Urbosa—she might still—"

"Zelda, I… I'm _sorry_. But… We can't expect her to survive when the others didn't. It was a trap. It was _all_ a trap."

Her expression crumpled, and Link closed his eyes, sighing shakily. What could he even _say_ now? What could he do to comfort her, when his own pain was still so acute? _So many dead…_

"You should go," she finally whispered. "Just leave me. I'll stay here—wait until Naboris arrives. If she's truly gone, then I… _I_ …"

Link frowned and reached down, into the muck, and wrapped a hand around her torso. He forced her to sit up and tenderly brushing some of her wet hair away from her face with his other hand. "No. _No_. You know why I could _never_ leave you…"

"You _should_ have," she said, bitterness leaking into her tone. "You should have left me _months_ ago. You were right—you should have _been_ here. Maybe then you could have made a difference, instead of being up there with me, on that… that mountain."

The words cut through him like a knife. "No… No. There's nothing I could have done here. I couldn't have saved them. I couldn't have saved any of them. I barely kept _us_ alive. I was where I needed to be, Zelda. And I'm… so sorry for saying those things. I… wasn't in my right mind."

She looked down, gripping the mud in her fingers. "How? How did it _come_ to this? The Divine Beasts, the _Guardians_ … They were supposed to _protect_ us. They were going to save us. And now…"

"It was all a trap," Link whispered. "Ganon probably planned this for years."

She shuddered at his words. "It turned them all against us. And everyone—Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and… even Urbosa… They're all gone. And it's all my _fault_!" She buried her face in her dirty hands, shoulders shaking.

"No, Zelda, it's—"

"Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't harness this _cursed_ power! Every— _everything_ I've done up until now—it was all for nothing." She looked up at him, growing hysterical. "I really _am_ just a failure!"

Link reached out, grabbing her hands, shaking his head. " _No_ , Zelda, you're not."

She wasn't listening to him. "All my friends… the entire _kingdom_. My father… _Your_ father. Your _sister_ … Oh, Goddess, Link, I tried, and I failed them all. I… I let them all die." Her face broke, and she released an anguished sob, falling into his arms. He held her tightly, gently stroking her wet hair.

He wanted to cry too. He wanted to mourn the loss of his family and friends. Of his home. His kingdom. His entire life. But… he knew that he could not. His time of mourning would come, in time, but he still had a duty to carry out. There was one more person that he needed to protect.

And so, he held Zelda as she wept. He didn't tell her that it would be all right—he couldn't lie to her like that. But he wouldn't leave her. Not as long as he still drew breath.


	61. Side Quests III

**Yeah... the last chapter got to me too, folks. It was an incredibly tough one to write. For a number of reasons. The sheer bleakness of it, for one, but also just trying to figure out the timeline of those events... It would be so much easier if Link and Zelda could just teleport with the Sheikah Slate! But I hear you. I hear you loud and clear, and I hope this helps ease some of the pain of the last chapter! Enough looking to the past-time to focus on the future! And the final battle, which... will be coming to you on Saturday. Well, the first of two "final battle" chapters, anyway! The end is coming so soon. Next week will see the words, "THE END" posted!**

 **I do think I may throw up a few bonuses after completing the story, though. Some alternate scenes, maybe a little afterword to answer any lingering questions that remain.**

 **Let's get to a few reviews, shall we?**

 **Michy21: I swear, the whole reason I showed so much was just to explain _why_ she was still wearing her prayer dress... That really bugged me a lot, and I was determined to come up with a reason. She was, in a way, determined to keep it on _until_ her powers awakened. It represented the side of her that she felt she needed to become. However, more on that later. **

**Saphura: I try not to abuse angst too much, but... well, it _can_ be pretty satisfying at times! And I've never heard of the Adventure Zone, but now that I've looked it up, it looks interesting... Might have to check it out. Also, yeah, Link had a _major_ hero complex. To the point that it's definitely a character flaw! But it's also very fun to write, so... And regarding your headcanon concerning Aryll, that's fine! Honestly, I made a conscious choice to not show her ultimate fate. Link will never know for certain if she died in Castle Town or not, though he definitely assumes she did. **

**Infinite's Ruby: And that lack of hope is what ultimately led to the Master Sword breaking and Link's own death! But, ironically, it also led to Zelda awakening her powers, in a way. But that's all in the past. This little interlude is not so much about giving a breather, but about injecting a little bit of hope back into the story.**

 **Klynnw: I think I needed both the right story to tell and the right situation, which gave me the time and drive to sit down and _write_. But now that I have started, I certainly don't want to stop writing. But I'll talk more on future plans at the end!**

 **All right, I'll stop here! I've done a lot of work on this little interlude, so please enjoy! _Three_ of the little stories were all written in the last two days-and one of them forced me to rewrite an entire sequence in the next chapter, too... but I'm happier with how it turned out. Please let me know what you think! I'll just be here... writing a ten page paper for grad school and editing the end of my novel... **

* * *

**Side Quests III**

 **I**

Link remained on Mount Lanayru the entirety of the next day and night.

It wasn't enough time for him to process the memories, the details that had been lost but were now found, or the relationships that were now restored to him. It wasn't _nearly_ enough time. But he could remember them. He doubted his memory was perfect—he could not remember every conversation he'd ever had. But he felt certain that everything that had been lost during his slumber had been returned to him.

He could remember the day Aryll was born. And he could remember his mother teaching him how to cook. It began as making him help out with meal preparation while she was resting, after his sister's birth —she'd never been one to like having servants around—but he'd taken to it, even at that young age. He remembered the tears in his mother's eyes when he left with his father to go live at the castle.

He remembered that, despite his father's gruffness, he was a man that loved his family, both wife and children. He was also fiercely loyal to king and country. He had a slight limp in his left leg that Link hadn't noticed in any of his previously recovered memories, a reminder of an injury sustained, not in battle, but in a simple training accident.

Link remembered other family, too. He had an uncle that lived in Kasuto at the time. He had no idea now if he might actually still have family out there—his uncle had been unmarried and without children at the time. And then there were the friends. Many friendships had been lost over the course of time and as Link's responsibilities changed. Yet some friendships endured. He remembered Bazz, Rivan, and Gaddison. Bazz had been one of his best friends when Link was a child.

And he remembered his time with Zelda in much greater clarity. He could remember periods of anger and frustration, especially early on. But he could remember moments of peace during those early travels too. Things hadn't been as bad as he'd thought, but he also had the benefit of hindsight now. He could remember the slow, tentative bond they'd developed, beginning in Gerudo Town and expanding as they made their way back to the castle. They'd taken their time on that trip and had learned much about each other along the way.

He remembered falling in love with her. The not-very-subtle flirting. The hints. The teasing. The friendship that had blossomed into something so much more. Nights spent under the stars, wondering if she could ever feel the same way as him, and days with her in the castle, growing certain that she did.

Purah would have won two more of her bets, though he wasn't sure if he would ever actually tell her that. He was willing to bet that Zelda would, though. Those two had been more inseparable than he initially realized.

When he finally walked down the mountainside and rejoined with Spirit, Link felt as though he were a different man, yet the same. He still had the experiences that had shaped him into who he was following his resurrection. The shame, the hope, the victories, and the defeats. But now he had reconnected with the man he once was, as well. They were very similar. He'd been more hesitant before and certainly quieter. And Link understood better now the pressures he'd felt that led him to those traits.

They were similar, yet different in strange ways. He'd developed a fondness for spicier foods now that he never had before. Some of his sword techniques had evolved and changed, likely due to the fact that he hadn't been able to remember being taught them in the past. He looked people in the eye more now than he used to.

When Link looked at Spirit, he saw a bit of his old horse in him now. On that day, Link had rescued two horses, and he knew why he chose this one over the other. It seemed so obvious to him now, and he wondered if it had truly been a part of him that longed to be reunited with his old friend.

 _I wonder what happened to Epona and Storm. We left them in Hateno Village that night that we snuck away._

He would have to ask Impa about it sometime. With a faint smile, he realized that it might be the last thing he actually had to ask her about his past.

Link brought the hammer down, driving the nail into the wood the rest of the way and stepped back, smiling at his handiwork. The nails looked as though they had all actually gone in straight this time.

Before him stood an unfinished house, little more than a wooden frame. His contribution, so far, to its construction had been meager, at best. When he'd arrived back in Hateno Village three days prior, he found the reconstruction efforts already underway. Bolson and his "sons" were hard at work and even agreed to some temporary—and unpaid, therefore unofficial—help from those without the proper naming conventions.

"Oh, look at that magnificent work," Bolson said, sauntering up to him and inspecting Link's work—which was only a simple doorframe. "Great job, Link-son! Keep this up, and I might have to keep you around."

Also, Bolson had taken to adding "-son" to the end of all of their names, presumably for his own personal enjoyment.

Hateno Village, for all the damage it suffered in the monster assault, was already in the process of recovering. Most of its strong men and women had gone to Hyrule Field to participate in the battle, but some remained behind. Those of Bolson's construction crew that wished to help in the battle would be transported to Kakariko Village the next day to make the trek to the field, and Link would go with them.

He didn't know if Hateno Village would ever be truly back to normal. There was talk about making the wall and gate a permanent structure built out of stone and wood, and the concerns over food shortages continued. As feared, many of the monsters had harvested any fruits and vegetables from the outer farms and trampled anything that wasn't taken. But they would survive, assuming they received the help they had been promised.

So, for now, they rebuilt. Many mourned the loss of loved ones, but many more rejoiced for having been saved by what had become known as the "Grand Coalition". A coalition of five hundred warriors was considered _grand_ in this age. It was almost laughable knowing what Link now knew. He could remember training with the other races while growing up. Tourneys and incredible training exercises with _thousands_ in attendance.

Hyrule had been such a different place once. Link wondered if it, like Hateno, would ever be quite the same as it was. He doubted it. Scars could take a long time to heal—he was living proof of that. But it could be something else—something greater than it was now. Perhaps something even greater than it had once been.

As the afternoon became evening, Link finally took his leave from the construction workers and made his way back to his house, apart from the rest of the village. He didn't immediately go inside, however, but made a long loop around his property.

He and Aryll had played together on that open field, and Medilia, their mother, would scold them if they ran too close to the cliff's edge. Link started climbing rocks at a young age, using the steep mountain behind their house as his practice grounds. They'd once had cuccos. The old wooden coop still stood, though it had fallen into disrepair. He could remember his father's booming laugh as he watched Aryll chase them.

Link finally came to rest by the shallow pond not far from his house. He could remember seasons in which this pond dried up, and other times when it had flooded. Even though he spent a relatively short amount of time here compared to the castle, there were still so many memories in this place.

And he had them all.

He sat there, by the pond, skipping rocks across its surface for a long time as he reminisced. He wasn't sure yet if he should mourn or be grateful for the return of his memories. He was happy to know what he knew now. Thrilled to have his family back, if only in his mind. But the memories also brought with them pain. Not the raw, uncontrollable emotions of his previous flashbacks, but something deeper. They opened a hole within him that he wasn't sure could ever be filled.

There was anger there, too, coupled with the hurt. Anger towards the beast that had caused so much pain. He'd felt hatred towards Ganon before this, but now he felt something greater. Link would not rest until he saw Ganon destroyed. Even now, he wanted to travel to Hyrule Castle and challenge the beast. The Sheikah Slate at his belt seemed heavier now, and his fingers itched to dance across its surface and select the shrine nearest the castle.

But he didn't. Not yet. He was intent on ensuring that everything was perfect. He would only get a single shot at this. And, if he was being honest, he still didn't fully know how he was supposed to defeat Calamity Ganon. How _did_ one kill something made of smoky Malice? Would the Master Sword work? He hoped that Zelda would reveal something to him when the time came.

* * *

 **II**

Impa stood upon the Sahasra Slope, just outside of Kakariko Village, and looked towards Hyrule Castle. There it stood, as always, its broken spires piercing the twilight sky. At least, that's what she imagined. Now, the castle was a dark smudge on the horizon. Once, she had been able to see the castle in detail from this vantage, despite the great distance. She had some of the best eyes in all of the Sheikah people, but now even they had started to fail her. Such was the curse of age. She really _should_ invest in a good pair of spectacles, but she hated proving Paya right.

She turned, looking up at her granddaughter. The girl had changed following the Yiga incident, though one had to know her well to see it. It was amazing how _terrible_ she was at hiding certain emotions, while she had grown so accomplished at hiding others. But Impa could see it. The trauma. It joined the other pain that Paya had always kept to herself—the pain of losing her parents and the loneliness she felt in her position as Impa's caretaker.

Impa would take all of that hurt into herself, if she could. She had certainly borne enough pain and regrets throughout her long life—what were a few more added to the pile? But, for all her years, there remained some things that even Impa didn't know how to do.

"What do you see, Paya?"

Paya hummed softly. "I see the flying Divine Beast. What was it called?"

"Medoh."

"Yes! I see Medoh flying, and I _think_ I can see the others. We're so far away that they're hard to make out."

"And the castle? Do you see Ganon?"

Paya shook her head. "No... I can still see the Malice around it, though."

Impa pursed her lips, thinking. Ganon was preparing something. Likely a trap of some kind, but it was hard to say. There had already been some skirmishes with other monsters, though. The Zora had run into trouble on their way to Hyrule Field—a large group of lizalfos that apparently swam to meet them in the river. They should still reach the rendezvous in time, however.

The force traveling from Hateno Village had encountered more monsters in the west Necluda region, around the Blatchery Plains and the Ash Swamp. They were, in all likelihood, remnants of the army that had been fought at Hateno Village, but they fought as if bolstered. Likely Ganon's own influence, as were many of the other occurrences around the nation. Death Mountain still erupted far more frequently than normal, causing the Gorons and their newly re-opened mine more problems.

"Grandmother?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you…" Paya hesitated and fidgeted with her hands. "Do you think we'll win?"

Impa smiled faintly. "What do you think?"

She remained silent for a moment. "I… I'm scared. I've grown up my whole life hearing about how _terrible_ the Calamity was, and now that we're here…"

"Yes, I understand. Life under the Calamity is all that you've ever known."

Paya nodded slowly.

"And Calamity Ganon is, _indeed_ , powerful. Powerful enough that I've no doubt it would overwhelm Princess Zelda's power soon. The last time, it used the Guardians to destroy much of Hyrule, but I am sure it could have done equal damage by itself, had it chosen to do so."

"That's what I am afraid of. Can even someone like Link stand up to that?"

"Yes," Impa said, with certainty. "After everything that we've seen him accomplish, I know that he _would_ find a way. But, gratefully, he will have to do so alone. The Divine Beasts stand ready to assist him, and the princess will join the fight when she no longer has to keep Ganon at bay."

Paya sighed softly. "It is just so… strange to imagine. Life without fear. Without Ganon."

"Yes, I know. But… I believe that it will come. Finally."

* * *

 **III**

"Sidon, are you listening?"

Sidon blinked and turned, grinning at the diminutive spirit that was his sister. "Sorry, Mipha. I was just… thinking."

She gave him a patient look and turned away from Ruta's control console. "What about?"

"The future." Sidon sat down on the floor. Seated, he was about eye-level with Mipha. "And what everything will look like once this is all over."

"Hmm… It is daunting, isn't it? I… wish I would be able to see it."

Sidon looked at her. "How do you know? That you will fade when Ganon is defeated?"

"I don't, really. It's just… a feeling I have. I think that is why I'm still here. Once he is gone, then my spirit will not have reason to linger."

"Do you know what will happen to you?"

"No, I do not. I have no more knowledge of the afterlife now, than I did when I lived."

Sidon frowned. He didn't like the idea of his sister just… fading away. "Does that… scare you?"

Mipha remained silent for a long time. "A little, I suppose. But I'm happy, too. I feel certain that this is my purpose. Why I was created, in the first place."

"That's not how you _always_ felt, though."

She shook her head. "No, of course not. When I was younger—when I was alive, I should say—I had many other dreams."

Sidon grinned, unable to help himself. "Like marrying a certain Hylian?"

Somehow, even as a spirit, Mipha could look flustered. " _Well_ … yes. Yes, that was one of my dreams, and I am so _very_ pleased how widely known it has become."

Sarcasm. Mipha did not resort to it very often, and Sidon immediately worried that he'd offended her.

"I am sorry, Mipha. I am sure that, had things turned out differently—"

"No, it's all right. I've long since come to terms with it. I did so, even before I died, in a way. That is why I never gave him the armor. I knew, even then, that he was not my destiny."

"But… you still love him?"

"Of course, I do. How could I not?"

They fell silent for a time. Finally, Sidon spoke again, his voice growing softer. "I will miss you, when this is all over."

Mipha gave him a sad look. "And I you. I do wish we could have had more time together."

"Well, Link just moves so _fast_."

She laughed softly. "Yes, he does, at that. He never could be stopped once his mind was set on something. But I also wish I could have been there for you, as you grew."

"Me too."

"Sidon, I want you to know that I am so very _proud_ of you. And our mother would have been as well. I have no doubt that, when you take the mantle of king, you will lead our people with greater wisdom than any king that has come before. I believe in you."

* * *

 **IV**

Kass flew high over Hyrule Field, amazed by what he saw beneath him. All four Divine Beasts, gathered together for the first time in a century. In an odd twist, Medoh had been the last to arrive, though Kass suspected that had been an intentional move on Revali's part. The Rito Champion was so… different than what he expected.

He could see other things from his place, too. Guardians gathered near the castle. Other groups of monsters beginning to prepare for battle. Some Rito, directed by Teba, had already begun to harry the monster forces. No one wanted to have to repeat the battle of Hateno Village here.

 _My greatest wish has always been for my daughters to grow up in a world without the Calamity,_ he thought, heart swelling. _And it is about to come true._

He'd spoken of it. Dreamed of it. But a part of him had always doubted it would come to pass. In truth, he thought that he'd always been a bit of a hypocrite in this matter. He'd spoken to crowds, singing songs of hope for the future, while doubting them himself. At least, he had until he met Link.

Link had been a… revelation to Kass. Something impossible made real. A dream, in the flesh. Proof that there was a destiny for them all.

And what a destiny Link had! The man had power unlike Kass had ever seen, and it had nothing to do with his abilities with the sword. Though humble, he had a way of drawing people in. He pulled them along in his wake, gathering friends and allies in a way that most people could only dream of. Ancient barriers fell by the sheer force of his will. He was a man who befriended kings and queens as easily as humble bards, yet he would never actually admit it.

 _There's a lyric there, somewhere._

Kass folded his wings against his body and went into a dive, falling back below one of the puffy clouds that had moved in to block his view. He pulled out of it as soon as he got below the cloud, however. Flying too low was dangerous right now.

Even as he watched, a bolt of lightning appeared between Naboris' twin humps and lanced out, striking out at a group of riding bokoblins that had gotten too close. They didn't truly seem to be a cause for concern, but Kass had witnessed the Divine Beasts—Naboris and Medoh, in particular—attack Guardians and monsters nearby. Indeed, he expected they would be strong allies in the coming battle, even before they turned their power on Ganon.

 _What kind of world will our children grow up in?_

One full of tales of heroism, sacrifice, and victory, rather than impending doom. What a blessing that would be. He just hoped that his friend would have the opportunity to rest when it was over. Kass had a feeling that Link wouldn't do so, however. Not truly.

No, he would, undoubtedly, be asked to do more when this was finished. Kass fully expected that the people would try to make him king, though he wondered if that was inevitable, anyway. The lengths he was willing to take for his love of Princess Zelda would become legend. Kass should know—he'd already been working on two songs about it! They would work nicely when paired with tales of her love for him.

 _An ancient hero, a Calamity appears, now resurrected after ten thousand years._

 _Her appointed knight gives his life, shields her figure, and pays the price._

 _The princess's love for her fallen knight awakens her power,_

 _And within the castle the Calamity is forced to cower._

 _But the knight survives! In the Shrine of Resurrection, he sleeps,_

 _Until from his healing dream he leaps!_

 _For fierce and deadly trials await. To regain his strength._

 _Fulfill his fate. To become a hero once again! To wrest the princess from evil's den._

 _The hero, the princess—hand in hand—must bring the light back to this land._

The song lyrics played through his mind, and Kass smiled warmly. His teacher's song. He still didn't understand how his teacher knew so much. How had he known that Link would awaken again or the source of the princess's power? There had been more to old Rao than Kass had ever been able to discover.

But now that song was almost complete. Kass had added to it throughout this journey. Verses about the Champions and Link, himself. Only a single verse remained to be written.

The conclusion.

* * *

 **V**

Mipha stood atop Ruta's trunk, looking out as her people gathered below. Each of the races had set up their camps nearest their respective Divine Beasts—with the exception of the Rito, as Revali did not wish to set Medoh down yet.

It was strange, considering how close she had been to her people, how little she had actually seen of them in the last one hundred years. She'd been trapped by that creature, but even after Link freed her, she was unable to venture far away from the Divine Beast. Her spirit was… tethered to it. She could leave Ruta, but could only go so far.

 _I could go down and visit with my people one last time_ , she thought. But then she smiled sadly. _No. Seeing me like this would only cause confusion and pain._ Others besides Sidon had come to visit her aboard Ruta, but few of them seemed able to stay long. Speaking to a dead woman was strange to most.

It hurt to see those that she had once called her friends looking so different. Kodah was married now and had a child nearing maturity. Seggin and Muzu had grown old. Even the members of the Bazz Brigade had all grown up into fine warriors and friends for her brother. They were all so different, except for…

Mipha smiled faintly when she saw him approaching. Yes, she was wondering when he would finally join them. It took him longer than she had expected, but she could hardly blame the Champion of Hyrule for taking some time to himself before the end.

She made her way back down into Ruta's body to await his arrival. She did not have to wait long before Link rode the rising platform up and walked into the Divine Beast's main chamber. He saw her and smiled.

Her heart could no longer flutter as it once had, but she still felt a hint of that old anxiety. He would likely always have that effect on her.

"Hello, Link."

"Hey, Mipha."

"What brings you here? Did you just arrive?"

"Yeah, I… Some things have happened and…" He trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed.

She frowned. "What is it?"

He pursed his lips, considering, and then met her eyes. "It's my memories. They've all returned."

Mipha's eyes widened, and her lips parted into a bright smile. "Oh, Link, that's wonderful! How did it happen? Sidon told me that you had gone up to Mount Lanayru to try to recover them."

He hesitated. "Yeah, I… Can we go sit somewhere and talk?"

Feeling slightly flustered by the request, but also immensely pleased, Mipha led Link back out on Ruta's long trunk and lifted them both higher up. A gentle breeze ruffled Link's hair, though she couldn't feel it. He clearly enjoyed the feel of it and spent some time just looking around at the gathered forces around them.

But then he began to tell her of his memories. He told her of the happiness he felt at remembering his time with her, the other Champions, and his family, but also of the anguish. He felt as though he'd lost them all over again. He spoke of the pain of regaining the memories of his sister, especially, only to lose her again. Unlike with the Champions, he would never have the closure of speaking to her one last time.

He spoke of his sorrow, but also of his anger. Anger at himself for failing. Anger at Ganon for destroying so much. Anger at those that remained, who had done so little to make use of the time Zelda bought for them. Anger at fate for allowing this to happen, in the first place.

And he spoke of his fear. He looked upon Hyrule Castle, and Mipha could see him try to mask the slight tremble in his hands. He feared what failure would mean for Hyrule. For the people gathered all around them. For his friends. For the Champions. And what his failure could mean for Zelda, the woman he so clearly loved.

Mipha tried not to be hurt by this. She'd known one hundred years ago that they were falling in love, and the things she had witnessed on the way to Mount Lanayru had confirmed that beyond any doubt. But now… Well, he made little effort to hide it.

"You know…" Mipha said, once Link appeared to be finished speaking. He looked spent, as if saying so much at once had tired him. "I am not sure if I have ever heard you say so much at once."

Link smiled faintly. "I did use to be quieter. I was so… overwhelmed by the burden. I wanted to live up to everyone's expectations."

"And I think you will. You've certainly always lived up to mine."

He closed his eyes for a time and, when he finally reopened them and spoke again, it was with a voice thicker with emotion. "I'm grateful that I had you growing up, Mipha. I wish things had turned out differently. You… deserve better than what happened."

"We all do… But one cannot change the past, no matter how wrong it is." She reached out, placing a hand against his arm, concentrating on making it solid enough for him to feel. It took a great deal of effort and left her feeling drained, but it was worth it. "We cannot live in our regrets. This is our chance to set some things right."

"Yeah. It is." His eyes looked out on the castle again, and she saw his resolve harden.

They remained like that for a long time before, finally, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She saw some of the tension leave his shoulders. He looked back at her and smiled warmly. "Thanks for listening."

Mipha hummed a response. "Of course." She returned his smile and removed her hand, replacing it back in her lap. "Have my healing abilities helped you on your journey?"

Link's eyes widened. "Oh, Hylia, _yes_. I'd be dead several times over if it weren't for them."

That… did not comfort Mipha nearly as much as Link probably thought it would. "I-is that so?"

"Yeah, you…" He hesitated, and then smiled. "You've been protecting me, all this time."

 _Must_ he say things like that? And with that expression?

"Well… good. I'm pleased to know that I've been able to contribute in whatever small way that I—"

" _Small_? Mipha, I'm being serious. I'm _alive_ because of you. The things that I've faced, I… I could have never done it without you."

She felt as though she could almost feel her phantom heart racing. Did he even know the effect he had on her? Especially when he said things like that. She smiled, looking down at her hands.

"Good…"

"Actually, that's something else I wanted to ask you. Can you… teach me how to heal others with it?"

 _Oh, currents. That is the_ last _conversation that I_ _want to have with you!_

* * *

 **VI**

Teba stretched his wing out, amazed at the strength he felt in it. It was as if the break had never even happened. He tested it, turning it this way and that, lifting it above his head and rotating it. There wasn't even a twinge of pain.

"What the _hell_?"

Link, looking paler than he had a minute ago and with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, grinned. His hands were no longer glowing with that soft blue light. Teba's arm didn't feel as though it had been dunked in Lake Totori in the middle of winter anymore, either.

"It's just something that I picked up along the way. I figured that I should at least try. How does it feel?"

"It feels… _great_." He smirked—Harth would spit up his lunch when he saw Teba flying around again. And what would Revali say when he showed up on Medoh's wing? After the damned Champion made light of his injury, it would be good to see his expression. "Thanks, Link. You are, apparently, still full of surprises."

"This one is all Mipha. She's the one who gave it to me."

"Well, thanks anyway. I was about to start ripping my feathers out over being grounded."

Link chuckled softly, nodding, and turned to look out at the gathered Rito forces around them. "I never had a chance to talk to you after the battle, but… thanks, Teba. We wouldn't have survived without you and your Rito."

Teba nodded. "You're welcome. Glad we made it in time."

A frown creased Link's forehead. "How… many did you lose to Medoh before I arrived?"

"What does that matter? That Zora prince is right—you try to take too much responsibility."

"I'm just wondering if I could have done things differently. Gotten there… _sooner_. Naboris did a lot of damage in the desert because of how long it took me to get there, too."

Teba snorted. "Just like a Hylian to try to make everything about you." He turned, looking out at the Rito around them. The Rito that remained. It took him a moment to speak again. "I was reckless. Kaneli was right about that, in the end. We lost too many because I was too damn determined to win."

"You were just trying to protect your people."

"Against what?" Teba shook his head. "Medoh never attacked unless provoked. Maybe that would have changed in the future—"

"It would have. Each of the Divine Beasts eventually turned against their people. Medoh would have been no different."

"Regardless. Your arrival proved that I could have waited. If I had, you would have shown up, solved all our problems, and the others would still be around."

Why was he even _having_ this conversation? He hadn't even spoken to Harth about this. The only other that he'd said such things to was Saki. But she hadn't understood—how could he expect her to?

Link looked at him, his expression difficult to read. Finally, he smiled solemnly. "You did the best you could, Teba. You had no way of knowing I was coming and… besides, it was your actions that told us how we could defeat Medoh's defenses in the first place. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't tried."

Teba harrumphed, crossing his wings over his chest and looking away. "Maybe."

"I don't think it was in vain. We all… do reckless things from time to time. And sometimes others pay the price for it. A friend recently felt the need to tell me that a leader rarely has the luxury of knowing what the right thing to do is. A leader can only follow his heart and hope for the best."

"That's not good enough for me."

"Yeah, me neither. But…" Link chuckled softly, shaking his head. "He's right. It's just like what we're about to do here. I… don't know what's going to happen when I face Ganon. I could fail. And, if I do, then all of _Hyrule_ will pay the price. But what other choice do I have?"

He remained silent for several seconds before looking back at Link, meeting his eyes. The Hylian had a strange look on his face. It wasn't excitement, but it wasn't fear, either. Anticipation. Hunger.

"But you don't intend to fail."

"No. I don't. I intend to end this."

Teba smirked. "Good enough for me. I guess… we just have to hope for the best."

* * *

 **VII**

Purah reached up and brushed a sweaty lock of hair out of her face. It was currently a deep maroon color—the result of a new look that she was trying out. Just the one lock of hair. She used to like changing up her look frequently when she was, well, _younger_. Or, at least, she had when she actually had funds to do so, which wasn't snapping often. The only reason she'd been able to afford the dye for this change was because the dye shop owner—what's-his-name—felt grateful for her contribution to the defense of Hateno Village.

That and he thought she was pretty.

 _Click, snap, it's gotten hot_ , she thought as she glared at the console underneath the Guidance Stone. The Necluda tower—which she had made Link go activate when he finally returned to the village—was in a good spot, as there were quite a few living Guardians still running around in the region. Still, she missed the tower atop the Great Plateau—there was _always_ a nice breeze up there.

"Director Purah, Doctor Robbie, would you like to eat something soon?"

She ignored Symin. He was a nice enough guy, though a bit stiff. Too bookish. Useful, though. Great researcher. And he _did_ make a good chocolate cake.

But she didn't have time for cake—or anything else—right now. Her deadline was rapidly approaching, and she _still_ didn't have root access into the Guardian's core functions. Oh, she could shut down a bunch of their individual functions quicker than a snap of the finger, including their legs and propellers. Link would probably say that was enough. But it wasn't. She wanted _weapons_ access. Targeting.

She wanted to put them back to their original _snapping_ use.

"Hmm… Purah, what about this?" Robbie pushed one of the books Link stole from the Yiga over to her, where he tapped a line of text.

"Already tried it." She tapped away at her Sheikah Slate, which was only showing lines of text at the moment. "Keep up, Robbie."

" _Did_ you?" Robbie seemed confused. A fairly normal state of mind for him, actually. She _liked_ Robbie well enough, but… well, he _was_ the one that nearly got Zelda killed by that Guardian.

"Yes, of course, I did. I—"

Purah looked at the book and at the line of text that he'd motioned for. She… had _not_ , in fact, tried that. _Damn_.

She tapped the book for a few seconds, trying to figure out a way to try it without making it obvious that she'd been wrong.

"You didn't, did you?" Robbie asked, a grin appearing on his wrinkled face.

"You know, I liked you better when you used to always call me _Doctor_ Purah."

"My apologies, _doctor_."

She stuck her tongue out at him but then sucked it back in quickly. She had to stop doing that—she wasn't _six_ anymore, after all. She turned back to her Sheikah Slate, tapping in the new line of instructions.

"Symin, I'm going to throw you off the tower if you don't stop smirking," she said as she studied the new text to verify she'd copied it correctly. She could _feel_ his smirk grow wider behind her.

It _was_ very similar to something she'd already tried. That was why she'd made the mistake. One could hardly blame her! And, naturally, like that other one she tried, this would _clearly_ not—

"Detecting nearby Guardians. Confirmed. 12 nearby Guardians detected. Current directive: ERROR. No valid directives detected. Reset?"

" _Click, snap!_ " Purah jumped up, eyes widening. "That's it! That's it, that's it, that's it, _that's it_!"

" _Really_?" Robbie asked, eyes widening.

Purah screamed in excitement, typing away at the screen, eyes wide.

"Reset confirmed. Current directives deleted. Please input new directives."

She slowly lowered the Sheikah Slate, turning her head to look at Robbie. "I think… we _did_ it."

"Let me see!" Robbie took the Sheikah Slate from her, staring at the screen. He typed out a few lines of text and waited. Purah could see him visibly shaking with excitement. She was too. If this _worked_ —

"It's _working_ ," he said, voice lowered to a whisper. "They're responding to the new orders! Purah, do you know what this means?"

"It means we're about to make Ganon really _snapping_ angry." She grinned, eyes flashing with vindication. It was time for _science_ to have its vengeance.

* * *

 **VIII**

How long? How long in this prison? How long had it been since it felt the wind? The heat of the sun? The sand beneath its feet? How long since… since what?

Thoughts melted away like wax. But no. No.

No.

How _long_? The Princess. The Hero. The battle. Machines. Terrible machines that shot light and fire. They ripped. Weakened. Subdued. And then the Hero and his sword, and the Princess and her power, and…

 _How long_?

Days? Years? Ages? It… had been a very long time. So long that time had no meaning. But… no. _No_ , that was not the last time, was it? There was another. A plan. A _trap_. A victory. A defeat. The Hero, dead. The Princess, powerless. The machines, corrupted. The Calamity, triumphant.

Why was there a prison at all?

 _How **long?**_

It… saw. It understood. The Princess. The _Princess_. She defeated it. She subdued it. She _imprisoned_ it. She kept it from its goal. Resurrection. A body, once more. A chance to roam the world again. To feel the wind. The heat. The sand.

Frozen in stasis. Frozen in time. How… long?

Something was different. It could see that now. Outside of its prison, men and women gathered. Preparing. But for what? Its machines would fight them. They would—

Machines. The largest ones. Its puppets. Its shadows. Defeated? How?

It… considered. It thought. It saw. It remembered.

Hero.

 _Hero_.

 ** _Hero._**

Not dead. Not defeated. Not gone. Alive? Always alive. Always ready.

How long? _How long?_

Ages. Millenia? Longer. Much, much longer. Again and again and again and again and again and again. Defeat. Imprisonment. Rebirth. Defeat. Imprisonment. Always ready. Always alive. Again and again and _again_ _and again and **again.**_

 ** _How long?_**

The Hero was there. It could _feel_ him. Watching. Waiting. Preparing. Still alive. Still ready.

Hero.

Anger. Fury. Rage. Hate. Fear.

Hero.

Hero.

 _Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero. Hero._

 ** _Hero._**

* * *

 **IX**

Zelda groaned to herself, self-awareness trickling back into her mind gradually. How… long? How long had it been? She could remember the fight. The battle of Hateno Village.

She could remember standing behind Link, using her power to support him. To give him strength and… She could see things more clearly than he could. She could see the power of Ganon on each of its minions. And her intimate knowledge of the beast meant she could glean its intent before they even began to move.

This was the greatest of the help she gave Link. Subtle knowledge that gave him that much more of an edge when facing the hordes. She wasn't even sure if he needed it. He'd _shone_ with the spirit of the Hero like never before in those few minutes of fighting. She'd been able to see it from the strange in-between place she mostly existed in. He and the Master Sword had become one, moving with a mastery unlike this world had seen in many millennia. Perhaps ever.

But then she'd seen the lynel. That poor creature, so tainted by Ganon's Malice that it had been able to take complete control. Ganon's gambit, then. It would attempt to kill Link there on the hill. Or so she'd thought.

So, Link fought, and Zelda assisted. Where Ganon controlled, she directed. Where it dominated, she suggested. That was how their power had always been. And it was why she—Hylia—had always defeated it in the past. True strength came not from muscle and power—it was found in firmness of heart, courage under insurmountable odds, and a desire to protect, even unto death.

And then, when Link had released Ganon's Malice, Zelda feared that she saw its other plan. A trap. That creature had been like one of its Blights. An actual piece of Ganon, sealed away in the lynel to fester, to grow angry, to plot. And, eventually, to attack the Hylians at the opportune time. And when Link had, literally, cut the Malice out of the cursed creature, she saw Ganon's attempt to form it into a new shadow of itself.

She'd attacked the Blight with her power, and Ganon sprung its trap. Assuming its focus was on Link, she hadn't expected its attack on _her_. Her mind was ripped from the power, flayed to pieces, and buried deep within. It had very nearly killed her. The agony she'd felt made her almost wish it had.

But the power had remained. After one hundred years of constant battle, it knew to keep Ganon contained, though her mind had been thrown to the winds. She had no awareness of what had transpired during her time of near-death. Even now, she had trouble focusing. _Seeing_. He'd gained a foothold in her absence, but to what end? He hadn't escaped.

She mentally prodded her power. She appeared to be… whole. The memory of the incredible pain she'd experienced remained, but Ganon did not attempt to rend her soul now. No, it was still in its…

She couldn't see it. She could no longer feel its mind, sense its intent. It was there, but she couldn't even catch a glimpse of what it did now. It was like a blank canvas.

She cursed herself. _This_ had been his plan, then. To form a stronger seal against her interference. And the seal _was_ strong. She pushed against it, but it did not yield. Whatever it did in the sanctum, she could not see. But she knew. She knew what Link would find within. Its body.

How surprised she had been when she finally made her way to Hyrule Castle one hundred years ago to confront Ganon. The Calamity had been strong, yet incomplete. It could have been _more_ than it was, but it wanted something… else. Something different. A body. To live again. To think. To feel. To experience what had been denied to it for thousands upon thousands of years.

And that desire, that willingness to remain incomplete while it built a new body, to delay its complete conquest of Hyrule—it became Ganon's downfall. But now…

She turned her focus outward. She couldn't see _far_ due to her still-wavering consciousness, but she didn't need to. Link was there. She could sense his heart, and in a moment, she could see him aboard Divine Beast Vah Rudania. She could see the spirits of the Champions, too—all present with him. It warmed her heart to know that they had one last opportunity to speak before the end.

As her strength grew, she expanded her mind and took in the rest of their surroundings. Little pinpoints of light signified an expansive force of Hyruleans had gathered. Zora and Gerudo made up the majority, their warriors eagerly anticipating the battle. There were some Gorons, most of them wielding tools of their trade, rather than actual weapons. The Rito had gathered, as well, set slightly apart from the others, as they often were. Then there were the Hylians and Sheikah. Even together, they were small in number. There simply weren't that many warriors left among their people after the Calamity.

Zelda expanded her mind further, visualizing herself taking a deep breath. Her consciousness flowed outward, over the hills, the grass, the trees, the lakes, the mountains. She could _feel_ Hyrule. The whole land anticipated what the next day would bring. Death Mountain erupted. The ground quaked. The winds blew. The clouds broke.

The moment that the land had patiently waited for had, after one hundred long, painful years, _finally_ arrived.


	62. Chapter Fifty-Eight

**So... I'm freaking out right now. Because the final battle begins _now_. I've been pouring over this chapter for days now (and, really, this has probably gone through about a dozen revisions over the last month and a half since I first wrote it) to make it just right. You've all been waiting for this moment, and I've been building towards it since way back in Part One, when Sidon promised Link his aid. **

**And my dear readers? I think you'll like what I have cooked up. Even more so when you see the next chapter get posted _tomorrow_. No more waiting for chapters. From here on out, it's a chapter a day until completion-which should be on Thursday, if my math is right. I've still got considerable edits and revisions that need done, so it's going to be a busy week for me! I hope you love it as much as I did writing it.**

 **Also, as a little admin note, I am hoping to get my story featured online, whether on some popular Zelda fansites, fanfic sites, or even gaming sites. I know that there used to be things like Fanfiction contests and whatnot, too, though I haven't come across any lately. If any of you know of any sites or people that might be interested in featuring this, please let me know! I'm not asking you to go out and tell people about this on Reddit and whatnot (though I certainly wouldn't be upset if you did...), but I would love for more people to read it and let me know what they think. With any luck, I can get enough recognition to be able to use it in a portfolio in the future to show what I am capable of writing.**

 **Wraith Five: I've been there right with you! While it's been a while since I was in a programming class, I remember that sometimes it was just one little thing that would suddenly make the program start working just like intended. Also, thanks for the heads up on those typos and grammatical errors. I went back and fixed them already. If you see any others, feel free to let me know! I've got no beta readers or editors, so I'm bound to miss things from time to time.**

 **Devaberiel: Thank you! I enjoyed building up for the battle. I really wanted there to be an underlying tension over the last chapter, despite some of its more lighthearted moments. The end is coming. Which makes me, like you, kind of sad! This has been such a great experience writing and sharing with you all. As for what will be happening once this is finished, I'll be talking about that a little later on. I do have some ideas, but I am still working through some things.**

 **echo009: You really bumped up my review count this week, so... thanks! Also, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters so much. In particular, I appreciate the comments on my characterization of the minor characters and the past/present flip-flopping in Chapter 56. I'm happy that my characters has proved consistent and pleasing to read! And writing Link's journey up the mountain was just so satisfying to imagine and put down on paper. I wanted it to come off as cinematic, with each scene going back and forth, but always showing Link progressing along the same path.**

 **Infinite's Ruby: Calamity Ganon is fun. :) It took me a long time to decide to finally write that. I wrote it on Wednesday! But I had trouble figuring out how I wanted to portray it... but then I decided to just make it all his thoughts with no action. I tried keeping it intentionally nonsensical at times to show that Ganon really just isn't all _there_. As for my last sentences... honestly, I just like my final words to be kind of blunt. I don't always keep it to short sentences, but I try to simplify them to make them good periods on the end of chapters. This chapter is the same way, as you will soon find out!**

 **midnaisbae: Stay tuned tomorrow...**

 **All right, let's do this. Please, read, enjoy, favorite, comment-whatever you'd like! Either way, the end begins today.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Eight**

Link gazed out towards Hyrule Castle, shadowy in the setting sun, feeling the nervous energy that accompanies a coming battle. He didn't _know_ what would happen the following day. Purah said that she'd cracked the Guardians' code—whatever that meant—and she'd been able to gain control over a select few of them. She'd been having problems with the Guardians near here, though. Link worried that they were too far under Ganon's control.

Then there were the monsters. Whatever danger the Guardians had once posed to the monsters had apparently been resolved, and the two forces had united against Link's Hyrulean force. Their numbers were not as lopsided as those at Hateno Village, and the Hyruleans had the benefit of the Divine Beasts, which were able to put their defensive systems to excellent use in the skirmishes that had already happened. Naboris, in particular, sent bokoblins and moblins scurrying.

But it all added up to a worrying level of opposition for Link's large, yet still mostly untried force. They'd fought well in Hateno Village, but that represented, perhaps, a quarter of the total number that gathered on the field now.

Robbie had started outfitting those he could with the special Guardian-resistant armor and Ancient weaponry. Swords and spears containing blades made from blue energy, arrows that would destroy the Guardians with a single, well-placed strike, and armor that, supposedly, could withstand a blast from a Guardian's energy beam. He'd offered them to Link as well, but he refused.

Link's ultimate goal was not to fight Guardians, after all, but to enter the castle for the second time since waking and make his way towards the central spire, towards the sanctum. Where he knew Ganon waited, thanks to Zelda's own words and the Master Sword's quiet, but insistent pull. The rest of the battle was really just a means to get him into the castle.

"Are you ready for this, little guy?" Daruk asked, standing beside Link. They were together on the back of Rudania, which, among the Divine Beasts, offered the easiest vantage if one didn't want to be flying high above in the air.

Link looked at him, meeting Daruk's warm expression. "I have no idea."

Urbosa chuckled, and he felt her ghostly hand rest on his shoulder. "Oh, I have an idea."

"That's right," Mipha said, stepping up beside her and smiling warmly. "I know that you will see defeat Ganon tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah!" Daruk said, pounding his chest silently. "You've got this! That Ganon isn't going to stand a chance once you get in there."

There was a pause, and Link glanced over at Revali, who raised one feathered eyebrow.

"Were you waiting for me to say something nice and encouraging, too?"

Link couldn't help himself but to smile. "Well, not to leave you out."

The Rito crossed his arms. "Don't die. _Again_."

Urbosa snorted. "One hundred years, and you still haven't changed. Would it _kill_ you to say even one nice thing?"

Link laughed, and so did Daruk. Mipha looked a little bit shocked, but then hid a smile behind her hand. Even Revali chuckled, inclining his head.

It felt almost… normal. If Link closed his eyes, he could imagine them all sitting around the fire, speaking together, joking, laughing, eating. Zelda would have been there, too. But as he looked at them, all he saw were their spectral forms. Their translucence, the way their feet didn't touch the floor, or how Urbosa's hand, even when upon his shoulder, didn't feel entirely _real_.

Link's smile faded.

"Now, what's that look for?" Daruk asked, frowning and leaning closer to Link. "Something you ate?"

He shook his head, exhaling slowly. "I'm just… I can remember coming here one hundred years ago. Ganon made sure to let us see the destruction, to see how we'd already failed, to see all of _you_ … And then it sprung his trap."

Urbosa hummed softly. "It's incredible that you both survived that first encounter. You did well, considering what you were up against."

"It was all we could do to run. There was no way to fight back."

"And that was the right thing to do. There is no shame in retreating when a battle cannot be won. If you'd fought there, then you both would have died, and Ganon would be free."

"You mustn't blame yourself, Link," Mipha said, stepping up beside him and laying a gentle hand on his arm. "I am confident that there is nothing more than you— _either_ of you—could have done to change things."

Link nodded. "I know. I've accepted that, it's just… It feels recent. Fresh. I can still remember the panic, the… hopelessness."

"That's good," Urbosa said. "Use that. Ganon took everything away from us, and now it is time to make it _pay_."

Link glanced up at Urbosa, giving her an appreciative look. "You're right. You—" He stopped, no longer looking at Urbosa, but… _through_ her. At the woman standing just beyond.

"Hello, everyone," Zelda said.

Urbosa whirled, and Link moved to the side so that he no longer had to look through her to see Zelda. She was there, slightly translucent herself, but shining with a soft golden light, rather than the green aura that the Champions gave off.

"Zelda, you're—" Link began, glancing between her and the castle. "You're _here_. How are you—I thought—"

"I'm only here in part," she said, glancing towards the castle. "You are close enough that I felt comfortable enough to appear to you like this for a short time. And… I wished to see you all."

Link opened his mouth to say something else, but Urbosa took a step forward, reaching out a hand to place it on Zelda's shoulder. Link saw their forms fuzz slightly where they touched, and her hand sunk slightly into Zelda's shoulder before Urbosa stopped it.

Zelda looked up at her, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry, Urbosa. I would hug you, if I could. I—"

Urbosa leaned down and gently kissed the top of Zelda's head, regardless of whether either of them could feel it. "I am so proud of you, Little Bird." She spoke softly, and Link had to strain to hear her.

But suddenly, he wished that he couldn't. They deserved to have some space. He, at least, had a chance to speak with Zelda recently. Urbosa hadn't seen her in one hundred years.

The other Champions appeared to agree, and they moved away to give the two women some space. Link went with them, standing in silence and looking towards the castle. Behind them, he could hear the hushed tones of Zelda and Urbosa as they spoke but couldn't make out the words.

Eventually, the voices of the two women increased in volume again, and Link glanced over to see Urbosa stand up straight again. She gave him a subtle nod to indicate they could approach.

Unable to stop himself, Link hurried to Zelda's side, not masking his concern. "Zelda, you… Are you… all right? I've been trying to speak with you." Seeing her like this, incorporeal, terrified him. Had she— _was_ she—

"I'm all right, Link," she said, though her voice sounded weary. "I am alive, though Ganon… did its best to destroy me during the battle in Hateno Village."

Relief flooded into him, and a lump formed in his throat. She still lived. The nameless fear that had plagued him for the last two weeks lifted away, as if made of mist.

"What…" He cleared his throat. "What happened?"

"It's difficult to explain, and I fear I don't have much time. My powers are still weakened by my ordeal. But I… overcommitted myself to helping you in that battle, and Ganon used that chance to attack me with my guard down. It very nearly destroyed me _and_ my power."

Rage. White, hot _rage_. Link's knuckles popped as his hands clenched into tight fists. He felt angry enough to charge the castle now—the plan be damned. He wanted to cut that creature to pieces.

"But you've still got him plugged up now, princess?" Daruk asked.

Zelda nodded. "My power endured, even though I was not… Well, suffice it to say, Ganon still appears to be trapped."

" _Appears_ to be?" Revali asked.

"Yes… It did something while I was in my weakened state that made it impossible for me to observe it anymore. It may have the strength to break free now but is merely biding its time."

"It's a good thing we're ready for him this time, then," Daruk said, grinning and slamming his fist into his palm. "Let him break out, I say. I'll show him the proper might of Rudania."

 _No,_ Link thought. _Not yet._ He wanted to be there when Ganon appeared. Attack before the creature could gain the upper hand.

Zelda looked back at the castle, frowning. "You all must be careful tomorrow. I do not think it will try to take over the Divine Beasts again—each Blight that it sent out was a piece of its own soul. Each one weakened it a small amount, and I doubt it will risk doing so again now. However, it could."

Revali scoffed. "What could it do to us, even if it did? We're _already_ dead."

Zelda looked at him and shook her head. "I don't know. It might, perhaps, be able to retake the Divine Beasts. But that isn't my greatest concern." She looked at Link. "I don't believe its intent is to attack the Divine Beasts, but to find a way to defeat _you_. It will do everything it can to stop you from reaching the sanctum. I'm sure of it."

Link gave her a confident smile, the rage he felt earlier having cooled. "For what it's worth, I've been trying to figure out ways to defeat impossible monsters since I woke up. It's nice to have something trying to figure out ways to defeat _me_ for once."

"Yes, well," she said, smiling and inclining her head. "Perhaps more of a plan this time than just charging the castle. The Guardians will be seeking you out." When he said nothing, she frowned. "You _do_ have more of a plan than to just charge the castle, right?"

"Well, I've been so focused on trying to figure out ways to defeat Ganon, you see—" She groaned in such a positively _Zelda_ way that he couldn't help but to grin. "I can do this, Zel." She stiffened. "We have a plan. The Guardians shouldn't be an issue."

Zelda's eyes widened. "They did it? They were able to retake control?"

Link nodded. "Purah's still working on a few issues with the ones here, but they took complete control over some."

She remained silent for a time, appearing to consider these implications. Link understood why, too. If Ganon lost its Guardians, then the battle would quickly turn in their favor. Ganon's defeat could ultimately end up looking a lot like the one depicted in Impa's old mural. He still worried, however.

"But how am I supposed to hurt Ganon? Each time I've seen it, it's been just… flying smoke. Will I even be able to touch it?"

Her eyes focused on him again, and her expression grew grim. "I wish that all you would have to face would be its incorporeal form. That form is weak. But…" She sighed. "When it arose one hundred years ago, there is a reason that it used the Guardians instead of attacking directly. Ganon has no _body_. Or, at least, it didn't. When I arrived, I interrupted its attempts to create a new one, and my seal kept it from doing so for the last hundred years. But now that it succeeded in pushing me away…"

Link felt the last puzzle piece falling into place. The only time he had ever seen Ganon was in that strange, smoking boar-like form. It was comforting, in a way, to know that the Ganon he fought tomorrow would be something physical. Even if he didn't know what to expect. "Good. I can fight that."

"It will be _strong_ , Link. This won't be as simple as your fights against the Blights."

 _Simple?_ Link smiled wryly. "I can handle it." He reached back and touched the Master Sword's hilt. "We can."

She looked at him quietly for a time before nodding. "I know you can."

"And what about us, princess?" Daruk asked.

"Be ready to strike when I say. Link, you'll need to draw Ganon out into the open. You won't want to fight it in the sanctum, anyway, if you can avoid it. It's a mess in there. Bring it to where the Guardians can have a clear shot and be prepared to get out of the way."

"And if Ganon won't take the bait?" Revali asked.

"Then fire on the sanctum itself. I… believe that I can protect Link from harm if it comes to that."

Urbosa nodded. "And once we hit it, Ganon should be weakened enough for you?"

"Yes. That's when _I_ will strike." Zelda's expression hardened, and Link saw some of the hatred she bore for the creature in her eyes. He could only imagine what she'd gone through for the last one hundred years. It made his trials seem paltry by comparison.

"So, what did it?" Revali asked after a short pause. "How did you finally get your power?"

Her expression shifted to uncertainty. "I always thought that the power would come through sacrifice and denying myself comforts to make myself more holy. I felt that by _emptying_ myself, I would be able to be… filled, somehow."

Mipha gasped softly, moving forward to catch Zelda's eyes. "But that wasn't it, was it? You had it all along."

Zelda glanced up at her and gave Mipha a sad smile. "Yes, in a way. Perhaps traveling to the springs was useful—during the last spring, I did see… _something_." Her eyes darted towards Link, but then quickly away again.

"That still doesn't answer it," Revali said, crossing his wings and frowning. "What actually _did_ it?"

Zelda met the Rito's eyes. "I had to accept some things about myself. I had to stop… _denying_ myself. Who I am. _I_ am the physical embodiment of Hylia—not whoever I was trying to become."

"That's it? The secret was that you had to be _yourself_?"

"There were… other aspects of it, as well. Hylia believes in preserving all life, in protecting those who cannot protect themselves. She values courage, sacrifice, and—love. In those days, I had so much fear and doubt, made only worse by the feeling that I wasn't…" She hesitated, looking away. "Good enough."

"Ah, Princess!" Daruk said. "We all could've told you how wrong you were there!"

Urbosa nodded, looking down at Zelda fondly. "You were always the worthiest of us."

"Thank you." Zelda smiled at each of them, but then her voice grew distant. "There is… something else, too. Something that none of our scholars knew. The power I hold, it… isn't _just_ the Goddess. It's something else. Something lost to time. It requires a certain balance of character that I… well, so worried and afraid, I lacked."

"So… how did it happen, then?" Revali's tone had grown quieter, and he seemed genuinely curious. "If you were afraid _before_ , how did you…"

Zelda didn't immediately answer, so Link did, instead.

"She stood between me and a Guardian."

She looked around at him sharply, surprise written across her features.

He met her eyes and nodded. "I was… dying. She stepped in front of me as a Guardian prepared to finish me off. And then it just… happened."

"Courage, sacrifice, and love," Mipha said.

Zelda's eyes remained on his. "Yes." A moment of stillness passed between them.

But it was broken as her face grew pinched. When she spoke, her voice was strained. "I'm sorry, I must go. Ganon is—"

She faded from view.

"Zelda?" Link asked, stepping forward and looking around. "Zelda, are you all right?"

"Yes…" Her voice was fainter now and came from the direction of the castle. "Ganon must have noticed what I was doing. I am still holding it at bay, but… be prepared, Link."

Link reached back and grasped the Master Sword's hilt. "I'm coming _now_."

" _No!_ " she said, sharply. And then, less severely, "No. Don't attack until everything is ready. I can withstand this. It didn't catch me off guard like last time."

Link wanted to ignore her warning. He _wanted_ to charge the castle like last time, race up to the sanctum, and end Ganon right then and there. But a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He glanced back and saw Urbosa standing just behind him, looking up towards the castle.

"You let us know if you need us, Little Bird. We'll be ready. If not… then we will see you tomorrow."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

One by one, the spirits of the Champions disappeared, each returning to their own Divine Beast. Mipha would spend the precious time remaining with Sidon. Her father had not been able to come down for the battle—he stayed behind to prepare his people for what would come, should they fail. Urbosa wished to spend time with Riju, to impart what wisdom she could on the young ruler. Revali went back to Medoh, but Link didn't know if Teba would join him or not. For some reason, that bothered Link. _Someone_ should be prepared to say good-bye to Revali.

Maybe Link would ask one of the Rito to fly him up there for a time.

Daruk did not disappear. After all, they were still upon his final resting place. Instead, he just looked out at the Gorons around them, smiling in a somber way.

"I tell ya, brother… It's good to finally be here."

Link pushed his worries about Revali away and stepped up beside him. "It is."

Daruk looked down at him, eyes twinkling. "I always knew you had it in you. You probably won't even need our help tomorrow. You're going to march right up there and make that Ganon wish he never showed his ugly face."

"I… I hope so, Daruk. I've got to admit that now that we're here, I…" He smiled faintly. "I'm pretty damn _terrified_."

"Well, _sure_ you are. Why wouldn't you be? It's just like with that grandson of mine. He gets pretty nervous around monsters, you know. But he still bouldered up and did what he had to do to keep people safe."

"Yeah, it's not…" It was hard to put into words the dread Link felt. It wasn't fear for himself. He didn't fear _death_ … but he greatly feared what his death would bring. "I just can't _fail_ again. The last time I was here, Ganon seemed so… _strong_ , Daruk. And everything I faced up until now—Zelda called them _pieces_ of it. Small pieces of its power."

"Yeah? But you beat those!"

"With help and more than a bit of luck." Link sighed, shaking his head. "I just… don't want to be responsible for the deaths of everyone I brought with me, Daruk. And those that remain elsewhere."

Daruk reached up, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Look, brother… You want to know my opinion? Ganon doesn't stand a _chance_ tomorrow. You're _way_ stronger now than you were one hundred years ago. Besides, you aren't facing him alone! We're all here, ready to back you up. And you're going to have a fully-powered princess by your side, too. We've got everything we need to take him out."

Link remained quiet for a long time, but then nodded. "Yeah. You're right." He looked up at his friend and brother. "You know, I… I'm going to miss you. You always knew me better than I knew myself."

The Goron reached out and placed a translucent hand on his shoulder, which he could just barely feel. "You grew up strong, Link. You'll be all right. You and the princess? I know you'll both be just _fine_."

Link smiled, feeling a painful lump form in his throat. Saying good-bye was never easy. But before he could say anything else, a sound from the ramp leading up onto Rudania's top deck alerted them to another presence. He looked around to see Yunobo peeking his head up.

"Is… everyone gone now? I didn't want to interrupt you guys!"

Link nodded and reached up to wipe his eyes. "Yeah, they've all gone back to their Divine Beasts."

"Oh, okay." Yunobo walked up to them, but then hesitated, looking between the two of them. "Should I… still wait? If you want to keep talking—"

Link shook his head quickly. "No, you're okay. Come on." He stepped to the side to allow Yunobo to walk up and stand between him and Daruk.

The larger Goron grinned down at his grandson. "So, what have they got you doing tomorrow, big guy?"

"They asked me to stay back and keep the leaders safe! Said that hopefully I wouldn't be needed, but in case anything attacked them, they wanted me around to protect them until reinforcements arrive."

Daruk nodded. "That's good! Big battle tomorrow—it'd be bad if the guys running it were taken out in the middle of it."

Link looked between Yunobo and Daruk as they spoke, smiling faintly. He was truly glad to have been able to bring these two together. He wasn't sure what it must have been like for Daruk, not knowing whatever happened to his son all those years ago, though he supposed it might be similar to how he felt about his family. He would never know for absolute certainty what happened to his sister and father.

Even if they _had_ survived, they would, of course, be dead now. Even the healthiest Hylians didn't live nearly as long as Sheikah. But… it was nice to imagine that Aryll had a child or even a grandchild out there with that same adventurous spirit, commanding from the deck of a ship. He didn't… believe it to be true. But his father _had_ been a strong knight in his own regard. If anyone could have gotten them out of that hellscape, it would have been him.

Link supposed that was the best he could ever hope for.

* * *

" _Linky_! Hey, Linky, wake _up_!"

Something shook him violently, and Link started, sitting up quickly and reaching for the Master Sword. A shadowy figure knelt just inside his small lean-to, silhouetted by a small lamp just behind her.

"Purah?" Link frowned, looking beyond her. It was still dark outside. "What happened? Has there been an attack?"

"No, but I need your help. I know why I can't get through to the Guardians here."

Link looked past her. The sky was still dark outside, and he could see stars. She'd probably been up through the night working on this.

"What do you need?"

"The tower here on Hyrule Field—we need to activate it. At least, that's my theory. The other places I tried all had active towers, and I was able to control the Guardians there."

Link nodded and reached over, grabbing his Champion's tunic. He slipped it on over his head. "I'll go right away then."

"I'm coming with you!"

Link pursed his lips, staring at her. "You can just teleport to it when I'm finished, though."

"This will be faster. And, besides, I've never seen one get activated before."

He eyed her for a moment, not sure how he felt about that. He worried that there might be monsters in the direction of the tower, but he should be able to protect her, as long as they were careful.

"All right. You've got a horse ready?"

"And I already had yours saddled."

Link nodded and then shooed her back, out of his little tent. He threw the blanket off of himself and pulled his trousers on before stepping out and looking around. It was still night, yes, but it would be morning soon. They needed to move quickly.

He spotted Purah standing nearby with three horses. _Three?_ And then he saw Paya sitting atop one of them, dressed in the tight-fitting Sheikah warrior's garb.

Link stepped forward, taking Spirit's reins. He looked up at her. "You're going too?"

Paya nodded. Her veil was down, so he could see her face. "Aunt Purah wants me there, in case anything tries to attack her while she works or on the way back."

"Oh, don't give me that look," Purah said a moment later. "Paya can handle protecting me just fine. We'll be at the top of the tower, anyway. This is _just_ a precaution."

Link finally sighed. "I know." He glanced towards Paya. "Just be careful. I don't think Ganon knows our plan yet, and I don't know what it'll do when it realizes."

The Sheikah woman looked nervous but nodded. "I will."

Link mounted up onto Spirit's back and, together, they set off west, towards the tower. It didn't take long—less than an hour, though they had to push their horses more than Link normally would have advised.

The Sheikah Tower in Hyrule Field had once, apparently, been at the center of an old town. From the large amount of cracked rock and dirt around its base, Link assumed that it had been buried just like the one upon the Great Plateau. Unfortunately, unlike the tower on the plateau, this one didn't just have a couple of bokoblins milling about.

* * *

"Purah, those are _Guardians_." Link glared at the smaller women. "Why are there Guardians here?"

Purah looked almost as alarmed as Link felt. They'd left their horses behind in a grove of trees about a half-mile prior, choosing to approach the tower on foot, in case there were enemies watching. It was a good thing, too, as _three_ Guardians picked their way through the old town ruins.

"How should _I_ know? Snap, I didn't expect them to be _here_."

Link cursed softly and peered back out from around the wall they hid behind. He felt the anxiety, the fear, the near- _panic_. He'd hoped that regaining all of his memories would have wiped that away, but no, it was still there. He just couldn't let it cause him to freeze.

"Maybe Ganon figured out our plan and sent them to block us," Paya said, looking worried.

Purah glanced out and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. They're wandering, not searching. They've probably been here for a hundred years. Maybe they were the ones who destroyed this town and then stayed here when Zelda suppressed Ganon."

"Great." He sighed, closing his eyes and steeling his nerves. He had a feeling that Zelda would call this reckless. "Okay, I'm going to take them out."

Purah raised one thin eyebrow. "You're going to take them out. All _three_ of them."

"Link, don't you think that is a little bit… dangerous?" Paya asked.

 _I've destroyed a lot more than three of these._ That was one thing that having his memories back did help him with. He knew their weaknesses, and he knew how he'd done it in the past.

"I'll be all right. You just… try to stay out of sight, all right?"

"Maybe we should go back and get more help." Paya fingered the hilt of her sword, as if wondering if she could assist in some way.

Link shook his head and reached back, pulling the Master Sword free. It shone in the darkness—reacting to Ganon's corruption within the Guardians themselves, he imagined. Or perhaps it was just Ganon's proximity.

"No time. But I'll be fine." And before either of them could object further, he moved to the edge of the wall and waited for one of the Guardians to patrol closer.

 _Here we go_ , he thought, taking a few steadying breaths. It came closer, its long legs picking their way over rubble. Its eye turned this way and that, and Link could hear it whirring softly. It turned away.

Link sprang from his hiding spot and raced towards it, wielding his sword in his left hand and shield in his right. It didn't even see him approaching. He swept the shining sword out, cutting through its leg like paper. Sparks flew from the severed limb, and the Guardian lurched.

It swept its head around, trying to find the attacker, but Link kept moving, staying just out of its line of sight. He cut through two more of the legs before it, finally, toppled. _Yes!_ He ran up onto its round body and rammed the Master Sword into the pulsing eye.

The lights on its body began to flash, and Link jumped off, backing away from it. When it exploded, he looked at the Guardian's remains with wide eyes, breaths coming in rapidly. He'd done it. He'd actually _done_ it.

The other two patrolling Guardians came into view, only visible in the darkness by their pattern of red lights and the single blue of their eye. They saw him immediately, and he swore, ducking behind a wall as they fired.

The wall exploded, and Link was thrown backwards.

He rolled back to his feet, momentarily dazed by the blow, but he saw them scrabbling across the rubble and the fallen Guardian, racing towards their quarry. Gritting his teeth, he broke into a run—straight for them.

One of them fired, but Link saw its eye flash white right before doing so. He dodged the line of fire and then ducked as the second one did the same thing. He felt its heat as the lance of white energy passed overhead.

Before they could fire again, Link ran around one of them, placing it between him and the other Guardian. He swept his sword towards its leg, but it danced just out of reach. He got his shield up just in time to deflect another blast by the Guardian. It bounced off and struck the base of the tower harmlessly.

The other Guardian moved into view, and Link ran in the opposite direction, trying to keep the first Guardian between them. He attempted attacking its legs again, but this time, it swept out, striking him in the chest with its claws and sending him flying.

He hit the ground with a roll and the earth next to him exploded with fire. Grunting, he was flung further away until he finally came to a stop some distance away. He heard the metal feet tearing across the ground towards him and threw himself back to his feet. He got his shield up just in time to deflect the next blast, though it pushed him back several inches.

He raised his sword into the air, and it blazed with increased power and light. With a downward sweep, he sent an arc of white light forward that splashed across a Guardians' head. It didn't destroy it, but it did noticeably shake it. Its lights flickered rapidly, and it shuffled to the side.

The other Guardian fired, but this time, Link parried the energy blast right back towards it. It struck true, and that one began to flash with overloaded energy. A moment later, it exploded and sent its stunned partner careening, three of its legs flailing as it struggled to keep from falling over completely.

He ran forward just as it brought its legs back down, righting itself. As it turned its eye towards him, Link kicked his feet out and twisted, coming down on his right side, arm underneath him. He slid across the ground on his shield, coming to a stop just beneath the bright, shining spot on the Guardian's underside. Smiling, he rammed the Master Sword up into it, and then he quickly raced away as it exploded.

When it was gone, he stopped, looking around for any other movement. Any other red lights or blue eyes. But there was nothing. All three of the Guardians had been destroyed. None remained.

" _Wow_ ," Purah said, stepping out from behind the wall. "Click, snap, I knew you knew how to fight them, but… _wow_."

Link slid the Master Sword into its scabbard and wiped his sleeve across his forehead. His hand shook slightly. _I did it. I can do this._ He formed a fist to steady his hand and lowered it.

"Are you all right?" Paya asked, drawing his attention. Had she seen? "I saw that Guardian hit you."

"Oh." Link felt his chest, where he'd been struck by the clawed foot. It would leave a bruise, assuming Mipha's healing power didn't make it fade before it could even do that. "I'm all right. That wasn't bad."

"You know, Robbie used to be pretty good at fighting these things," Purah said, inspecting some of the Guardian remains. "Probably even better than you." She scrunched up her face at a charred leg. "At least he could take them out _without_ blowing them to pieces."

Link snorted. "Well, next time, you can ask _him_ to accompany you to the tower."

"Nah, he's too old now. I wonder if that son of his picked up any of his old tricks, though…"

"Oh, Granté?" Paya said, stiffening slightly.

A sly smile appeared on Purah's face, and she looked over at Paya, eyes twinkling. "Know him, do you?"

Paya quickly looked away. "We've… met. He came to Kakariko Village shortly after he left home."

"And?" Purah snapped her fingers. "What'd you _think_ about him?"

Paya looked anxiously around, finally glancing up at the tower. "Why don't we activate the tower now? We don't have a lot of time, right?"

Purah cackled in a way that made Link think of her sister and stepped forward to join him at the base of the tower. He gave Paya a smile, which only seemed to embarrass her further.

Finally, he began to climb the tower. He reached the top first and then helped both of the women up onto the top. Once they both made it up, he exhaled slowly and glanced around. The tower offered a great view of Hyrule Field, though it also showed much of the destruction around them. He could see the broken remains of the old Hyrule Garrison and the Exchange to the south. He could now remember the faces of people that he'd known in both of those places.

Setting his jaw, he turned back and went to the pedestal, setting his Sheikah Slate down into the depression. Blue light burst around them as the tower came to life, its three arms turning to reach for the heavens.

"Sheikah Tower activated. Teleportation point activated. Detecting nearby Guardians. Confirmed. 113 nearby Guardians detected."

Purah approached and then pulled his slate off the pedestal, shooing him away. Then she connected hers to the pedestal through some kind of long wire and knelt on the ground, beginning to tap away at her Sheikah Slate.

"All right, I'm _in_ ," she said a tense minute later. She looked up at Link. "I'll get this ready, but I'm not going to hit it until the attack is supposed to begin. I don't want Ganon to try to fight back until it's too late."

Link watched her for a moment and then turned away, going back to the edge of the tower and looking out towards Hyrule Castle. The sky had begun to lighten. It would be time soon. His pulse quickened with anticipation. _This is it_.

Paya stepped up beside him, following his gaze. "Are you… ready?"

He glanced towards her. "I'm as ready as I can be."

She bit her lip, looking at him. He saw worry in her expression and thought back to how she'd reacted when he returned from the Great Forest. "I… I wanted to thank you. For everything you've done for us. For helping me save Grandmother. For helping me… do this." She motioned down at herself, looking more like a warrior than the quiet girl who he so often saw cleaning.

Link smiled warmly. "It's nothing. I'm glad I was able to be there to help, but this was all a part of you already. You just needed a reason to bring it out."

"Maybe, but… I don't think I could have if you weren't there."

Link shook his head. "It's easy to think that now, but I think you would have. People often do the most amazing things when they're backed up against a wall."

Memories of Zelda standing before him, facing down a deadly Guardian, flashed through his mind.

Paya remained silent for a time, and then she smiled. "I know that you'll win today."

"Yeah," Link said, eyes remaining on the castle. "I don't plan to lose." He looked at her and smiled. "Stay safe. I'll see you again soon."

He removed the paraglider from its pouch and opened it. She looked alarmed, and Link grinned. She'd never seen him with it, now that he thought about it. He stepped off the tower's edge, gliding around it in a lazy circle until finally coming to rest on the ground below. He glanced up towards the tower and waved before turning and running towards the trees where they'd left the horses.

* * *

Link sat on Spirit's back at the head of the army. Spread out to either side of him was an army made up of all of Hyrule's races. Zora, their weapons gleaming silver in the morning sun; Gorons, wearing sheets of metal for armor and wielding massive hammers and other mining tools; Rito, flying overhead with bows and explosives; Gerudo, with golden armor and deadly blades; Sheikah, looking not-so-different than the warriors that he remembered from the past in their knee-length robes; and Hylians, some with weapons and armor, but many with farming tools and leather jerkins.

Nearest Link, about thirty of the Sheikah had been outfitted in Robbie's special Ancient armor, with its conical helmet that covered most of their face and the heavy black plating with the same ancient designs that were visible on the Guardians. Others joined them—Zora and Gerudo that wielded shining blue energy weapons. Overhead, Link knew that many of the Rito had been armed with Ancient arrows.

He truly hoped that none of them would be needed. If Purah's gambit worked…

Overhead, Medoh gave a bone-trembling screech, and Link drew the Master Sword. The blade still shone. Even the spirit of the sword felt the anticipation.

The ground rumbled, a sign of Ganon's growing anger. Across the field from them, Link saw monsters and Guardians. Even from this distance, he could see glowing red eyes on the monsters' faces. They, like the Guardians, were being controlled by Ganon's influence.

Thunder cracked as a bolt of lightning shot out from Naboris into the sky, the bolt splitting apart and spreading like the branches of a tree. Link waited. Spirit pawed the ground. He heard some of the armored figures around him, many on horses of their own, shifting nervously.

And ahead of them, the red lights on the dozens of Guardians began to flicker. Link held his breath. The lights flickered more, and the Guardians shivered. The lights turned orange. Then red. Then orange. Red. Orange. _Blue_.

The Guardians began to fire into the force of monsters, and chaos began among Ganon's ranks immediately. Monsters tried fighting back, but the Guardians were impervious to their unsophisticated weapons. Bokoblins and moblins burned as the Guardians began to hunt their new quarry.

Link thrust the Master Sword into the air. Behind him, the army from every corner of Hyrule bellowed a roar that drowned out even Ganon's fury.

 _I'm coming, Zelda._

And then with a battle cry, Link kicked Spirit into motion and began racing across the field.

Toward Hyrule Castle.

* * *

The mounted fighters struck the monsters first, slamming into their confused ranks like a sledgehammer. Link weaved through the confused creatures, striking with the Master Sword like a viper's tongue. He didn't care to do a lot of damage—his goal was not to get bogged down in the fighting here. He needed to get to Castle Town. He needed to get to the castle.

He rode past a Guardian with shining blue lights, which sent a blast of white energy straight into a confused group of lizalfos. The survivors scattered, and the Guardian gave chase. Seeing it sent a shiver down Link's spine, but he had to ignore that for now. He had _faced_ that fear and been victorious. It wouldn't stop him now.

He heard the guttural yelling, and he wheeled Spirit just in time to block the blow by a pale-skinned bokoblin wielding a surprisingly well-cared-for sword. Link immediately recognized the blade as one of the royal broadswords given to knights of Hyrule. He'd never been given one, however—the Master Sword served as proof enough of his standing.

The bokoblin, mounted on a horse of its own, screeched and aimed a strike at Spirit's flank. Link caught the blade again and rotated his wrist, easily breaking the bokoblin's grip. A quick slice sent the bokoblin sliding off its horse to the side.

A Guardian Skywatcher—one of the flying ones—hovered overhead. Link saw some monsters fire arrows ineffectually at it before it fired down at them.

 _It's working._ He kicked Spirit into another gallop, leaping over the body of a fallen moblin, and sped towards the city. _This is it!_

He began to see other monsters as he raced through their ranks. Hinoxes, lynels, wolfos, and even some strange creatures in robes that danced through the air and flung fire and ice. Part of him worried and wanted to remain, to help the army as it clashed with this force. But no. _No_. He had to keep going.

As he rode past one of the dancing magicians, he slid the Master Sword back into its scabbard and drew an arrow, launching it right into the shadowy face underneath its hood. It fell back to the ground and was almost immediately trampled by numerous smaller Guardian Scouts.

Satisfied, Link raced on, right through what was once the gates of Castle Town and into the ruined city itself, leaving much of the furious battle behind.

* * *

Purah's fingers danced across her Sheikah Slate's screen, typing in a series of new instructions to override Ganon's newest attempts at retaking control of his Guardians. Who knew the Calamity was so _capable_ of technical genius? It was a struggle, true, but Purah hadn't been studying this technology for over a hundred years for nothing.

She hadn't _planned_ on staying here, tethered to the tower, but the moment she tried to disconnect from the tower's console, Ganon had reasserted control. So, she remained, engaged in an entirely unique sort of battle.

Sweat dripped from her nose onto the screen, and she quickly brushed it away. "How's it looking, Paya?"

"It's… the Guardians are attacking the monsters, still." Paya watched the battle with the use of a spyglass that Purah brought. She'd been the one to tell Purah when she saw the signal—the lightning bolt from Naboris—to begin. And now she was the one who made sure Purah's work was still _working_.

Also, she'd managed to fight off some bokoblins that had come for them earlier. That had been a close one, but she clearly knew her stuff. Even if she still blushed like a tomato every time she saw a cute boy.

She saw new targeting information flash across her screen as Ganon's corruption, again, fought against her programming. "Click, snap, _stop_ that!" She quickly revised it—Link would have had a rude welcoming if she hadn't caught that.

"Um… Aunt Purah?"

Purah ignored Paya. Really, she just prattled on too much. She didn't have time to talk about the girl's love life right now. _What's this? Hah! Thought you could sneak that past me, did you?_

"Aunt Purah!"

" _What_ , girl? I'm busy!"

"Are you controlling those Guardians?"

Purah frowned as she keyed some new instructions into the Sheikah Slate. "Which ones?"

"The ones heading towards the tower."

Purah's head snapped up and she looked around in alarm. Momentarily leaving her Sheikah Slate behind, she hurried to the edge and saw what Paya was looking at. Rapidly racing towards them from the southwest, from just around Mount Daphnes, was a group of about seven Guardians. Each of them glowed with red light.

" _Snap_!" She quickly ran back to her Sheikah Slate, already seeing that Ganon had taken that opportunity to override some of her commands. "Stay down, Paya! Let me know if they're coming towards us."

But she knew they were. Ganon knew exactly where she was and what she was up to—and it'd brought reinforcements assigned to towers _outside_ of the region to help.

* * *

Riding through Castle Town made memories of that day with Zelda flash through his mind. The fear, the panic, the _anguish_ —it was all nearly enough to overwhelm Link, even now. He saw a street that he knew would lead towards his father's old house—his family's presumed resting place.

But he continued on, fixing his eyes on the castle. It rose above him so large and intimidating. He could see the sanctum, even from here. The heart of the castle. The throne room. The place he'd been knighted. The place he'd received his Champion's tunic. The place his position as Zelda's knight had been confirmed. The place he would face his destiny.

Everything here was covered with Malice. It dripped down walls and covered huge swaths of the ground. It formed angry, black spikes that jutted up through rotten remains of old carts and booths. At times, it formed roadblocks, though the Master Sword dispelled it easily enough.

It slowed his progress, however, much to his dismay. Not only that, but it also distracted him, which very nearly proved fatal as a nearby wall suddenly collapsed out into the street, old bricks flying towards him.

Spirit danced to the side, and Link whirled, holding his shield up to block the shower of brick and mortar. He squinted his eyes, looking through the smoke and haze as a Guardian rose out of the rubble. Its movements were sluggish, almost drunken, and Link could see its lights flickering between blue, orange, and red. It fired its energy beam off randomly into the air.

Link cursed and steered Spirit towards the Guardian, drawing the Master Sword. As he raced past, he leaned low in the saddle, cutting off two of its legs. The Guardian lurched, but righted itself. Its head swiveled around to track him, and its lights turned red. Link pulled Spirit to the side just as it fired, obliterating the ruins of another old building.

He wheeled Spirit around and raced back in the direction of the Guardian. It followed him with its eye, and Link lifted his shield expectantly. Before it could fire, though, its lights began to flash between the different colors again. He cut through two more of its legs, sending it crashing to the ground in a heap.

Link could have remained behind to finish it off, but he didn't. He kicked Spirit into a sprint, racing through the town and leaving the disabled Guardian behind. If Ganon was fighting back, it was all the more important that he get to the castle. His army would be torn apart if they were caught between hostile Guardians and monsters.

The ground underneath them rumbled, and Link heard a sound like a roar that reverberated out from within the castle. He ducked low and pushed Spirit harder, gritting his teeth as he reached the central square. Two Guardians waited there. One stood upright, while another was already missing half of its legs.

The disabled Guardian turned its head towards Link and the lights along its body flashed red. Link swerved around what once may have been a merchant's stall, though it was now no more than a pile of rotten wood and old fabric. The Guardian fired, but the shot went wild.

The other Guardian's lights flashed blue, and it turned its head, not towards Link, but towards the other Guardian. It fired, sending the other machine careening onto its side. He kept riding past it.

* * *

Urbosa watched the battle unfolding before her with a satisfied grin. She saw her Gerudo warriors fighting just as they always had—with the combination of grace and fury that all Gerudo were known for. Some rode on horseback, but most fought on foot, moving like dancers as they cut through the ranks of monsters.

The current Gerudo chief stood atop Naboris' head right next to her, watching with avid eyes. Urbosa had been surprised when she saw how young Riju was but immediately recognized the indomitable Gerudo spirit within her. Even in the last two weeks, she'd already learned much about controlling Naboris. Urbosa had no doubts that she would be held as a wondrous chief as she grew older and matured. She would be the chief that fought back against the Calamity.

"Look!" Riju said, pointing. Urbosa followed her gaze and watched as a Gerudo warrior grabbed onto a horse's bridle as it rode by, swinging up into the saddle and dislodging its bokoblin rider, and then ran down another pair of monsters.

 _Huh. That's my old move,_ Urbosa thought, wryly.

"Urbosa!"

She whirled to see the ghostly form of Revali standing just behind her. "Revali. What is it?"

"We've got problems." He stepped up beside her, ignoring the confused look on Riju's face. He pointed to the east, where Urbosa could just make out a few specks in the air and racing across the ground. "Guardians."

"And?"

Revali gave her an irritated look, but then a look of understanding flashed over his face. "Ahh, of course. You Gerudo don't have Rito eyesight. I always forget."

It was amazing that she'd never punched this Rito, considering how many times she'd wanted to. She actually wished that she _had_. Just once. Urbosa had no regrets with how she'd lived her life, but… well, there _were_ some things that would have been fun to do.

"They're glowing _red_ , Urbosa. Not on our side."

Urbosa swore and Naboris rumbled into motion. "I'll head that way. Let the others know to expect a counterattack and be prepared to support the army."

Riju stumbled as Naboris lurched beneath her feet. Urbosa glanced at her, briefly wondering if she should send the girl down below, but she decided against it almost immediately. It wouldn't do to treat the current Gerudo chief like a child. She had every right to be here with Urbosa.

"Riju, I'll control Naboris' lightning, but put the Thunder Helmet on. Use it if some of those flyers come after us. I don't know what kind of damage they might do to Naboris."

Besides, being this close to the lightning could be dangerous. Urbosa directed where it would strike, but she could not control the path the bolts took to get there. Best to be safe.

Riju looked at her and hesitated only a moment before nodding, pulling the Thunder Helm from the bag on her waist and slipping it onto her head. It was still much too large for her, but Urbosa felt pride, all the same. When she met this girl's grandmother and mother in the beyond, she would make sure to tell them of Riju's accomplishments.

* * *

The tower shook beneath them as Purah frantically typed on her Sheikah Slate. _Come on, come on, COME ON!_ The ground beneath her lurched, and she stumbled, leaning against the pedestal for support. Ganon overrode her code again— _damn it!_

"Aunt Purah, I don't think—"

" _Quiet!_ "

Their tower was surrounded. The Guardians did not try to climb it like Purah initially thought they might. Instead, they just surrounded it and began to fire away at its base. The tower held up remarkably well, but she knew how powerful those blasts were. Even something like the tower could not withstand such damage forever.

But maybe— _maybe_ —her last gambit would work. She just needed time. Just a little bit more time!

"Do you see them yet?" she asked, fingers tapping with increasing desperation. Her fingertips were bruised, but she couldn't stop. Even a few seconds could give Ganon the edge it needed to retake complete control.

Paya looked around, rising just enough to look beyond the edge of the tower. "No, I—wait! I do! They're coming!"

Purah's Guardians. Not the ones from the castle—the ones that Ganon still fought her so hard for. No, these were the ones that she'd first turned. Ganon hadn't even attempted to retake those—it was clear that it was bound by some of the same rules that she was. The Guardians corresponded to certain tower regions, and—

The tower lurched again, much worse this time. _Snap, don't fall! Not now. Not when we're so_ close _!_

"They're attacking the others! It's working!"

She focused on the Sheikah Slate, fighting to override Ganon's commands, but she felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding. She couldn't keep this up forever. Already, she felt _exhausted_. Her brain was fried, yet Ganon continued to fight her at every turn. It was like a machine! Nothing she did could keep it at bay for more than a few seconds now.

She heard the Guardians fighting below. Destroying each other. She felt more blasts strike the tower, however, and it swayed dangerously. Too much. It was too top heavy—if things continued like this any longer…

Purah swore softly. _Sorry, Linky. I hope I bought you enough time._ One last gambit. One final move.

Her fingers began typing out a new command for the Guardians to follow. It wouldn't last long, but she hoped it would be enough to help the army and Link.

* * *

The gate was right _there_! Spirit raced across the square and towards the gate. The massive wooden doors remained, but one of them was slightly ajar. Link hoped that he and Spirit could force it open.

Suddenly, a Skywatcher bore down on him from the east, its lights glowing a steady red.

Link swore and turned his horse down a side street just before he reached the bridge that crossed the moat. The Guardian fired, causing cobblestones to erupt into the air in a plume of fire.

Spirit puffed heavily, his fur slick with sweat, as he raced down the street. It had once been lined by buildings that they could have taken cover by, but now most of those buildings were gone, and what remained wouldn't have survived even a single blast.

"Come on, boy! Almost there!"

Link turned Spirit, leaning low as his hooves momentarily slipped on the stones before finding traction again. The Guardian fired again, nearly catching them. _I've got to get this thing off our back!_

He sheathed the Master Sword and pulled out his bow, taking aim with an Ancient arrow. He released it, but the shot went wild. Even the _best_ horseback archer couldn't fire accurately on a galloping horse. Not a moving, _flying_ target.

Link cursed and ducked as another blast shot past them. They sped back into the square, where, to Link's horror, the Guardian that had helped him before now shone with red lights as well.

 _Come on, Purah, help me out here!_

Link raced Spirit around the fountain in a tight circle. He had a very bad idea.

He grabbed two Ancient arrows, placing them between his teeth. As he approached the Guardian Stalker, Link pulled his feet out of the stirrups, up onto the saddle, and _leaped_ free of Spirit, arcing high in the air towards the fountain. He took a deep breath and slowed everything around him as he focused on the Guardian. Link quickly nocked one of the Ancient arrows and drew, aiming right for the Guardian's eye.

His aim, ever true in this state, struck dead center of the eye. The arrow exploded in blue light, and the Guardian began to flicker rapidly. Link landed painfully in the fountain, which was empty, save for a coating of Malice that, thankfully, parted around him due to the Master Sword.

He stayed low as the Guardian exploded, sending molten chunks in all directions. Then he popped back up and took aim at the Skywatcher. It advanced on him, eye pulsing with vibrant blue energy. And then another Skywatcher, this one coming from the direction of the castle, fired upon the first.

* * *

Teba dove through the air, tucking his wings close to his body, eyes on the dancing wizzrobe causing so many problems for that group of Gorons below. A lance of white energy shot past him—the Guardians were acting increasingly erratic. Hopefully that Rito he sent would arrive back with more of those Sheikah arrows soon.

He flung his wings out wide, halting his dive and thrusting his bow forward, catching it in his outstretched wing. He took quick aim, shooting an arrow into the wizzrobe's face, which knocked it out of the air. The Gorons literally rolled over it a moment later, ensuring it would not rise again—just in case the arrow in its eye didn't do the trick.

Another line of white energy shot past, and Teba cursed, spinning before he dropped too low to the ground. He shot an arrow off in the direction of the Guardian, but the shot went wide, bouncing harmlessly off the black surface next to its eye.

He began to flap his wings but realized his mistake. The Guardian's eye tracked him, pulsing violently as it prepared to fire again. He tried diving again to take his chances on the ground, when suddenly, an energy beam shot from another direction struck the Guardian hard and knocked it off-balance.

 _What the hell?_

He finally started gaining altitude again, while the Guardian was distracted. His eyes darted about and found the one that had fired on it, too. This one shone with blue lights, rather than red, though as he watched, they flickered, flashing between the two colors.

It settled back to blue again and darted to the side, still tracking the other Guardian. It fired again and, this time, the red-lit Guardian exploded in a blast of fire. The allied Guardian turned and scurried off in another direction, though it soon opened fire on one of the flying Guardians.

 _What's happening_ now _?_

He gained altitude, looking around the field below him. It was the same everywhere. Many of the Guardians had stopped attacking either the monsters or the Hyruleans, and instead had turned their weapons on each other. They seemed to make no effort to avoid or dodge the oncoming blasts, either, but just kept firing at each other until one or both were destroyed.

"Teba!" A voice from above alerted him just before Harth swooped down and joined him in the air. "Are you seeing this?"

He nodded, frowning. He had a bad feeling about this. There weren't many reasons he could think of that the Sheikah would decide to turn the Guardians against each other, and none that he _could_ think of were good for them.

Finally, he looked at Harth. "Take a group of Rito over to that tower and make sure they're okay over there. And tell the others to prepare for the Guardians to turn on us fully. Start taking them out while they're distracted."

"Are you sure? What if—"

"Just _do_ it, Harth! We don't have a lot of time!"

Harth nodded, turning and streaking off to carry out his orders. Teba hoped he was wrong, but he was confident that he wasn't. Why _else_ would that Sheikah have them start attacking? Many of the Guardians firing on each other were still shining _blue_.

* * *

Sidon spun, sweeping the feet out from under one of the large wolfos, and then rammed his trident down into its heart. It released a pained bark that became a death rattle as he wrenched the trident free.

A Guardian nearby exploded, sending fiery pieces in all direction. He ducked and looked around, spotting another Zora nearby. "Bazz, what's happening!?"

Bazz thrust his spear through the neck of a bokoblin and looked back around at him. "I don't know! They just started shooting at each other!"

Sidon didn't like the sound of that. It made his scales itch. They'd already had to deal with the Guardians occasionally turning on _them_ , though that was usually short-lived. Gaddison had already proven proficient with that Sheikah spear that she'd been given. She'd stabbed at least two of the machines in the eye.

Nearby, Naboris fought by sending bolts of lightning out, striking out at the new Guardians that had joined the fight. The ones apparently not under their control. Maybe that Sheikah lady was making them start shooting any of others that started acting up?

The earth shook with rhythmic footprints, and Sidon whirled, seeing one of the huge hinoxes approaching and wielding a full _tree_ in its hands.

He grinned. _Well, time to try that idea I had._

"Bazz! I need a boost!"

Bazz looked around at Sidon and then the hinox. A look of exasperation passed over his face, but he ran forward towards the hinox. Sidon was right behind him. The hinox saw them and drew back its tree, preparing to flatten the two Zora.

Bazz spun and crouched, cupping his hands and interlocking his fingers. As Sidon reached him and stepped into his hand, he straightened and threw Sidon into the air, up and over his shoulder.

Sidon pirouetted through the air, trident held high over his head. The hinox watched him with one giant, dumb eye and continued to watch in apparent confusion all the way up until Sidon drove the Lightscale Trident down, through its eye and deep into its skull.

The hinox fell backwards, Sidon landing with feet planted on its chest. The tree hit the ground with an earth-shaking crash. Grinning, Sidon wrenched the trident free. Sidon, the Giant-Slayer. He liked the sound of that.

He turned around just in time to see Bazz be struck from behind by a Guardian's beam.

* * *

Dorian's armor clanked softly as he sprinted across the grass, arms spread out behind him. The moblin before him looked around for another foe, the Hylian woman at its feet apparently dead or dying. It turned its head towards Dorian, but before it could see him, he threw down a capsule that exploded with a flash of light and thick smoke. The moblin started, but before it could react, Dorian had already made his way behind it, cutting through its spine with his shining blue sword.

It collapsed, and Dorian pushed it to the side, kneeling by the woman. Dead, a bloody wound open on her stomach. Almost in the same place as—

 _No_. Now wasn't the time to be caught up in thoughts of his wife.

He rose, turning his head to look for another target. The conical helmet he wore felt heavy, but it was surprisingly well-balanced for how tall it was. The armor, itself, was lighter than it felt it should be, though it certainly still slowed him down more than he was happy with. But it was strong, able to withstand the weapons of the enemy with apparent ease.

He saw a Goron stumble and fall to a concentrated attack by a group of lizalfos and began sprinting in that direction.

Something _slammed_ into him from the side and threw him bodily through the air. He landed in a heap, rolling to a stop some ten feet away, stunned. Something large moved near him, and he looked around to see a Guardian with shining red lights, its blue eye turned towards him. Had… it _shot_ him?

He reached with one gauntleted hand to his side, where he had been struck. The armor held. It would seem that this armor _was_ able to withstand such attacks, after all. A comfort, he supposed, though he had no idea how many more hits like that it could take.

The Guardian's eye pulsed again, and Dorian grunted, rolling and pushing himself to his feet. He reached down to his waist pouch and removed a throwing blade, flinging it towards that eye. It struck home, and the Guardian lurched, its lights flickering.

He quickly looked around, spotting his sword's hilt in the grass a few feet away. The blade had deactivated when he'd lost his grip on it. He quickly grabbed it up and turned to face the Guardian, steadying his breathing.

He was Sheikah. His people, long ago, had _made_ these machines, and they were the best equipped to deal with them. He did not have the intimate knowledge that some of the elders had, however, which could have been a problem.

However, Dorian was not _just_ a Sheikah.

He swept his hands around in a circular motion, red light and strange symbols trailing behind them. He looked up, focusing on a spot just above the Guardians head. And then he disappeared with a puff of smoke and fire, reappearing just above it.

He landed atop the Guardian, which looked around in confusion for its target. Dorian reversed his grip on the blue sword and leaned over, plunging it into the blue eye. As the machine began to flash, he leaped off and continued on towards the group of lizalfos he'd seen earlier.

* * *

The tower swayed. Too much. Either Purah's Guardians were losing, or they weren't enough to distract all the other Guardians still firing at the tower. She grimaced, still tapping away at the screen.

"Paya, get over here!"

The girl looked over at her from where she watched the battle raging down below. The tower swayed again, and she yelped, stumbling and nearly falling right over the edge.

"I said, _get over here_!"

She obeyed, coming away from the lip of the tower and kneeling beside Purah. "What is it?"

Purah pursed her lips, firing off one last command, and then she unhooked the wire from the tower's pedestal. "Time to go."

The tower began to tip. To fall. She could hear the stone below cracking. Shattering. The blue light on the pedestal and the guidance stone suddenly went out, as the connection with the source of ancient energy underneath the ground was lost.

Well, at least she'd helped all the way up until the last second.

She keyed her Sheikah Slate to the map and found the nearest shrine—the one just outside of Castle Town in the old quarry. They would try there first and see if it was safe. If not, they could go somewhere else. Purah hoped that wasn't necessary. Link hadn't activated nearly enough shrines on his journey all over the country, and if they went anywhere else, they wouldn't be around for the rest of the battle.

The blue circle of light appeared around them both, and a moment later, as the tower tipped and fell to the ground with a mighty crash, thousands of blue sparkles rose into the air and disappeared.

* * *

 _Oh, no,_ Mipha thought, watching the battle from Ruta's trunk. The Guardians—the ones that still remained after their mass self-destruction—all turned red with Ganon's Malice again. She turned, looking towards the Sheikah tower, only to watch in horror as it fell to the side, crashing to the ground with a plume of dust and debris.

Her eyes darted back towards Castle Town, where Link raced— _alone_ —towards Ganon. How many Guardians still remained in the castle? She hoped none. Surely Ganon or Purah would have brought them all out to fight.

 _Please stay safe, Link._

Spikes of ice appeared before Ruta and shot out. The ice flew across the battlefield and slammed into one of the Guardians, knocking it to the side and sending one of its blasts wild.

She glanced down at the pond surrounding the Sacred Ground Ruins. The water was already getting low. It was a surprisingly deep pond, but it did not have an unlimited supply. When it was gone, so would her ability to fight with Ruta's Cryonis.

Her eyes swept over the battlefield, instinctively seeking out Sidon's band of Zora. She'd seen them only a few minutes ago, but now they'd been lost amid the chaos. Bodies lie everywhere. Guardians, monsters, Zora, Gorons, Gerudo.

Rudania pounded across the ground, flattening a Guardian beneath one of its feet. It spun, sweeping its tail across a group of monsters and Guardians, sending them flying into the air. Medoh flew low, making use of the cannons on its underside to attack. Naboris bellowed, and lightning shot forth again and again, focusing on the Guardian Skywatchers that had quickly become a problem for the Rito.

She _hated_ this. She hated battle. Killing. Death. She was a capable warrior, yes, but only by necessity. She fought to protect life, just like Link always had. He was the best warrior she ever _would_ know, and he detested taking life. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

Ruta trumpeted loudly and more shards of ice shot forth, striking and knocking one of the flying Guardians out of the air.

But she would fight. She would kill. She hated it, but she _would_ if it meant keeping those that she loved safe.

* * *

Spirit pushed through the gate with some effort, and Link helped by trying to push the large door open as the horse squeezed through. The door didn't want to budge—the massive iron hinges were in bad shape, rusted and bent. But it moved enough that they were soon through and into the castle courtyard proper.

Just like before, everything here was dead. The grass, the trees, the plants and bushes—all grey and lifeless. Though no moon hung in the sky overhead, the air still had that hazy red quality.

All around him was quiet. Nothing moved. He saw no Guardians. None of the undead creatures that haunted the dungeons. No monsters. No life.

Feeling the growing anticipation, Link mounted Spirit again and kicked the horse into a gallop, taking the path that looped around to the left.

The ground rumbled under his feet disconcertingly. Ganon was agitated, and Link thought that he could almost _feel_ its anger in the air, though that may have just been in his mind.

As he rode through the castle grounds, climbing higher up the mountainous foundation, memories flashed through his mind. There was the guard chamber that he'd done duty at while still a squire. The gatehouse that he and Zelda had passed through dozens of times in and out of the castle. The stables where he'd kept Epona.

He could remember it _all_ now, and it _infuriated_ him. This had been his _home_. He'd come here as a boy with his father. He'd served here as a page and then a squire under Sir Russell—also dead by Ganon's hand. He'd been Zelda's personal knight here and captain of her guard. He'd spent countless hours and days within these very walls.

"Come on, Spirit!" he said, gritting his teeth and spurring the horse into a faster sprint. Almost there now. _Almost there._

A Guardian scaled over the wall in front of them and focused its eye on Link. He cursed and pulled on Spirit's reins, narrowly avoiding the blast. _Come on!_ He wheeled Spirit and galloped towards the Guardian, drawing the Master Sword and holding it high.

It fired again, and Link used his knees to turn Spirit at just the right time. It didn't get a chance to fire a third time, as Link pulled his feet from the stirrups and leaped off the saddle, slamming the Master Sword deep into its eye. He jumped back off the Guardian and onto Spirit's saddle, kicking the horse into another gallop as the Guardian exploded behind him.

 _Almost there!_

More Guardians. Two of the Stalkers and one Skywatcher. Too many for Link to fight at once. He cursed and began to turn Spirit, but Zelda's voice suddenly stopped him.

"Keep going, Link! I'll clear a path for you!"

She appeared in the path, directly in front of the Guardians. Holding her hand out, just like she'd done on that day one hundred years ago, she sent a wave of golden-white light out in an expanding bubble around her.

Link rode ride past her, turning Spirit around another corner and racing past the now-collapsing Guardians.

"Thanks!"

"He's going to break free soon, Link! I can feel him building his power now. I'm still trying to hold him back, but I can't much longer."

"I know! Come on, Spirit!"

Through the second gatehouse. Around another wall and bend in the road. They'd ridden high up on the old mountain now, able to look down and see much of Castle Town stretched out below. He saw Guardians coming. Skywatchers and Stalkers. A lot of them. How were there even still that many _remaining_?

"Zelda!"

"I know! Keep going!"

Spirit galloped like never before, and Link prayed that the horse didn't slip and break a leg on the uneven, broken stone and rubble. This high up, the damage to the castle only grew worse.

Guardians fired towards him, too far away to be accurate, but there were enough of them that one of them could have gotten off a lucky shot, anyway. Zelda was there, though, turning the shots away. He heard her grunt, as she did so. This was taking a toll on her. She couldn't keep holding Ganon at bay _and_ protecting him.

He and Spirit raced through one final turn and there it was. The central structure of the castle. Twin waterfalls fell down on either side of it, splashing down into pools that would eventually empty out into the moat.

 _Almost there!_

Link dismounted and ran. As he did, the central spire rose high above him, piercing the heavens. The sky overhead was unnatural, Ganon's influence giving it the permanent appearance of a hazy, red twilight. He couldn't see the sun. Clouds shifted and swirled overhead in a maelstrom, despite a dead stillness to the air. Red lightning forked across the sky.

"Hang on, Zelda, I'm almost there! _"_

He ran. He ran until the cobblestone path transitioned to stone steps. He ran until he passed between the first of several broken winged statues. He ran until he passed under what had once been a magnificent stone arch, topped by more of the winged statues, now nothing more than piles of rubble. He ran until he passed under the vaulted overhang and into the hallway lined by round pillars.

 _Almost…!_

He stopped at opening that led directly into the heart of the castle. Into the sanctum. The doors that had once protected this place, where the king's own throne sat, were long gone. He could see into its shadowy interior, and the horrors that lay within.

"I'm… _here_."

Link took a deep, steadying breath, preparing himself for his destiny. And then he stepped forward, into the Hyrule Castle Sanctum.

* * *

Revali stared down from his place atop Medoh, his keen Rito eyes piercing the wispy clouds and seeing the castle grounds below. He watched as Link dismounted and approached the castle. He watched as Link paused once—probably to gather his nerves—and then walked inside. Princess Zelda had appeared too, and a wave of golden power spread out from her hand, washing over the approaching Guardians. They all collapsed.

"I guess she really had it in her, all along," he said, reaching up and rubbing his beak with his feathered fingers. And—he hated to admit it—so did Link. He'd gotten that far, at least. And Revali didn't doubt that he would emerge victorious, in the end.

Though it _did_ somewhat pain him to admit that, even to himself.

He had misjudged the Hylian. Though Revali supposed that Link had the benefit of a second chance _and_ knowing what to expect. Had _he_ been given such an opportunity…

But there really wasn't a point to those thoughts. It was Link, not Revali, that would claim this ultimate victory. And, really, he'd earned it. The little hero had been through a lot. Let him have his prize. At least Revali would still be remembered as _being_ there. Still fighting to save Hyrule, even from beyond the grave.

Yes. He did like the sound of that.

Medoh gave a piercing screech and descended, settling down on the grassy field. Its back lifted to a vertical position, beak pointed straight towards the castle. The other Divine Beasts began to gather around him. First Daruk with Rudania. Then Mipha and Ruta. Finally, Urbosa and her slow Naboris.

And they waited. Now they _all_ waited.

For the end.


	63. Chapter Fifty-Nine

_**This is it.**_ **It isn't _the_ end, exactly, but it's an end. I don't really know what else I can say, other than thank you for sticking with me to this point. The final battle against Calamity Ganon.**

 **Wraith Five: I listened to quite a bit of epic music while writing the chapter and the last, Two Steps from Hell included. Also, glad you liked Revali's thoughts at the end. I thought it was fun having him close out that chapter!**

 **bladeofthebookworms: Honestly, I don't _want_ there to be any more cliffhangers, though it does depend on your definition of one. For example, depending on how you define one, this chapter may or may not end in one. Either way, the next chapter will arrive tomorrow. **

**Renegade1925: Honestly, I could have never split the last chapter and this one up, even if I hadn't decided to post the rest each day! Even I'm not that cruel...**

 **iCards: I figure that Ganon literally fused itself with Sheikah Tech, so it's gotta have some kind of power over it! And, yeah, Purah knew that the moment she stopped, all the Guardians were going to go on a rampage-and probably straight for Link. She had that one final ace up her sleeve!**

 **Infinite's Ruby: Writing that scene was _not_ easy! For one, because I struggle writing conversations between more than two people... but also because of the _feels_. Saying good-bye is never easy. **

**echo009: Thanks! I'm glad the battle didn't end up a muddled mess, which is what I feared it might become with so many scene jumps and POV shifts. The main players were, of course, Link and Purah, but I really wanted to give just about everyone a cool-guy moment in some fashion (sorry, Yunobo!).**

 **Steph: Well, good! I definitely want my readers to be anxiously awaiting the next chapter... Which I feel this chapter will induce, as well, though for different reasons.**

 **All right, I'll leave it at that. I'm feeling somewhat _drained_ at the moment after editing this (and doing extensive edits on the next few chapters, too) tonight. Please read, enjoy, and definitely let me know what you thought of _this_ chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Nine**

Link's father, dressed in his royal guard's regalia, walked into the sanctum, with Link trailing right behind him, having to hurry to keep up with his father's long strides. They passed by a small group of well-dressed people walking out, who looked down at Link with curious expressions, but said nothing to him, though a few did nod respectfully to Arn.

As he entered the sanctum, Link's mouth fell open at the sight of the majestic, open room. The domed ceiling was _high_ overhead, split into curved partitions that alternated between a deep, royal red color and golden reliefs carved into the stone. Enormous windows just under the ceiling let golden light stream into the room, giving it a warm hue, and between the windows were a pair of statues of mounted knights wielding pikes. Directly in the center of the ceiling was an opening, and as Link stepped under it, he looked up and saw, with wide eyes, the bell tower.

At five years old, the tallest building that Link had ever seen was a windmill. This tower alone dwarfed the mills back in Hateno Village by a lot.

The room's floor was inlayed with beautiful stonework and that triangle symbol that Link always saw on his father's armor and weapons. And, around the sides of the room, were two long staircases that led up to the center of the second level, where two thrones sat, backed by a large statue.

Those two thrones were, at the moment, empty, which Link thought strange. Didn't his father bring him here to meet—

"Arn! I didn't know you'd returned."

Link spun to see two adults, a portly man with a thick beard, black, speckled with strands of grey and a short, thin woman with long, blonde hair. The man wore the crown bearing the golden wings of the royal family.

Link gasped, eyes widening, and he desperately tried to remember what his father had told him about meeting the king. Was he supposed to bow? Was he supposed to—

His father grinned and walked up, clasping the king's hand at the wrist. "Your majesty, it is good to be back."

"And it's good to _have_ you back," the king said, showing his teeth from beneath his beard. "I haven't had someone to play a proper round of stones against in two months!"

Arn chuckled. "You're just excited to have someone around that has worse luck than _you_."

"Hmm… perhaps."

"It's good to have you back, Arn," the queen said, giving him a familiar smile. Arn inclined his head towards her in a familiar, yet more formal greeting than he'd given the king. "And I noticed you brought someone with you."

She looked towards Link, giving him a warm smile. Link blushed but noticed something else that he hadn't noticed before. From behind the queen's deep blue dress, a face peaked out. A young face—a child with golden hair and bright, green eyes.

Arn turned and smiled at Link, motioning for him to approach. "Your royal highnesses, I would like to introduce my son, Link. He's going to be coming to live with me here at the castle until he is old enough to begin training as a page."

"I'm surprised Medilia even let him out of her sight!" the queen said. "From her letters, she sounded like she dreaded letting him go."

"Well, she has her hands full with little Aryll right now," Arn said, nodding. "Though I can't say she was _pleased_ with me… But I hope to have them come stay here in Castle Town for the winter. And then, of course, Link and I will travel back for the harvest."

Rhoam bent to look at Link, a twinkle in his eyes. "Come here, son." Link hesitantly stepped forward. "So, are you wanting to be a knight like your father?" Link nodded. "Perhaps a member of the royal guard?" He nodded again.

"Oh, dear, starting him early," the queen said, chuckling softly.

"He's already better with a sword than most adult men I know," Arn said, growing somewhat more serious. "He's a natural. I hope to have him start formal training soon."

Rhoam glanced up at Arn, nodding sagely. "Good, good." He looked back at Link. "You know, your father has been in my service for many years already. I consider him to be one of my staunchest supporters and closest friends."

He looked to the side and reached behind the queen, pulling the little girl free and bringing her around so Link could see her. "And this is my daughter—Zelda. Maybe one day, when you are older and a knight yourself, you'll be just as close a protector and friend to her as your father is for me."

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

The sanctum of Hyrule Castle was no longer beautiful and ornate, but broken and grotesque. Pieces of the beautiful stone work crumbled to the ground, the windows were shattered, and the king's throne was no more than a pile of rubble. The light that filtered down was red and ominous.

And, over it all, was a crimson, pulsing _mass_ that hung from the ceiling, where the opening to the bell tower had once been.

It hung from lines of Sheikah tech and Malice that spread out like creeping vines or veins, reaching up into the ceiling and breaking through the stone. The tendrils had no beginnings or ends, but just twisted into themselves in intricate and unknowable patterns. Interspersed through the tendrils were pieces of Guardians. He saw at least two of the machines' heads hanging down from the ceiling, inert and blackened, drained of color.

The amorphous mass that hung from this, however, was the worst of all. It could have been spherical in shape, but it wasn't solid. Instead, it moved. Squirmed. Parts of it stretched, like something deep within was pushing to get out. It was covered in red lights and lines, and other Sheikah designs. A light from within pulsed, revealing a dark shape just inside.

It was hideous. Abnormal. _Eldritch_. It drew his eyes and filled him with horror and disgust.

The feel of Malice on the air was nearly overwhelming, even with the Master Sword pushing some of it back, and Link felt as though he was covered with grime. His hands felt oily. His hair stuck to his head, as if matted with sweat. His stomach turned at the feel, sight, and smell of the room. He had to resist the urge to retch.

 _Goddess, what_ is _this?_

The mass quivered as he entered the room. Stretched and pulsed more violently. He heard something within it. Like something moving through thick liquid. The castle trembled.

"I can't hold him any longer," Zelda said, voice weary.

He started, looking to the side where she now stood. Much of her golden glow had faded, and she looked exhausted. She looked at him, meeting his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've… done everything I can."

The mass shook, and something pressed hard against it, stretching. It looked as though it would tear. Rip apart.

"It's all right," Link said as he stilled the fear in his heart. He was here to finish this. Once and for all. "Let him go." He drew the Master Sword, the shining blade pushing back some of the darkness.

She nodded.

Suddenly, a beam of white light burst out of the quivering mass. It fired across the floor and up the wall in a wide arc, burning through stone as if it were nothing. The castle shook again, pieces of the stonework crumbling and falling.

Link threw up his shield and stepped between Zelda and this _thing_ as another beam of light shot out the other side, obliterating chunks of the floor. Suddenly, a dozen smaller beams of light appeared on the dark mass. The light cut through the outer skin, and the hanging mass burst.

 _Something_ fell out of it. Enormous, with multiple arms and legs. It crashed to the stone ground, which shook and cracked under its weight. Link stumbled and looked on with horror as more cracks appeared in the floor. The _thing_ sank down. The room shuddered. And the entire floor, itself, gave way.

" _Link!_ " Zelda cried, as the stone under Link's feet lurched and then fell, taking him with it.

He barely had time to think as he fell down into the dark pit in the ground. Sheikah patterns flashed by on the walls. He could see the creature opposite him—a writhing mass of appendages that lashed out, colliding with pieces of the stone floor. Link, himself, felt the remnants of the floor he'd been standing on at his back. Would it crush him when they hit the ground?

They passed through the circular pit and into an enormous room with a huge domed ceiling, save for the opening that they fell through. He could see the ground now, rushing up to meet him.

This, then, was how he would die. Not in battle against a great evil, but by falling into a _pit_ and being crushed by rubble. He didn't even fear but just felt… numb. His thoughts were sluggish. At least… maybe Ganon would experience the same fate as he.

Suddenly, golden light surrounded him. He _glowed_ with it, shining as… _Zelda_ shone. He felt her. Not her body, not her hands or arms, but her _presence_. It caught him. Slowed his descent. The _thing_ and the chunks of floor fell away beneath him, slamming to the ground with an almighty crash that sent up a plume of dust, shrouding the room.

He, however, floated down slowly until, finally, his feet touched the ground as gently as a feather.

The thing in the midst of the cloud of smoke and dust moved, and the shining sword in Link's hand pulsed in anticipation. He felt the spirit's mind mingling with his, almost quivering. _Ganon_.

The dust began to settle as the creature within turned in a slow circle. It had far too many arms and legs. He saw legs like Guardians' while others were segmented and made of throbbing Malice. Some appendages ended in fingers that were too long. Others ended in weapons. A huge red cleaver. A long blue spear. A cylinder that had a Guardian's eye at its center. A sword. One of its long arms, which stuck straight up out of its back, ended in fingers tipped with shining blue claws.

Ganon's body was long and segmented like a grotesque spider. It made him think of the spider that had attacked him in the Lost Woods, but far, _far_ worse. It had a raised, almost humanoid torso, though even this bore too many limbs. Everything was either covered in Sheikah technology or writhing, pulsing Malice.

It faced him, finally, and Link saw Ganon's face. It was as if Ganon had tried to make a man's face, but had only the barest understanding of what a man looked like. The upper half was a shell made of Sheikah materials, containing two shining orange eyes and a hole in the center of the forehead that also glowed. Beneath that was a mass of Malice that formed a wide, open mouth with jagged teeth that jutted out crookedly. A mane of red hair sprouted out wildly in all directions from behind this… face.

Ganon moved its mouth and, from it, a word was formed. _"HERO…"_ It drew out the vowels in the word, turning it into a long hiss that sent ice down Link's spine. And then its face contorted in sudden rage, and it threw itself back, its upper torso rising into the air. It released a shriek that shook the foundations of the enormous room.

Link rotated the Master Sword in his hand and held his shield in his right. They both felt insignificant against this _monster_. But he had to fight. _It's the one that did this. Aryll. Father. The kingdom. My friends. My people. Zelda._ It _did this!_

Ganon's torso fell back down so that its face settled right in front of Link, wide mouth forming a disturbing leer. And then it swept the fiery cleaver towards Link.

Link reacted instinctively, throwing himself into a backflip that cleared the cleaver, though he felt its intense heat as it passed underneath him. Another of Ganon's arms lashed out—the one holding the smaller Guardian sword. Link knocked it aside with his shield and swept out with the Master Sword, cutting through the arm with a spray of Malice.

Ganon shrieked, and Link rolled to the side as the cleaver came back down. It slammed into the stone of the ground, sending out a burst of fire that washed over Link, singeing his clothing and hair. He jumped back to his feet and lunged for the arm holding the cleaver, hoping to remove it like he'd done the other.

But the hand with the claws suddenly reached down and swatted him away, sending Link rolling across the floor painfully. He looked up and cursed, throwing himself up into a crouch and getting his shield up just in time to deflect a blast from its cannon. Ganon fired again, and Link knocked it aside before jumping up and running towards the creature.

Ganon roared in fury and drove its long spear—just like the one that had nearly killed him in Ruta—towards Link. He knocked it aside with the Master Sword and ran beside it, coming around to Ganon's side. He lashed out with the Master Sword, leaving deep gashes in the throbbing Malice that made up its side and cutting through one of its insectoid legs.

The creature screeched and skittered out of Link's range before sweeping out with the fiery cleaver again. Link had no choice but to dance back and bring up his shield again. The spear slammed into it, and he grunted as the impact ran up his arm and drove him another two steps back.

 _I need to get closer!_

He spun to the side, avoiding another thrust of the spear, and ran for Ganon's face. If he could get in there, he could plunge the Master Sword right there, between its eyes. Maybe _that_ —

The clawed hand shot out towards him, but Link was ready this time. As the shining blue claws reached down, Link swiped the Master Sword up, cutting through the long palm and sending four of the clawed fingers spinning away. Ganon pulled its hand back, roaring in pain or fury. Almost immediately, the hand began to regrow its fingers, though these did not appear to be tipped in Guardian weapons.

The cleaver cut to the side, and Link spun, getting both the Master Sword and shield up. They protected him, but the strength of the blow knocked him onto his back. He gasped for breath as Ganon raised its spear above him.

Link rolled _towards_ Ganon, coming up just under its raised torso. Sneering, he rammed the sword up into Ganon's belly, sending a spray of Malice out and causing the giant creature to roar. Ganon tried to bring one of its spider-like legs down on Link, but he quickly moved out of the way and cut the foot off, causing the monster to lurch.

Before he could attack again, Ganon backed quickly away, scrambling over pieces of the floor from above. When Link tried to pursue, it fired at him with its cannon, forcing Link to duck behind his shield.

Suddenly, Ganon threw its arms out and a fiery, orange _shield_ surrounded it.

 _Oh, hell_ , Link thought as he ducked behind a chunk of the floor. His shield arm ached from the constant barrage of weapons and Guardian fire. The shield, thankfully, seemed as strong as ever.

Like the creature that had inhabited Rudania, the fiery shield briefly wavered as Ganon did its next attack, waving its hand that had formerly been tipped with the energy claws. Suddenly, a howling whirlwind appeared between them, flinging chunks of rock and debris into the air. Link cursed and began to run in a wide circle, keeping his shield up to protect his head. Wind howled in his ears.

Something fiery and painful slammed into his chest and sent him sprawling back. He groaned slightly as he felt at his chest. A scorched hole had been burned into the center of his tunic. Ganon's _cannon_.

Link pushed himself back to his feet, gritting his teeth. In his haste to escape the twister, he'd run straight into Ganon's line of sight. _Damn_.

Ganon fired again, and Link dove away, ducking behind a chunk of the rubble. He slammed the Master Sword back in its sheath and drew his bow, nocking one of the Ancient arrows. Then he jumped out from behind the cover. Ganon fired again, and Link focused, slowing the bolts of energy flying towards him. The shield was down.

The wind drove Link's arrow slightly off course, but it still struck Ganon with a flash of blue energy. The creature screeched in fury, stumbling back. The twister disappeared almost immediately, and Link shot off another arrow. This one, however, blew up harmlessly against the reformed shield.

Link cursed and pulled another arrow from his quiver, holding it against the string and waiting. Ganon seemed to consider that—and then it rushed towards him, its feet, a combination of Guardian claws, hands made of Malice, and that cannon, scrambling over the debris.

He stowed the arrow and ran to the side, slipping the bow back over his shoulder. Something smashed into the ground beside him—the shining blue spear. Link changed directions just as a bolt of Guardian energy shot past. And, suddenly, something hit him from above. It set every nerve in his body on fire, and his body went rigid as he crashed into a jagged chunk of the floor. He _heard_ , rather than felt, one of his ribs snap from the impact.

"Link!" Zelda's voice. He couldn't see her, but she was still watching.

Groaning, hands trembling, Link rolled onto his side, coughing. What _hit_ him? He looked towards Ganon, which now stood a short distance away, that same wide-mouthed grin on its skull-like face. One of the hands on its back was raised high into the air, and it crackled with electricity.

 _Really? That too?_

Suddenly, another bolt of lightning shot out, arcing through the air and striking him. Link's back arched as the pain washed over him, and the broken rib that he hadn't felt before flared to sudden and agonizing life. He tried to cry out, but his teeth were pressed so tightly together that it felt as though his jaw would crack next.

"Get up, Link!"

 _I can't stop now. Not now that I'm so close! Not when so many people counting on me!_

Something within him came to life again. Like a cool bath after a long day in the sun, Mipha's healing abilities went to work. They soothed away some of his pain, stopped his muscles from spasming, and gave him clearer focus.

Ganon's hand crackled with electricity again.

Link reached back and drew the Master Sword, getting it out in front of him. The lightning struck the sword, and though Link felt some of it pass through it and into his arm, it did not debilitate him as before. The Master Sword could counteract it, to a point.

Ganon released an angry sound and rushed towards him, flaming sword at the ready. Link reached down, touching the Sheikah Slate still firmly attached to his hip. And then he threw himself to his feet, quickly backing away from the creature and its glowing shield. Ganon didn't stop coming, scrambling over the rubble that Link had fallen into.

Link reached down and tapped the screen of his Sheikah Slate again, and the remote bomb, which had been left in the small hollow next to the jagged piece of rock, exploded. _Inside_ of Ganon's shield.

It wasn't enough to kill Ganon, of course, and maybe not even enough to particularly _damage_ it. But it was enough to break its concentration. The shield fell, and Ganon's feet briefly lifted off the ground from the blast beneath it.

Link swiped the Master Sword through the air, sending an arc of white light towards the arm that wielded the electricity. It struck true, and the spindly arm burst into a cloud of Malice.

He yelled in fury as he raced towards Ganon. He thrust the Master Sword out, intent on driving it into Ganon's forehead, but the cleaver was suddenly there, blocking his blow with its flat side. Before Link could properly recover, Ganon swung it and struck Link hard with the flat of the blade, knocking him to the side.

It raised the spear into the air and then drove it down into the ground. At once, a circle of blue light appeared around it, and Link barely had a moment to question its appearance before the ground itself _erupted_ beneath his feet. He cried out in shock and pain as he flew back, hitting the floor and rolling to a stop some fifteen feet away.

Ganon threw up its shield again and sidled along until it reached one of the walls. It used it legs to begin climbing _up_ the wall, like the spider it resembled. Link rolled out of the way as it began to fire its Guardian shots towards him again.

He barely got his shield up to deflect another of the shots. "How do I _kill_ this thing!?"

"Keep it up, Link!" Zelda said. "I know you can do this. It's afraid of you!"

Link didn't know how Zelda knew that, but he trusted her intuition. He deflected another of the shots and sent another wave of Master Sword energy towards Ganon. It splashed harmlessly off of the shield, which dropped another moment later so it could send a Guardian blast back towards him.

Link knocked it aside and tried again, but failed to get his own attacks past Ganon's shield. He tried his bow as well, but Ganon knew what to expect from that and reacted accordingly. It had much better control over the shield than the Blight aboard Rudania had and only dropped it long enough for its Guardian blasts to fire through. To make matters worse, the wind had picked up in the room again and, though no twisters appeared, it was enough to make aiming difficult. All the while, Ganon kept its distance.

 _It doesn't want to face the Master Sword,_ he thought, gritting his teeth. _Zelda's right. I've hurt it._

That didn't help him now, but he _did_ have an idea. He had no idea if it would work, but well, the energy blasts didn't appear to be affected by the powerful winds.

Ganon fired at him again, and Link waited, judging the time it took to strike his shield. He dodged the next one, but the third shot, he hit back _towards_ Ganon. Its shield came back up, but just a moment too late. The blast hit Ganon with enough force to send it crashing to the floor on its back, the shield disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

Link sprinted forward, chopping deeply into Ganon's exposed spider-like belly. It sent up gouts of Malice, and Ganon writhed as he cut again and again. Finally, one of its Guardian legs swept out towards him, and Link was forced to back away as Ganon righted itself. Malice still sprayed out of the wounds he'd left, some as smoke while some gushed as a thick liquid that coated the ground.

Ganon whirled on Link, roaring in fury. It drove its spear for Link's heart, but he knocked it to the side. The cleaver came next, but Link ducked underneath it as it passed by one way, and then did a backflip over it as Ganon swung it back towards him.

 _Come on!_

He focused, slowing everything around him. Ganon's two remaining major weapons spread to either side, leaving its center exposed. Its face looked at him, mouth open in a silent roar. Its eyes shone with orange brilliance. Link ran forward, driving the Master Sword forward, towards that shining spot in the center of its forehead.

Ganon shifted its head to the side just in time, and the sword plunged into its shoulder. Link cursed and pulled it free, preparing to stab again, but Ganon was too quick. The remaining hand on its back reached down and grabbed him by the back of the tunic. He felt its single remaining energy claw pierce his back painfully. Ganon whirled, throwing him hard against the wall. The Master Sword flew from his hand, and he collapsed to the floor in a heap.

Link started to push himself up painfully but something heavy pressed down on him, slamming him back to the ground and driving the air from his lungs. He coughed, spraying the ground with flecks of blood. Looking up, he saw that Ganon had used its cannon to push down on him, and its spear was raised high above him.

He reached down into his quiver and pulled one of the arrows within. Using his finger, he activated the small button in the nock and drove it up into the cannon. It burst with vibrant blue energy, which washed over him and left his skin feeling raw and burned. Ganon shuddered, pulling away from him for just long enough for Link to roll out from under it. The spear crashed down a moment later, where his head had just been.

He shoved himself back to his feet and got the shield up in time to block another thrust by that damn spear. Looking over the shield, he saw that the cannon appeared to have been damaged. It sparked and faltered, and the arrow had exposed writhing Malice inside of the stone-like outer shell.

Ganon raced towards him, screeching with an awful, bone-chilling sound. He thought he heard words in the mad sound, but he didn't have time to think on it. He turned, dashing forward and snatching up the fallen sword. Though still shining on the ground, it burst into more brilliant life as he wrapped his hand around the hilt.

He whirled, sending a wide arc of Master Sword energy towards Ganon, which cut through the Malice as easily as if Link had done it with the blade itself. He charged, yelling with fury. The spear shot towards him, but Link ducked to the side, avoiding it. As he approached, Ganon again tried to grab him with that hand, but he cut through it at the wrist as it reached for him. This time, it did not immediately grow back.

It swung the flaming cleaver. He leaped forward, feet landing on the stone-like material that connected it to Ganon's thick arm, and then jumped off again, landing just on its other side. He brought the Master Sword down on the arm, cutting deep into the Malice and severing the sword.

Ganon began to skitter away from him, but Link didn't let it. He raced forward, screaming in rage and bloodlust. The spear sliced open his side, but he ignored the wound, running straight for Ganon's exposed face. Its mouth opened in a roar.

And Link plunged the Master Sword deep into its open maw.

" _Yes!_ " Zelda cried.

The creature seemed to choke for a second, shuddering as he drove the sword in. Link met Ganon's orange eyes, his face a mask of fury.

This monster had killed almost everyone Link had ever known, and it threatened everything Link had come to love.

 _No more_.

Link twisted the Master Sword and yanked it out before sinking it directly into the glowing orange spot between Ganon's eyes.

Ganon froze.

Link pressed harder on the sword, screaming, pushing it deeper and deeper, until the twin wings that flanked its hilt pressed against the Sheikah plating of its skull-like mask.

Ganon shook and, suddenly, a powerful jet of Malice burst free of the wound, ejecting the Master Sword and throwing Link back several feet. He stood back up, holding his shield up to block his face from the vile spray. The creature took a labored step towards him, and then another. He prepared for another attack.

But it never came.

Calamity Ganon stood still, Malice pouring from a dozen wounds all over its body. It sprayed into the air and spread out on the ground. Its face was expressionless, save for its mouth, which opened wide in a terrible screech that echoed off the walls and made the ground tremble.

A light appeared in the core of Ganon's being, bright and red. The monster writhed as it grew stronger until, finally, Ganon _burst_ as the light overwhelmed it. Link grunted, leaning forward and holding his shield out as a wave of smoky Malice spread out in all directions, washing over him.

And then it was gone. He stumbled slightly, looking around with wide eyes as the Malice pooling on the ground became vaporous, joining that in the air, and began to swirl around itself, just like with each of the Blights. He waited for it to evaporate. To disappear.

It didn't.

* * *

Impa watched the castle intently. How long had Link been inside its halls—for she assumed that was where the Champion was now. The Divine Beasts all stood arrayed before them, waiting. When would they attack? Their army still fought against the monsters, but most of their foes had been either killed or driven away. Were it not for their ultimate goal, this would have already been called an incredible victory.

A light rain had begun as clouds moved in, blocking out the sun overhead.

 _Please let him succeed_ , Impa prayed. She held tightly onto her walking staff in front of her. _Goddess, please let him succeed this time._ Why hadn't he drawn Ganon out yet? Was that not the plan?

The ground began to shake. It was a light tremor, at first, but then it grew violent. People cried out in alarm, and a nearby tent collapsed. She stumbled, but her hold on the walking staff kept her upright. Her eyes never left the castle.

 _Please…_

"Grandmother!"

Her head snapped to the side to see Paya racing towards her. Purah was with her, though she lagged behind, red in the face and breathing heavily. Relief flooded into Impa—she hadn't known what had happened to her granddaughter and sister when the tower fell. She'd feared the worst.

Paya reached Impa, grasping her shoulders and steadying her. "What's happening? Where's Link?"

"He's in there, child," Impa said, having to raise her voice to be heard over the shouts and the sound of the ground rumbling. It felt as though the very earth beneath their feet was about to open up and swallow them.

Paya made a soft, scared sound and looked around at the castle, eyes wide.

Suddenly, a cloud of Malice _burst_ free of the castle. It poured out from every doorway and window and formed a writhing, whirling mass. Some people screamed and began to run. Paya gasped, gripping Impa tighter.

 _No… Oh, please, Goddess, no…_

The Malice rose into the air, taking its awful boar-like shape. Calamity Ganon roared, and the very air trembled. It flew around the castle and then turned, flying towards the field of battle.

Impa began to weep. After everything. After so many trials—after so many _victories_ —it had come to this. Ganon reigned victorious again. Their Champion was gone. Their hope was lost.

More screaming. More terror. The Divine Beasts each bellowed their own cries, adding to the awful din. Calamity Ganon raced towards the field and then slammed down into the ground. The Malice began to swirl around again, growing more and more violent, forming an opaque whirlwind of red and black.

And then a hoof emerged. Enormous, easily the size of a building, the hoof came down, slamming into the ground. Another hoof emerged, and then another. And then she saw the head. It rose out of the cloud of Malice, high above them. Two tusks jutted forward like a bull's horns, a flat pig-snout, and a pair of shining _red_ eyes. The cloud of Malice compressed and became this creature's body, forming reddish flames along its back that were painful to look at.

Paya cried out in shock. Impa trembled. This was it, then. Ganon was well and _truly_ free. Link gone. Zelda gone. And this monster would _destroy_ them.

Calamity Ganon threw its head back, and it roared.

" _Look!_ " The speaker was that Goron, Yunobo. He pointed one thick finger.

He pointed at a spot on the field just below Ganon.

Impa's breath caught when she saw a shining, golden light hovering above the grass. It was so small, so insignificant before that beast, that she hadn't noticed it before. But she did _now_.

The light grew. Expanded. And then it formed the shape of a horse and a man. The light faded, and _Link_ was there, the Master Sword held in the air, shining as brightly as ever.

Hope burst to life in Impa's heart, and she sank to the wet grass. Paya was crying, too, but her terror had been replaced by a look of joy. Others began to cheer, to roar their approval. The Divine Beasts screeched, bellowed, and trumpeted.

And then the true final contest began.

* * *

Link slowly lowered the Master Sword, staring up at the dark beast that Ganon became. It was… daunting. So large and powerful looking. But he was far beyond being cowed by something just because it was _larger_ than him.

"This is it, Link!" Zelda said, sounding breathless. He couldn't see her, but he understood. She was still preserving her power as much as she could. Preparing for the end.

"What _is_ it?" he asked, flinching as it stomped its foot, causing ground to shudder. Spirit blew nervously, dancing in the grass. "Shh…" He patted his horse's mane.

"Ganon is the embodiment of an ancient evil, reborn time and time again," she said. Her voice took on a softer tone. It almost sounded as though she pitied this beast. "This is… Calamity Ganon in its pure, enraged form. This is what it _could_ have been one hundred years ago, were it not for its desire for a body. It's given that up now, though, and it will _ravage_ the land if we don't stop it."

He looked out and saw the people. The army that had come to support him. To give him this chance. They would all perish if he failed.

He _wouldn't_ fail.

"Tell me what to do."

"Use this." Motes of light appeared before him, collecting together until they formed a beautifully wrought bow, with golden limbs and an intricately curved grip. Even the string seemed to be made out of white gold. It shone with the same light that surrounded Zelda every time he saw her.

"I entrust you with the Bow of Light," Zelda said. "It is a powerful weapon and will weaken Ganon further. Just draw the string back, and it will fire arrows of purest light. Use it. Use the Master Sword. _Weaken_ him just a little bit more, Link."

"And the Divine Beasts?"

"Soon. Very soon."

Link nodded. "Go tell them to be ready." He sheathed the Master Sword and dropped his normal bow to the ground. When he reached out, taking the Bow of Light, it thrummed in his hand. He could feel its power.

Ganon roared, and he kicked Spirit into motion, racing across the grassy field towards his ancient foe. The horse, as always, did not shy away from danger but galloped forward with courage.

"Link…" Zelda's voice grew quieter, yet she still sounded like she was right there with him. "I'm so proud of you for coming this far."

He drew the bowstring back. As he did so, a white arrow with a golden tip formed out of light, resting between his thumb and forefinger. He took aim and fired. The arrow flew true, striking Ganon's shoulder with a powerful burst of light.

The monster bellowed, stumbling, and then turned towards him. It raised its head, and Link saw something forming in its open maw, between its tusks. A moment later, a beam of fiery red energy burst forth, tearing across the ground in his direction. Lick kicked Spirit, leaning low. They just barely got out of the way, and a fiery wind blew past them.

"I don't know if you've yet recovered your memories," Zelda said, again into his ear. "But your courage has never wavered. Never changed. I always expected as much. Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten."

Link drew again and shot an arrow towards Ganon's leg. The arrow struck, and the Malice rippled around it, but it did not disable the beast, as Link hoped. Ganon screeched and lifted the foot. Its shadow passed over him.

Spirit swerved to the left, directly under the beast's belly. Link transferred the bow to his right hand and unsheathed the Master Sword, holding it up and thrusting it into Ganon's belly, drawing a line in it as he passed. Ganon shrieked, quivering. He sheathed the sword again as he and Spirit passed through the other side.

Turning in the saddle, Link shot another of the light arrows at Ganon's flank. The beast turned its head, firing off another of its fiery blasts. It tore across the ground, sending up gouts of dirt and stone. It obliterated trees and stone like they were nothing more than paper.

Another arrow. Another burst of light.

"That's it! Keep going, Link!"

Link turned Spirit and cursed when he saw the fiery line heading straight towards him. Spirit turned aside just in time, but then they passed under the shadow of another of Ganon's great hooves. He turned back the way he had come, where red flames burned in the gash left behind by Ganon's attack.

Spirit leaped over the scar in the ground, and Link turned him in another wide circle, coming around to Ganon's face. He shot another arrow, and this one stuck one of its tusks. The arrow broke off the tusk's pointed tip, sending black shards falling to the ground.

"Come on, come on, Spirit!"

The horse raced across the ground, just ahead of another beam of fire. At the last second, they turned, and the beam continued on, straight into a group of Gerudo that were positioned too close to the battle. Link watched with horror as it tore through them, sending bodies flying and horses screaming.

" _No!_ "

Lightning flashed from the sky and struck Ganon, causing the beast to bellow. It turned its fiery beam on Naboris, and the Divine Beast shuddered, stumbling, as it was hit. Link saw that the blast left a deep gash in its side, exposing some of its internal components.

"The Divine Beasts!" Zelda cried.

Link fired another two light arrows at Ganon, getting its attention. Ganon turned its weapon on him again, but it was too late. Link passed right under its head and held the Master Sword up, cutting another deep slice in its belly, length-wise. As he passed by one of the hooves, he leaned out and left a cut in it as well.

" _You're_ _almost there, Link_!"

Link turned in his saddle, sending forth another light arrow. _Right in the crag, as Daruk would say._

Ganon _roared_. The earth shook, and a fissure in the ground appeared right in front of him. Link swore and leaned low as Spirit leaped. The horse came back down awkwardly, and the ground behind his back hooves started to fall away. Spirit stumbled, but then managed to get his hooves back under him. Link kicked him into another gallop.

Calamity Ganon was beginning to grow wild. It fired off blasts in random directions and stomped its feet. It flattened groves of trees. It obliterated the Sacred Ground Ruins. It destroyed huge sections of the castle.

Link stood in the saddle and shot two light arrows into Ganon's face. One struck it right in one of its eyes. Ganon threw its head back, its fiery blast shooting into the cloudy sky. And then it lowered its head and took a step towards him. And then another.

Eyes widening, Link turned Spirit away from Ganon and kicked the horse back into motion. He heard the earth quaking underneath him as Ganon charged. As they raced away, he turned in the saddle and saw the beast quickly gaining, it's superior size more than making up for its slower movements.

Link drew the Bow of Light again, sending arrow after arrow in Ganon's direction, but the monster kept charging. It roared in fury, lowering its head, and pointing its remaining tusk at Link. He turned Spirit in a tight loop, and for a brief moment, Link felt Spirit's hooves slip on the wet grass. But then they were through the turn and racing back in Ganon's direction.

Ganon tried to correct its course, but it was far too large and bulky to be able to do so as effectively as Spirit. Link slipped the bow over his shoulder and pulled the Master Sword free, holding it out to the left. Taking a deep breath, he leaned out, nearly parallel to the ground that raced by, and sliced _deep_ into both of Ganon's legs.

He pulled himself back upright in the saddle and turned to see Ganon's massive form stumble, Malice spraying free of its legs. Overhead, the sky had grown dark, the clouds growing red with Ganon's influence. More fissures appeared in the ground, and Link could see the distant Death Mountain spewing magma hundreds of feet into the air.

 _I need to finish this before he rips Hyrule apart!_

"Zelda! How much more?"

"We're so _close_! Between the eyes!"

Link turned Spirit again, heart hammering within his chest. Ganon slowly turned to face him, and he saw it preparing to fire its powerful blast towards him again. Gritting his teeth, Link raced straight for the beast.

The beam of fiery, red energy shot out of Ganon's mouth, and Link pulled Spirit to the side at the last moment. Spirit whinnied but followed Link's directions. And in that brief moment while Link was still shielded from Ganon's view by its own attack, he drew the Bow of Light and launched a shining arrow.

It struck the center of Ganon's forehead, right between its eyes. Ganon roared in fury.

 _"Now! Urbosa, Daruk, Mipha, Revali, do it now!_ "

* * *

"Now my moment has finally come," Revali said, looking at Ganon with a feeling of satisfaction. The humiliation of his defeat would come to an end today. He thrust a wing out towards the beast. "Brace yourself, Ganon, for the _sting_ of my revenge!"

Mipha looked on, hands folded over her heart, smiling as she gazed, not at Ganon, but the small form of Link, far below. "I knew you could do it, Link. I _always_ knew you wouldn't fail."

Daruk slammed his fists together, laughing. "That's it, little guy!" He stared into the beastly eyes of Ganon, and the Goron thought that he saw fear in them. And for good reason. "Now! Open wide, Ganon!"

Urbosa crossed her arms and smiled. Finally. There would be peace for her people. And for her Zelda. "A hundred years in the making… Hold on, Little Bird. Our moment has finally arrived." She snapped her finger.

* * *

Each of the Divine Beasts faced Ganon. Medoh, with its wings outstretched; Ruta, with its trunk raised to the heavens; Rudania, with its head opened and the weapon spire inside exposed; and Naboris, with its legs folded under it and head forward. And, before each of them, a ball of light appeared. They grew and grew until, suddenly, with a blast far greater than any Guardian had ever produced, they shot forth, forming four massive columns of energy that slammed into Ganon.

Calamity Ganon screamed, the blasts ripping through the Malice, tearing away chunks of its writhing, red-black flesh. It collapsed onto the ground, shaking under the force of the attack, making that awful, ear-piercing sound.

And then the attack was over. The beams of energy grew thin and dissipated. Black smoke rose from Ganon's body. The beast lay on the ground. It was… diminished. Smaller. Thinner. Emaciated.

But even this was not enough to destroy it completely. It began to move again.

She appeared as a golden light in the air, floating slowly down in front of Ganon. The light resolved into Zelda, her white dress rippling around her. She shone like the sun. Calamity Ganon looked up at her, its red eyes following her descent.

Her feet touched the ground, and she looked up at the creature that had caused her such pain, such grief. A hundred years. _A hundred years_ with only this creature as a companion. It repulsed her. It terrified her. Yet she understood it. She understood its rage. She understood the pain of being reborn again and again and again. She understood how a mind could break after being trapped, alone, for such a long time.

She understood it. And that understanding made her hate it infinitely more.

Ganon opened its maw, and within, she could see death. It wanted to attack her. It _prepared_ to attack her.

"No."

A pulse of light shot out from her in all directions. It washed over Ganon and _shattered_ it. Its body broke apart, becoming smoky, misty Malice once again. But it was not gone. Not yet.

Instead, the Malice swirled, shapeless, save for its pig-like maw and glowing yellow eyes. It rose into the air, and she watched it, her expression controlled. She didn't show the anger she felt. The hatred. The fear. The anticipation.

Ganon circled. And then it roared, turning and racing towards her. One last attack. One final attempt. Perhaps, if its mind hadn't been so broken, it would have known how futile this act was.

Zelda raised her hand, palm facing the beast. The golden light that surrounded her grew blinding to anyone watching, and an emblem of three triangles joined together at the corners to make a larger triangle appeared, just in front of her. The Triforce. She barely understood it, even after one hundred years with this power, but she understood enough.

The power _exploded_ from her hand in an expanding bubble. It overtook Ganon quickly, and in that moment, the creature seemed to realize. It turned, streaking into the dark, cloudy sky, trying to escape. But it was too late. _Too late_.

* * *

Link gasped as the light overcame Ganon. He knew that power—he'd seen it at the Blatchery Plain one hundred years ago, but this was different. Far, _far_ more powerful than that attack had been. It blazed like the sun, and it grew until it was the only thing in his field of view. Just it and the beast. It washed over Ganon, and Link watched with awe as its smoky form was consumed.

And then there was only the power.

The ball of light ceased expanding… and then it contracted faster than his eyes could follow. It compressed into a small, black sphere, floating just above Zelda. And then it, too, was gone.

And Calamity Ganon, the scourge of Hyrule, was no more.

Link slowly dismounted from Spirit, his legs feeling weak. He dropped the golden bow to the ground, and it burst into shards of light that quickly faded. Overhead, the rain stopped. The red clouds lightened and began to move away, like a scroll being rolled up.

And Zelda, _his Zelda_ , stood in the field, not twenty feet away. The golden light that surrounded her faded, but not her. She remained, hands at her sides, back to him. Standing upon a field of grass. Her long, blonde hair fell down to the small of her back, no different than it had been one hundred years prior.

"I've been keeping watch over you all this time," she said, her voice soft. "I've witnessed your struggles to return to us, as well as your trials in battle."

He began to walk towards her.

"I always thought—no—I always _believed_ that you would find a way to defeat Ganon."

He moved faster, heart racing. It was Zelda. She was there. _Right_ _there_. And she turned towards him.

"I never lost faith in you, even after all these years." She clasped her hands between her breasts and looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Thank—"

He didn't let her finish. He broke into a run and caught her up in his arms, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. He laughed, holding her close. He could _feel_ her. Her warmth. Her body against his. Her arms wrapping around him. Her face pressing down against his neck. He even thought that he could feel her heart, beating as quickly as his own.

Link held Zelda like that for a long time, even when his spinning came to a stop. And, when he finally set her feet back on the ground, he held her still. She trembled, as did he. She began to cry softly, and he tightened his grip, lowering his head. Her hands clung to the back of his tunic.

"You're here."

"I'm here."

"You're—"

"I'm _here_ …"

"I'm sorry it took so long, I—"

"Shh…" Zelda pulled her face back, though he made no move to actually release her from the embrace. She smiled up at him, tears on her cheeks. He realized that he could feel tears on his own, as well. "It's over."

It was over. The pall that hung over them during their journeys—no, for their entire _lives_ —was suddenly and completely gone. Ganon was gone. Destroyed. Sealed. He didn't care—it was _over_.

And Zelda, _his Zelda_ , was in his arms. In that moment, every trial, challenge, doubt, pain, fight—it was all worth it. It was worth this moment in time, when he could finally be reunited with the princess he'd grown to love.

"Zelda, I—" He paused as a shadow passed over them. He looked up to see, surprisingly, _Kass_ flying down. The Rito landed with a small burst of air. "Kass?"

Kass smiled at them, and Zelda gently pulled out of Link's arms. He felt very reluctant to let her go. When she'd pulled completely away, however, Kass gave her a deep, respectful bow.

"Zelda, this is Kass." _Who, for once, I really wish wasn't around._ "He is—"

" _Honored_ to finally meet you, your highness." Kass stood back up, smiling at her. "Link here has spoken a great deal about you."

For a long moment, Zelda seemed uncertain what to say. Perhaps it was the fact that she hadn't spoken to anyone but Link in so long, or perhaps it was the way he called her by her royal title.

She finally cleared her throat. "Yes, I… I actually had the opportunity to observe some of your—" She stopped herself, seeming to consider better. "But it is wonderful to meet you, Kass. From what I understand, you were with Link for much of his journey."

"I do hope that you will pardon my interruption. I certainly do not mean to be rude, but I wished to be able to congratulate the two of you for your hard-fought victory before you leave."

"Leave?" Zelda asked, frowning.

A smile quirked Link's lips, and he reached down to his hip. All around them, he began to hear a roar. Not the roar of beast or monster, but the roar of a crowd of onlookers. The roar of the people of Hyrule, finally free of Ganon's oppression. He glanced around and could see hundreds approaching, racing to greet the two that were responsible for their victory.

Kass glanced towards Link, smiling in his Rito way. "Yes, I suspected that Link may not wish to remain here very long."

Zelda frowned even deeper and glanced toward Link, her expression growing surprised as she noticed the Sheikah Slate in his hands.

"Thanks for all your help, Kass," Link said, meeting the Rito's eyes. "I don't think I could have done it without you."

Kass inclined his head. "I think otherwise, but I am glad to have been of assistance. Truly, this is a wonderful day. Thank you. Thank you, _both_. My daughters will no longer have to grow up in a world dominated by that… creature."

Link's heart swelled with the thought. Children growing up in a land free of evil. His sister never had that opportunity, but others would. It was almost enough.

"Make sure Spirit gets back to Hateno Village, if you don't mind," he said, pressing an icon on the Sheikah Slate. Immediately, a blue circle was projected on the grass around them.

"Of course. I will see you again soon, my friend." Kass backed out of the circle.

"Link, what are you—"

He pressed the screen again, and both he and Zelda burst into thousands of pieces of light, flying away into the sky, leaving the battlefield and the masses of Hyruleans behind.

* * *

Urbosa watched them go with a warm, though… sad, smile. _I would have liked to speak to her one more time. But no. No, that will have to wait for a time. A long time, I hope._

She looked over at her companions. Mipha. Daruk. Revali. And, surprisingly, King Rhoam. They all hovered in the air just above the castle. They all watched the pair leave.

"Well done, Link," Rhoam said. "And well done, Zelda. I am proud of you, my daughter."

"They really did it," Daruk said, grinning.

" _We_ did it," Revali corrected. "They'd better not forget me in the songs."

Mipha laughed softly, shaking her head. "Somehow, I doubt anyone would ever be able to forget you, Revali. Even with his memory loss, I doubt Link even truly forgot you."

"Memory loss? What do you mean by that?" Revali asked, frowning.

Urbosa laughed and shook her head. "We'll tell you all about it soon. For now… say good-bye."

They all fell silent, watching. Their collective people gathered below on the field of battle. Some looked up at the Divine Beasts, others looked to the castle. Others still searched for the heroes responsible for the victory. Hylians, Sheikah, Zora, Gorons, Rito, and Gerudo. All united, once more, under the banner of peace.

And then, one by one, the five beings—four Champions and one monarch—faded away.


	64. Chapter Sixty

**The Calamity is _over_. But this story still has a little left to tell. After all, I promised a few of you that I would show at least some of what will be happening following Ganon's defeat. I could have never stopped it at the last chapter, nor am I stopping it at _this_ chapter. There are three more posts following this one. A chapter tomorrow that will be mostly from Zelda's POV. Then there will be one final Side Quests chapter (which I'm still writing scenes for...), and finally an epilogue, which will come on Thursday-or late Wednesday night, depending on when these updates hit in your time zone. Following that, I'll likely take a few days to decompress (I need it!) and then I'll be back with some bonuses-alternate scenes, an afterword, and a brief discussion of the future. **

**Before I respond to comments, I just want to say what a relief I feel having posted the last chapter! I told someone that posting the last chapter felt almost like sending a child off to college. Building up to the Calamity fight, writing, rewriting, revising, editing, and then finally releasing it into the wild left me feeling drained. But the response it garnered has been great. I'm thrilled you all enjoyed it. I think, based on previous reactions, you will all enjoy what I have left for you, as well.**

 **Wraith Five: I won't actually be writing _that_ scene with Revali! I preferred to leave that up to the readers' imagination. But including that was fun. Link intentionally chose never to tell Revali about his memory loss. That rivalry will never fully go away! But, unfortunately, it is truly time to say good-bye to them (in my story). As for where Link is taking Zelda... well, you'll see very, very shortly!**

 **Klynnw: I kind of figured that it would come down to me posting the last several chapters in a row. It also helps that I just finished my class last week and don't have anything starting again for another week, which opened up some time for me to do some rapid-fire edits and additions that I'd been procrastinating.**

 **Infinite's Ruby: I'm like you. I wanted Beast Ganon to do _more_ than just shoot fiery beams around. Going into that battle, I debated quite a bit how I wanted to portray it. I considered everything from shrinking him into something more like Twilight Princess' version of Beast Ganon to outright coming up with my own version. Ultimately, I decided to keep it similar, but try to raise the stakes of the fight. Make him more erratic to show his madness, have some new consequences to the fight, and like you mentioned, have all of Hyrule respond to his presence. At that point, he's really more a force of nature than an intelligence, so I wanted to show him as such.**

 **KNSLWRATH: Saying good-bye to the Champions was _hard!_ But I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now it's time to pass that torch, though!**

 **Lord Halcyon: Tell me about it! I have some issues with how that final battle was portrayed in the game. How did the Divine Beasts' weapons all converge and shoot down into the chamber that no one knew about, hmm? Which is why the original battle plan was to draw Ganon out, and-worst case scenario-just blow the entire castle up and hope that Zelda could keep Link safe. It just so happens that there's a giant Sheikah chamber under the floor of the castle. _HMM..._ What will I be doing next, indeed...**

 **iCards: Spirit is true MVP. You have no idea how close I came to killing that poor horse... Oh, I did. I considered it in Hateno Village, in the Blood Moon, in the opening battle, against Beast Ganon... Ultimately, though, I couldn't do it! I love that horse too much. Also, Calamity Ganon _is_ a crazy combination of the four Blights-especially if you fight him without fighting them, apparently. I guess he gains even more of their powers in that situation. I decided to split the difference and give him about half. **

**DillPickle56: Ahh, Ganon's reincarnation... Yes, so this is one of those things where the English translation was a little muddled. The Japanese and English both say similar, but different things in that part, and then the Masterworks book actually details it further, stating that Zelda interrupts Ganon's reincarnation when she goes to him one hundred years ago. Then he started up again after Link wakes. In my story, I did make some minor changes to that-partially because I hadn't read the Masterworks book yet and also because I decided not to have Ganon be aware of Link's survival. But you're right-Ganon was incomplete, which is why he ended up a crazy spider-monster, instead of whatever he actually wanted to look like.**

 **All right, folks. That's about all the comments I'm going to answer this time. If I didn't get yours, I apologize! But for now, please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think...**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty**

Link wasn't sure why he chose to bring Zelda here. Multiple possible reasons occurred to him—it was the first place that he'd actually spoken to her after waking, it was where she told him about his mission, it was where he'd first seen Ganon, it was the first place he thought of. It could have been any of them. It could have been none of them.

"Oh…" Zelda said, stepping forward to the edge of the Great Plateau Tower, looking out at the expanse of Hyrule with wide eyes. "Oh, Link."

It might have just been the view.

He clipped the Sheikah Slate to his belt and stepped up beside her, looking out. Far, far away, he could see the castle. No red haze in sight. And, like tiny insects, he could see the four Divine Beasts, still resting before Hyrule Castle.

"I… I thought that maybe you would like to see the land that you saved," he said. "You kept it alive for one hundred years."

Zelda stared out, eyes wide, tears welling up once more. "It's beautiful…" A light wind blew past, and she gasped, a shiver running down her body.

"What is it?" Link asked, suddenly concerned.

"It's… the first time I've felt the breeze on my skin in so long. It feels… _chilly_." She looked up at him, her face a mix of emotions. "I can _feel_ it…"

Link stared down at her, taking in her green eyes, her pink cheeks, her full lips, her hair. But he didn't kiss her. Not yet. Though he desperately wanted to.

"I'm sorry you had to go through what you did," he said, voice soft. "It should have never happened like that. I should have…"

"Protected me?" Her lips quirked into a slight smile. "You _did_ protect me. You very nearly _died_ protecting me." She paused for a moment. "And you remember that, don't you?"

"I… yeah. I do." He paused, and then his own smile grew. "You were too damn stubborn."

Zelda laughed softly. It was like music to his ears. "Says the man who fought long past the point that anyone should have had any right to be alive…" She hesitantly reached out, touching the front of his tunic, where the blue fabric was charred and frayed after his fight with Ganon. "You have so many scars."

"Better me than you."

"Perhaps…" She continued to touch his tunic. He could feel the light feathery touches through the fabric, and it made his heart race as fast now as it had when facing down Ganon. "What… else do you remember of that last two weeks?"

He considered for a moment. She had an odd expression on her face. Apprehension, perhaps. "Well… I remember that Mount Lanayru is an absolutely awful place to visit in the autumn, no matter _when_ your birthday is."

Her cheeks grew considerably pinker at the mention of the mountain. "You… remember our trip there, then?"

He reached up and took her hand firmly within his own. She gave a slight start and finally looked back up to meet his eyes. "Zelda… I remember everything."

"Everything?"

" _Everything_."

She covered her mouth with her free hand, eyes growing round and wide. She squeezed his hand tightly. It took her several seconds to compose herself enough to speak. "I feared that—I worried that you might never get them back… When did it happen? How?"

"It was on the mountain. Maybe you didn't see, but I made a trip up there after Hateno Village. You told me to try to remember the last few weeks before Ganon rose, so I… did. And while I was there, the rest of my memories came back."

He decided to leave out the part that he suspected the Goddess, herself, had been responsible for giving them back to him. He wasn't sure how Zelda would react to hearing about Hylia just yet, and he didn't want to ruin this moment.

She stared up at him for a long time. "And you remember everything that happened upon the mountain?"

"As if it happened yesterday."

She gave a short intake of breath. "And do you… still feel the same way now?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Her blush increased, and she grew flustered. "It… I wouldn't be _against_ … hearing it again."

He grinned, feeling a rush of warmth at her demeanor and what it implied. "I love you."

She released a heavy sigh, returning his smile and gripping his hand tightly. "I should have told you then. I… was wrong. I never should have lied to you."

"Technically, you never said that you _didn't_ —"

She grabbed his tunic and pulled him into a kiss. He gladly returned it, releasing her hand and wrapping his arms around her. It was a desperate sort of kiss, full of pent-up emotions, fears, and relief, but then Zelda relaxed in his arms, and soon he felt her smiling against his lips. She began to laugh, shaking.

Link pulled away, looking down at her incredulously. "What?"

Zelda shook her head, grinning, and lowered her forehead to his shoulder. "I spent the last _hundred years_ dreaming of this day. I… I can hardly believe that it's really here."

He held her tightly against him. "This isn't a dream, though. You did it, Zel."

She wrapped her own arms around his torso and held tightly to him. " _We_ did it."

"I suppose I can concede that I helped in my own small way."

She snorted. "So _humble_ …" She paused and then looked up at him, eyes shining. "I love you."

Link grinned, his heart lifting just to hear those words. And then he leaned down and kissed her once again. This time, neither of them pulled away for a very long time.

* * *

"You know, this is the only tower I've ever actually had to _climb_ down," Link said, looking down at the lattice-work that led to the tower's bottom. "Maybe I should have brought my paraglider…"

Zelda stepped up beside him, giving him a slight smile, and took his hand. She began to shine with a more subdued golden light than before, and then they both dissolved into golden light that floated gently down to reform on the ground below.

Link glanced up around at the tower and then down at her. "That's useful."

"Mm, it can be," she said. She turned and inspected the broken dirt and stone around them. "These towers were here all along. Right under our noses. I can remember the mound this used to sit under being a popular spot to ride sleds down in the winter."

Link remained silent, looking around warily. He could still remember encountering the bokoblins here, just after climbing the tower. It wouldn't do for them to save the land, only to get shot in the back by a cursed _bokoblin_.

"I wonder why they ever went underground," Zelda continued, staring up at the tower. "Likely it happened around the time of the schism between the royal family and the Sheikah, but why? For that matter, why did they build in that functionality at all?"

She frowned, looking down. Her fingers twitched, as if she wanted to be writing. "They seemed to know so much. Even ten thousand years ago, they were already preparing for Ganon's next arrival. Somehow, they _knew_ what would happen." She glanced up at Link and looked taken aback by his grinning expression. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just… good to hear you theorizing again."

"I'm not _theorizing_. I'm observing. Speculation and theorization come later."

"Right. Of course. I'm… pretty sure you've told me that before."

"Oh, I have. But you've always had a terrible memory." She stepped forward, away from the broken dirt and rock, and Link hurried after—again, to keep an eye out for any bokoblins that might still roam this area.

"You're being too jumpy," she said, bending down and running her fingers through the blades of grass.

"I was almost shot here. Actually, I _was_ shot here, now that I think about it." He glanced towards the small, grassy hill that the bokoblin archers stood on those months ago. He saw nothing moving and relaxed some.

"They won't bother us," Zelda said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because their master is gone. Trust me on this." She was doing something with her sandals. A moment later, she pulled them completely off and set her bare feet down in the grass. She spun to look at him, smiling broadly.

"What?"

"I haven't felt _grass_ in one hundred years."

He forced himself to laugh, though he didn't feel it. He'd been asleep for those hundred years. Yes, waking had been confusing, and he'd not had his memories, but it never _felt_ to him like a great deal of time had passed. For her, though…

Link considered her for a moment and then bent down, undoing his own boots. He pulled them, and his socks, off and stepped up beside her.

She smiled and looped her arm in his, looking up and around at the plateau around them. The Temple of Time stood, still as broken and dilapidated as before. He saw a shadow pass over her face.

"There is so much to rebuild," she said. "So much that was lost."

There had once been a small town atop the Great Plateau. It had mostly been priests and their families, from what Link could remember. Children had once played on this street. Now only ruins and memories remained.

"It'll be rebuilt. I think Impa's already started planning for it."

She looked ahead quietly for a time. "Impa… It will be good to see her, Purah, and Robbie again. I didn't spend a lot of time watching them. Early on, I didn't truly know _how_ to see out of the castle, and I had to devote so much of my energy to quelling Ganon…"

After a long moment, she smiled. "But that is in the past."

"And now we can start looking to the future. Without Ganon."

"The future without Ganon…" Zelda spoke as if it were a foreign concept to her. "How strange to think about. For all my life, my only future _was_ Ganon."

"Not true. I _distinctly_ remember us talking about how I was going to receive some kind of special title for defeating him."

She snorted softly. "I don't know if that counts. I was just flirting."

"I hadn't noticed," he said, somewhat dryly.

"Knowing you, you probably _didn't_. You were clueless."

"I wasn't _completely_ clueless. I knew… something. At least, I thought I did. That's probably why I…" He trailed off. Perhaps he shouldn't bring that up. That night had been painful for both of them, and it only got worse from there.

Zelda clearly knew what he had been about to mention. She looked up at him quietly for a few moments. "I wanted to tell you then. Hearing you tell me that you loved me was…" She shivered slightly. "It was wonderful, but it was also probably the worst possible thing you could have said to me at that moment."

"Oh."

She laughed. "That isn't _your_ fault. It was me. I had just… Hylia showed me something when I was praying that day. I didn't understand it, though. Do you…" She tapped his forearm with one of her fingers. "Do you remember when I told you of my dream of us? On the back of the birds?"

He nodded, though he was surprised that _she_ still remembered that. One hundred years was a long time to remember a dream. He couldn't recall any of his own dreams from that period of time, even with his memories back.

"I saw it again while praying. And other things. I thought… Well, I thought Hylia was telling me that I had to give up my own feelings for you. I thought she was telling me that our relationship stood in the way of awakening my power."

" _Oh_." Link's eyes widened, and suddenly everything made that much more sense. Zelda's refusal, her frustration, her suggestions that he would be happy elsewhere, and even her attempts to push him away. "That… puts some things into perspective."

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for the pain I know it must have caused you. I wanted so badly to—" She stopped, her cheeks growing red.

Link's smile grew sly, and he tried to ignore the sudden heat he felt along the back of his neck. "You wanted to what?"

She refused to meet his eyes. " _Anyway_ , if you had told me of your feelings even a day before, I would have told you plainly that I returned them. I almost told you myself after we separated from the Champions at the foot of the mountain. I was impatient with you for waiting so long. And… I was scared. It would have been a bright spot in a dark time for me."

"But after your prayer, it was like dangling meat in front of a starving man trapped in a cage."

She pressed her lips together. "I don't know that I would have called myself _starving_."

"I don't know… You kissed me like—" He stopped as she playfully elbowed him in the gut. "Sorry. I'm probably making too many jokes."

She shook her head. "No, I'm glad you are. You… laugh more now than you used to."

"I used to laugh with _you_."

She hummed softly in response and looked up towards the Temple of Time. There was silence until, finally, she broke it. "I was wrong about what Hylia was trying to show me. In fact, I'm not even sure she was showing me the two of _us_ on the bird. I think she was showing me _her_ previous self. The first Zelda, the Goddess reborn. And her very own Link. They were in love."

"He was named Link?"

"I don't actually know," she said, thoughtfully. "That's how I think of him. You and he look very much alike. Either way, Zelda and the hero of that time were in love with each other, and that love is what ultimately helped them through the many trials they faced. That's what Hylia was trying to tell me."

"That it was all right to love?"

"That it was all right to accept how I was _feeling_. I spent so much energy denying parts of myself. My scientific nature, my dislike of prayers and silly rituals, my regrets, my… resentment." She sighed softly and looked up, meeting his eyes. "She was telling me that I was free to love. To feel."

Link frowned slightly. "And you're saying that would have brought on your powers? If you had told me your feelings?"

"I… don't know. Maybe? When my powers awakened, I am certain it was because I acknowledged my love and desire to keep you safe from harm. It is possible that if I hadn't misunderstood, perhaps on that mountain—"

"It wouldn't have changed anything."

"What?"

"It wouldn't have changed anything, Zelda. Maybe your powers would have awakened, but Ganon still laid its traps well. It still would have attacked while we were away. It still would have killed the Champions. The Guardians… Maybe we could have beaten it then, but the damage would have been done, either way. And I don't know that we _could_ have beaten it. Not in the state we were in."

He could still remember seeing the Master Sword fail. Seeing Castle Town destroyed had broken him. He'd all but given up by the end. Would that have changed if Zelda had her power? He doubted it.

"Yes… perhaps you are right. There is no way of knowing any longer, though. Either way, I regret my decision that night. The pain I caused you—and myself… I'd change it, if I could."

Link squeezed her arm tightly, and she leaned into him. Her eyes were drawn away from the Temple of Time and the ruins before it, and they traveled, instead, up the hill to its right.

She began to walk, and Link went with her. They climbed the path, remaining in the grass, rather than walking on the cobblestones. As they did, Link found himself remembering his first day after awakening. Seeing bokoblins for the first time and discovering his combat prowess.

"I was so confused when I woke," he said, speaking softly.

"I'm sure you were. I can only imagine what possessed you to actually _listen_ to the disembodied woman speaking to you."

"Well, you sounded pretty, for one."

"I _sounded_ pretty?"

"I'm fond of your accent."

She gave him a flat look. "Really. You decided to save the land because of my _accent_."

"It certainly didn't _hurt_." He smiled fondly. "I could… remember, in a way. Even though I didn't know anything, I could feel… _something_. Something in me recognized you. Does that make sense?"

"More than you know." Her expression grew distant and somber.

He frowned but didn't push her. She would tell him when she was ready. And, indeed, a minute later, she took a deep breath.

"There are… large periods of time over the last one hundred years that I lost myself." She spoke softly, not looking at him. "I forgot who I was, where I was, where I'd been… During those times, all I could remember was that I had to wait. I had to _hold on_ and wait. Someone would come."

"I…"

She cleared her throat, blinking rapidly, and looked up at him. "And you did."

"I wish I'd been there sooner."

"That isn't your fault. You needed to heal. The moment you woke, you started actively working to defeat Ganon. In all my wildest dreams, I never imagined you would be able to do everything so quickly. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. If I had—"

"Zelda—"

"No, let me finish. If I had stepped out earlier, perhaps you wouldn't have been so injured. I waited until you were nearly dead to finally _do_ something." She looked away from him. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself for that."

Link stopped walking and pulled her to a stop as well. He reached up and cupped her chin, gently turning her face towards him. "You were _everything_ that you were supposed to be."

Her cheeks reddened, and he saw tears forming in her eyes. "That's… That is _not_ fair. You can't just _repeat_ that and expect it to have the same effect as a hundred years ago."

He smiled and, deciding that the moment called for it, leaned down to kiss her. She appeared to agree. He dropped his boots and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off of the ground, their lips never parting.

Goddess, it felt good. It was the best feeling that he'd ever known, past or present.

"Hmm… I wonder what Impa will say," Link wondered when he finally set her back down onto the grass. "She scolded me once for speaking of you so familiarly… But, then again…" He trailed off.

"What?"

"Did you know that Purah was placing _bets_ on us?"

"Oh, yes. I _did_ hear about that. She told me." She turned away from him and began to walk again. He quickly picked up his boots again and followed.

"And you _let_ her?"

"Of course not. I told her to mind her own business." She looked back at him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Which, naturally, only caused her to make even _more_ outrageous claims."

"Like how you were going to _intentionally_ try to find a way to see me without clothes on."

Zelda's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of horror. " _No_."

"And she claims to have won that bet since you were watching me on my journey."

Her cheeks immediately reddened, and she looked away, her expression carefully controlled. "Oh, please. At that time, I was the embodiment of Hylia's power. I feel that hardly counts."

"I'm not so sure," he said, grinning. "And neither is she."

"Well… it's only fair after that time at—"

"That _wasn't_ on purpose!"

"I'm sure."

Link laughed and reached out, taking her hand. She smiled up at him, but then it faded some as she looked past him. A small rock ledge formed an overhang, protecting the ashy remnants of an old campfire still remained underneath it.

"I condemned my father to a life as lonely as my own," she said.

"He knew it would be worth it, in the end." He squeezed her hand. "And… he seemed happy, for what it's worth."

"Perhaps."

They continued up the hill, and finally came to the top, and the cave opening that led into the Shrine of Resurrection. The day's light did not reach far into the cave, and Link could see nothing of the Sheikah doors within.

Zelda made no move to enter immediately but simply stared into its depths. Finally, she said, "I always feared that, one day, we would have to put this to use."

He didn't say anything. He felt odd being back here and looking into the place that he'd awoken from. It had been some time since he truly thought of those first few minutes of his new life. The memories weren't _bad_. Not really. More confusing than anything else, and the fact that he had all of his memories now made them feel almost… dreamlike. He could remember _not_ remembering, even though he now remembered everything.

It was a strange sensation.

Zelda stepped forward, slowly making her way into the cave, and Link walked beside her. They made their way down into the entrance cavern, where the Sheikah door now stood open, and then into the second room, where clothing had been left for Link. And then, finally, into the chamber of resurrection, itself.

She reached out, placing a finger against the contraption that had saved Link's life. It was empty and dry now, but he could remember the pool of bright blue liquid. He could remember opening his eyes, nearly blinded by the light, though now it seemed dim compared to the sun outside.

"I wonder…" She stepped slowly around the device. "I wonder if they knew. I once wondered at the fact that injuries could be so bad as to require this, but… this is the only one, as far as I know."

She paused and turned, looking at the wall. At the constellation patterns that adorned it. "Was this built for you, alone?"

"I don't know. Perhaps it was never meant to be used."

She looked back at him, eyebrows raised. "What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "Maybe it was only ever meant as a last resort. I slept in here for a hundred years _and_ lost my memory. It worked out for us, in the end, but it seems… desperate."

She turned, placing a finger on the rim of the pool. She tapped it thoughtfully. "Yet it _did_ work out for us. Arguably perfectly so. I had just enough power to hold Ganon for just long enough for _you_ to wake and free the Divine Beasts. Doesn't that strike you as conspicuous?"

He hesitated. Put _that_ way, it seemed far too perfect. Almost…

"Do you think it was planned to happen that way? By who? Hylia?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, not… planned. But I think the ancient Sheikah knew. Somehow, they _knew_ that you would fall and be placed in here. They _knew_ that you would eventually reactivate the towers."

"And they eventually knew that I would visit the shrines."

"Mm…"

"That's probably why there's always an ancient Sheikah waiting for me at the end of them."

" _What_?" She whirled to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"There's… You didn't know?"

"Know what? I was never able to watch you in the shrines. I couldn't… see inside of them. I was never able to figure out why."

Link's eyes widened. " _Oh_. There are… trials within. And each one has a Sheikah at the end, waiting to… well, congratulate me, I guess. They're old and fade away right after speaking to me."

Zelda's fingers twitched, and she turned, walking for the exit. Link quickly followed after her.

"This… this could change _everything_. If there was a way to speak to them, to try to gain some understanding of how they knew all of this… We could start preparing _now_ for the next time Ganon rises, just like they did."

"The _next_ time?"

"Not during our lifetime, I'm sure. Hopefully not for another ten thousand years. But I'm sure it will eventually return. It is… bound." She glanced back towards him. "As bound as we are."

Link followed her out of the shrine and into the bright sunlight. She already started pacing in the grass outside, a finger tapping her chin. Her forehead had a crease in it that only appeared when she was thinking hard about something.

It brought a smile to his face. " _Now_ you are theorizing."

She paused and glanced up at him. "Well, yes. Do you… think we could visit a shrine? One that you haven't activated yet?"

"Now?"

For a brief moment, it looked as though she was going to say yes, but then she hesitated and shook her head. "No. No, we couldn't do it now…" She turned and began to walk up to the very cliff that Link had approached upon first emerging from the shrine. "There's likely too much to do…"

He frowned and walked after her, reaching the top and looking out over the land. Even in the middle of summer, Hyrule still appeared lush and green. Beautiful, with its mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, fields of grass and thick forests.

She sat down in the grass and just looked out at it all. Link sat as well, though his eyes were drawn to her. "Zelda?"

"I… genuinely don't know the first thing about running a kingdom, much less rebuilding one."

He was taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation. How had they arrived here so abruptly? _Likely something she's been avoiding thinking about_. And he had too, if he admitted it to himself.

"I'm… sure that you have more knowledge than anyone else," he said, carefully.

"Do I?" She looked at him. "My whole life was spent devoted to _one_ thing." She held up a hand, and it began to glow with soft, golden light. "Understanding how to control this power. And when I wasn't praying or fretting over this, I was studying the ancient Sheikah. I received _some_ lessons, of course, but it was always assumed that… either I would succeed and learn after or there would be no kingdom to rule, anyway. No one expected _both_ to end up true."

"That's not your fault."

She shook her head. "Yes, it is. I could have devoted more of my own studies to governance. I _should_ have. Taxation and ruling bodies and courts and…" She sighed. "I always assumed I would have more time. Or that there would be wise advisers around to help me."

"Impa's still alive. She used to be an adviser, wasn't she?"

Zelda smiled a little sadly. "Yes, but she was the adviser to the king on the Sheikah people, as well as the chief historian. Her areas of expertise were not in ruling a kingdom. That's not to say that she couldn't provide valuable insight, but there is much more to a kingdom than its history."

"And… does there _need_ to be a kingdom?"

She hesitated, biting her lip, and then looked away. "I don't know. The Hylians, they… they need something. They _deserve_ something. A ruler doesn't exist to create laws or maintain order. A ruler is there for a sole purpose—to serve his or her people. To protect them. To cultivate them. To help them grow." She laughed softly. "That was from one of my lessons."

Link felt a twinge of regret at the words. They made it sound as though she, indeed, planned to become queen. And if so… what would he do? Certainly, he would not leave her side. He would marry her, if he could. But… was he comfortable with the thought of becoming _king_?

"Either way, the rebuilding of the kingdom is… It's a task that I don't have any idea how to accomplish. It's been a hundred years. That is a long time for people to forget that they were once governed by royalty and nobility."

"I don't know, Zelda. I… think the other races are willing to help." He paused. "Well, I kind of bullied them into it." She flashed him a slight smile. "But I don't know if any of them would be willing to… join with the kingdom again."

"No, I'm sure they wouldn't. They are used to ruling themselves, and each of them have their own leadership. Really, it's just the Hylians that don't have any sort of central authority… And they are also the weakest and most scattered of them all."

She sighed and leaned into him. Link placed an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. "Would I be selfish if I admitted that… I _didn't_ want to be queen?" she asked, voice growing even softer.

"No," Link said, firmly. "No, you've done all that could ever be expected of you."

Zelda didn't respond to that but simply rested her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes of silence, Link had an idea and reached down to his waist, removing the Sheikah Slate. He held it out for her.

She turned her head to look at him. "What?"

"It's yours."

"No… it was never meant to be mine. That was always meant to be used by the hero."

"And so, it was. Useful, too. But now, it's yours. Go on."

She hesitated, looking uncertain, and then she looked back down at it. Finally, she took it from him and turned on its screen. She looked quietly at the colorful icons that spread across it.

"I wouldn't press the blue one," Link said, quickly.

Zelda shook with soft laughter. "No, I saw what happens if you detonate one of those too close…"

"It makes for an _explosive_ first impression."

She snorted. "That one was a stretch."

"I just helped defeat an ancient evil! I'm feeling a little stretched thin at the moment."

"Oh, _stop_."

He could see her smiling, and it only made him want to continue. He didn't, however, and let her look over the Sheikah Slate. She hovered her fingers over the screen's surface. Finally, she pressed the photograph gallery icon. Rows of images appeared. She looked down at them in silence for a long time.

"I'm glad to see that these all survived…" She gently brushed her fingers across the screen, occasionally opening one up to the full-screen. "You put this through a _lot_."

"Well, I've found that ancient Sheikah technology is _damned_ hard to damage."

She snorted, pausing on a photograph of Divine Beast Vah Naboris. "That's for the best. You have a habit of blowing things up."

"I thought we were done talking about that."

Zelda looked up at him and smiled. "I don't know if we'll ever be done talking about _that_. Your first interaction with a Guardian was to discover how to destroy it, remember?"

"I _was_ saving your life, you know. And I'm not sure you ever thanked me for it!"

She shifted enough that she was able to kiss him. "Well, thank you. Though, if you could refrain from blowing up my experiments in the future, I _would_ appreciate it."

"As long as they don't try to kill us, sure."

She turned her gaze back down to the Sheikah Slate and stared at the photograph of Naboris. "I think they've gone now. The Champions."

Link nodded slowly. "I think so, too. They said they would, and…" He hesitated, looking inward for a time. "I think Mipha's healing has gone, too."

"It was tied to her essence, even when she gave it to you. If she has passed on…"

Link pulled Zelda closer, resting his cheek on her head. "At least, they're at peace now."

"Yes." She flipped through the photographs until she finally landed on the one of all of them. The six Champions of Hyrule. "But I will miss them."

"Me too." He inhaled deeply, finding that her scent hadn't changed, even after so long. Perhaps goddesses didn't need _baths_. "But I think we'll be all right now. I think everything will be all right."

She sighed softly. "I hope you're right, Link. I could use a little bit of peace, myself."

Link laughed and squeezed her shoulders. They remained on the grassy hill for a long time. Together, at last.


	65. Chapter Sixty-One

**This is it, my dear readers! The last _chapter_. Granted, I say that while knowing that I have the equivalent of two epilogues still waiting to be posted, but... It feels good to be here. It seems to me that most of you agreed with me that Link and Zelda needed a chance to have some time to themselves in the last chapter, which was a delight to write (and read your reactions!). Now, however, comes the hard part. Taking the next step. I won't say anything else, lest I spoil what I have for you in this one! I will, however, respond to a few more comments!**

 **Lostbasin: Starting with you! Wow, I love getting comments like this! Thanks so much for the in-depth review of the story. It's humbling to know you thought so highly of my writing and characterizations. You focus on Link and Zelda, and that makes me especially happy, since so much hinged on them. Especially considering Zelda is in the story so much less than Link, so I wanted to get her right. But you also mention Mipha and Paya, and that's good, because of all the side characters, they were the two I probably _worried_ most about. I wanted to write them to be so much more than Link's fanclub. I take having good, realistic female characters very seriously. Flashbacks are another area I worried about. I know some writers say that you should never use them at all, but my hands were tied there! So I tried to ensure each and every one was important to both Link and Zelda's development, as well as integral to the overall plot. _However_... now I'm going to go crazy wishing I knew where I did things like missed words! I try very hard to catch those! But, really, thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed the story so much!**

 **Abigail: Just like with the last response, I'm glad you enjoyed Link's character so much! I'm very happy with how he turned out. I tried making him a very complex person, full of contradictions, insecurities, strengths, and weaknesses, just like we all have. And you're definitely right. This turned out to be a romance. :P I tried to downplay it some at first (though I did eventually change my story's genre to include it as I started getting into Part Three). Also, Aryll in this story is really more a namesake than actually meant to be the same Aryll from Wind Waker. I'm really just terrible with names and gave her that name as a placeholder at first... but then it just stuck, and I decided to lean into it some with the ship's captain business.**

 **OnePunchFan8: Man, writing a rivalry is harder than I thought it would be... Link and Revali were probably the most difficult relationship for me to write! I never wanted them to become outright friends, but I also thought that they would come off as flat if they just went on hating each other. Even in the game, Revali grudgingly accepts Link in the end!**

 **Klynnw: My son is almost four now, and I'm so looking forward to getting started with him on Zelda games. We're planning on a playthrough of Mario Odyssey soon, but I think I'm going to take him through Breath of the Wild after that.**

 **iCards: Fluff! Yes, I suppose the last chapter could be classified as fluffy... Link and Zelda deserved a good fluffy chapter! And, yeah, I thought it would be funny if Zelda ended up not being able to see the inside of the shrines. It really probably did drive her crazy! As for whether or not they're working... well, we may see that later.**

 **Now, before I say anything else, there is _one_ little snag I want to warn you all about! The next "chapter", which I'll just tell you is one final Side Quests chapter, is still in need of revisions and additions! I am going to _try_ to get it all done today, but the world has been conspiring against me lately. So there is a possibility that it may not get posted as early as my others have been. I intend to get it done in time, but I also won't post it until I'm completely satisfied that I have told all the stories that I wish to tell!**

 **That being said, please read, enjoy, and do let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-One**

Zelda couldn't ever remember feeling so… _safe_. Though, perhaps safe wasn't the right word. She'd always felt _safe_ in Link's presence. At least, since their run-in with the Yiga in the desert. But she also didn't think it was contentment. She _wished_ it was, though. But even though she was happy, her heart full of love for this man who had put himself through so much for her, there was still a part of her that worried. That feared. That _dreaded_. So, what was it? What did she feel?

 _Hope_. That was it. That was the unfamiliar, alien feeling that she experienced while sitting atop that hill with him. She felt hope burgeoning within her in a way that it never had before. She felt like a drowning woman coming up for air. There was pain, yes, but there was _hope_ in her life now. She could live without having to fear Ganon's impending rise. She would never have to hear his accursed voice in her head again. Never have to feel his power touching hers, tainting hers. Never again have to be _hurt_ by him.

The thoughts and emotions nearly overwhelmed her, but she closed her eyes tightly, pushing such things down. She would not cry. Not right now.

Link had dozed off, head leaning against hers. She could feel his rhythmic breaths playing across her hair. She could smell him, too. The familiar scent of grass, sweat, and _horse_ that she'd grown so fond of during their travels. Even after so long, he still smelled the same. That was a greater comfort than she thought she would ever be able to admit to him. But, even after so long, after his memory loss, after his trials… Link was still her Link. Oh, there were differences, she knew. Just as she wasn't the same as she'd once been…

Zelda suppressed a shiver. She'd been mad, once. More than once. She could remember it. The madness that set in after decades spent in the presence of a creature that was, likewise, quite mad. She'd hated Ganon more than anything, but there were times that she'd loved it, too. She could remember it like a dream. Like a nightmare.

 _But not anymore_ , she told herself. _That is all over. Now there is just me and Link._ _And an entire kingdom_.

She sighed softly, closing her eyes. She understood her duty. She understood what she _should_ do. Yet… she didn't want it. It was the truth. _She didn't want to be queen_. She wanted to live a simple life with Link. They could travel together, sleeping under the stars. She could find new things to study. He could enjoy the wild that he loved so much. Or they could live at his little house in Hateno Village. Would that be so bad? Would it be so _wrong_?

Was she being selfish?

Didn't she have the right to be? Hadn't she sacrificed enough?

And what of Link? She knew that he didn't want to be king. She'd witnessed some of his conversations with Kass, of course, but she also knew _him_. She knew his heart. He had the potential to be a wonderful king—she truly believed that—but he would hate it. He would hate the politicking, the lack of freedom, the burden… He would hate it as much as she had. But Zelda also knew that he would do it, for her. He'd always done so much for her.

But didn't _he_ deserve the right to choose? He'd once told her that he loved being by her side—that was all he wanted. She wasn't sure if she believed him then, but she did now. Yet… would that remain, if it meant giving up _this_?

The sun warmed her skin as she glanced around. Birds called from nearby trees. She could overhear water flowing somewhere nearby—likely beneath the cliff. Somewhere, she heard a woodpecker tapping away at a tree. Insects chirped. A gentle breeze swished through grasses and leaves.

Oh, how she loved this, too.

She closed her eyes and just listened for a time. She just… listened. She listened to the sounds of nature and Link's slow, steady breathing. And then she heard… a voice. A quiet voice at the edge of her mind. She'd heard it before.

 _Thank you,_ it said. _Thank you for helping my master._

Her eyes shot open. The Master Sword. She'd only heard it once before, in that awful moment when she wept over Link's dying form, his head in her lap. That day, it had told her to save Link. It hadn't told her of the Shrine of Resurrection—she already knew of that. But it had told her that Link could hold on. He was strong enough to hold on. That he could be saved.

"You… you can still speak to me." She spoke in the barest whisper, so as not to wake Link. She received a quiet acknowledgement, not in words, but in the sense of almost-words.

 _Your power._

She understood. She could hear the Master Sword, not because of a bond with it, as the legends spoke of the Hero having with it, but because of her power. The power that made the Master Sword and the power within her were related.

Zelda wanted to ask questions of the sword. She thought that she should have many, yet at that moment, she couldn't think of a single one. Finally, she whispered, "Thank you for keeping him safe."

The sword gave her another silent acknowledgement and then fell silent. Zelda exhaled slowly and closed her own eyes. And soon, she too fell asleep.

* * *

She awoke sometime later. For a moment, she was confused. Hyrule stretched out before her, beautiful and alive. But her perspective was wrong. Why could she see the castle? Why was she facing the field from this direction? Why—

Zelda inhaled sharply, eyes widening. She felt Link, squeezing her more tightly around the shoulder. He was there. _She_ was there. And Ganon was gone.

"You all right?" Link asked, voice laced with concern.

Yes. _Yes_. She was all right, she was…

 _Ganon is gone_. The thought rang out in her head. She knew it. Conceptually, she _knew_ it. But did she understand it? The madness. The hatred. The destruction. The death. It was all gone.

"Zelda? What is it?"

The Malice was gone. That presence that left her feeling so cold for so long. The pain that had attacked her again and again and again. The despair. The anguish. The hopelessness.

She felt something powerful building within her, and she tried to stop it. She quickly shook her head, opening her mouth to speak. "I—I'm…" Her voice choked. _No, stop. Not this. I have to be…_

What? What did she have to be now? She was free.

"Zel…"

At once, everything crashed down on her. She was _free_. Ganon was _gone_. And everything they fought for had come to pass. The deaths had not been in vain. The torture had been for a purpose. The land would heal.

She broke.

Link's arms encircled her, just as they had upon Mount Lanayru so many years ago, holding her close as she wept. She turned to him, clutching his tunic and pressing her face to his shoulder. It was all she could do.

She could hear him whispering words of comfort. She could feel his lips upon her head. But she could feel him trembling, too. He understood what she was feeling better than anyone else ever would.

She clung to Link, sobbing and releasing the emotions that she'd previously kept locked away. Anger. Hate. Sorrow. _Grief_. Grief for a life that could have been. Grief for friends and family long gone. Grief for friends lost so recently. Urbosa. Mipha. Daruk. Revali. She would never see or speak with them again. And relief. Relief the Calamity had ended.

Eventually, she heard and felt him crying, too. His cries were softer than hers, more reserved, yet that simple expression of emotion—his willingness to share it with her—seemed more intimate than a thousand kisses. It only made her cling to him more desperately.

In time, they both settled. Her cries became whimpers, her breaths coming in hitching gasps. She pulled away from him enough to be able to look at him. Somehow, she had ended up in his lap again—also just like on the mountain. It… brought forth a spark of mirth that made her give a watery laugh, which only seemed to confuse him.

"I'm… I'm _sorry_ , I just… It all—"

"I know." He cupped her cheek, smiling, though his dirty cheeks were streaked by tears. "It's overwhelming."

"It's _over_."

"I… yeah. It's over, Zelda." He paused and then brightened even further. "We did it."

"We… we really did, didn't we?"

He wiped her cheek with his thumb and nodded. "You'll never have to go through anything like that again."

She sniffed and reached up, using her the heels of her palms to wipe her eyes. "How… how long have you been awake?"

"About an hour."

"You could have woken me..."

He shrugged. And then he kissed her. She could certainly get used to his newfound confidence. _Of course, he_ was _the first to admit his feelings._ And then it occurred to her that she was still on his lap. What would Impa say if she saw them now? Or worse, what would _Purah_ say?

When Link finally pulled away, his expression remained warm and content. "You could have woken me first. Apparently, we were both tired."

"I wonder why," she said, sniffling.

Link's eyes twinkled with mirth. "Romance is exhausting."

She rolled her eyes. "That just makes it sound like…" She trailed off. "Oh, never _mind_."

He laughed, though she noticed a flush appearing on his cheeks. She felt it on her own, as well. Their position was potentially quite compromising, after all. Yet neither of them made a move to change it. _He's gotten so much more… open. Bold._ She liked it. He just seemed so much freer now. Unshackled.

Could she truly put shackles on him once again?

"I guess we should eventually… go back," she finally said.

Link's smile faded some, but after a moment, he nodded. "Yeah. There are a few people that have been waiting a long time to be able to see you again. Though we can make them wait as long as you want."

"Hmm… very tempting. But perhaps I have made them wait long enough."

He searched her eyes for a moment and then nodded. She eased herself off of his lap, wincing at the stiffness in her muscles from their position. How long had it been since she felt sore? Then again, how long had it been since she _slept_?

Link stood, groaning softly and placing hands against his back, stretching. Then he reached down and pulled Zelda to her feet. The grass tickled the bottoms of her feet pleasantly, and she wiggled her toes, enjoying the feeling. Smiling, she slipped her feet into her sandals and bent to do up their straps. She would need to get some new clothes. Proper boots.

"You just need to open up the map and select the location you want to travel to," Link said, nodding towards the Sheikah Slate, which hung from the belt wrapped around her torso.

"Oh, I'm sure I can figure it out," she said, as-a-matter-of-factly. She removed the Sheikah Slate and opened it up, eyeing the new icons. _So_ many things that she wanted to experiment with. What were the limits of the Stasis Rune? How heavy an object could Magnesis lift? Could she test the explosive force created by the bombs? And she was positive that there was more possible with the Cryonis Rune that Link had never used. But, no. Experimentation would have to come later. For now, she opened up the map.

She found the pair of villages and glanced up towards Link. "Where do you think we should go?"

He considered. Finally, he said, "Hateno Village. I think that's where they would have gone. Assuming they're back already."

* * *

The two of them appeared on the hill overlooking Hateno Village. Zelda looked around with a smile, taking in the sight of the laboratory, the telescope, the pieces of Guardians, and even the strange sign atop the lab that looked like Purah's goggles. "She's never going to change."

"Now that she's discovered how to change her age at will?" Link asked. "No. Definitely not."

That gave Zelda pause. Purah could, essentially, be immortal. In fact, if she were to make that technology available to others, _anyone_ could be. Her mind began to race with the possibilities, both good and bad. Certain illnesses could go extinct, as the elderly were more susceptible to them. It could be a fantastic tool for healing, too—again due to youthful bodies recovering from sickness and injury quicker than elders. But other things could become an issue. Overpopulation. Hunger. Homelessness.

And what if it became something only the rich could afford? The upper crust of Hyrulean society could become filled with selfish immortals while the poor lived and died. Zelda knew how Purah could be a bit… greedy, at times.

"You're theorizing again," Link suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm just…" Zelda paused. "Speculating."

"There's a difference?"

"Yes."

The door to the lab slammed open, and Zelda's attention was brought back to the present. Purah stood in the doorway, looking… exactly the same as she had one hundred years prior, with the exception of the maroon streak of color in her hair. Even down to her choice of clothing. Even knowing what to expect, it caught Zelda off guard. For a moment, she was transported back to the past. Before everything went wrong.

" _Zelda_!" Purah cried and rushed forward.

Feeling tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Zelda hurried forward and embraced her old friend. Purah hugged her tightly and laughed. She laughed too, and the two of them rocked back and forth.

"It's about snapping _time_ you decided to show up again," Purah said, voice thick with emotion. "Do you know how bored I've been, surrounded by _dolts_ all the time?"

"Oh, I'm sure you've made do… Don't forget—there was a time that I wasn't much more knowledgeable than the common person, either."

Purah scoffed. "You were always sharper than _anyone_ I've met since the Calamity. And don't even get me _started_ on Linky over there. He was _hopeless_ without you around." She heard Link make a derisive grunt. "Always two steps behind on everything. Could have solved the Guardian problem even quicker if he'd just—"

" _Princess.._."

Zelda looked up and saw Impa standing in the doorway, her granddaughter, Paya, just behind her. In a way, seeing Impa was even more of a shock than Purah. The Sheikah woman looked so aged now. Paya, in the meantime, could have been Impa's younger twin, though she was a little bit taller than Impa had ever been.

"Impa!" She disengaged from Purah and hurried to the woman, hugging her tightly. "Oh, it's so good to see you all. It's… I'm just so happy you're here."

"I wasn't about to up and die before seeing you again," Impa said, clutching at Zelda's dress. "I'm so _proud_ of you."

She felt emotions welling up in her again. A mixture of joy and shame that threatened to overwhelm her. Her friends had not led easy lives following the Calamity. In a way, each of them had been instrumental in keeping the pockets of Sheikah and Hylian society together, but none more than Impa.

"Thank you… Thank you for everything you did to see this day finally arrive," Zelda said.

She pulled away, smiling tearfully at the old woman. Then she saw Robbie standing just behind her, and her emotional turmoil only grew stronger again. He, too, looked old, though not quite as wrinkled or bowed as Impa was. His eyes still held a certain youthfulness—perhaps due to his marriage to the much younger Jerrin.

"I _knew_ we'd meet again," Robbie said, grinning.

Zelda embraced him tightly, as she had the others. "Thank _you_. I don't know if we could have done it without you."

"Nonsense," Robbie said, returning her embrace. "You would have figured it out, in the end. You and Link both."

She shook her head. "No, you—you _all_ —came through for us. Thank you—for taking care of Link." She sniffled and looked up, gazing around at the three Sheikah. "You all waited so long for him to wake. I can't even begin to imagine the sacrifices you made—"

"It's all over now," Impa said. She reached up, dabbing at her eyes with a cloth. "You were both successful. You—" She paused, turning. "Link, get _over_ here."

He walked over, looking sheepish. He'd been giving her space for reunions, it would seem. But now that he approached, he quickly went to stand by Zelda's side.

Impa gave each of them a warm smile. "You both _saved_ us. You saved us all. I—" She choked on her words, and Paya took her hand, patting it with one of her own. When the older woman composed herself again, she continued. "I was so worried when that thing—oh, but to see you both here now—"

Link moved forward, to Zelda's surprise, and hugged Impa. The Sheikah quickly returned his hug. "Thanks for your help," he said, softly. A moment later, he added, "And I ruined another tunic. Sorry."

Impa laughed, pushing him away and dabbing at her eyes once again. "It's a good thing I had a few more made, then. And—" She looked at Zelda. "I'm sure you are eager to get out of that dress."

"Oh yes, I am. And then I would like to light this dress on fire."

"Well, come." Impa moved past Link and Zelda, towards the lab. "We assumed you might show up here eventually, considering Link's—well. We thought you might come here."

"Click, snap, that's right! Where did you two go, _hmm_?" Purah asked, looking at them slyly.

Zelda lifted her chin. " _That_ is hardly any of your business, Purah." She felt her cheeks growing warm, however, and it was hard to keep a straight face.

Purah cackled. "I think Robbie is going to owe me some more rupees! The question is whether or not _Paya_ will…"

Link groaned softly.

"I-I did _not_ bet anything with her!" Paya said, her voice suddenly rising to near-panicked levels. She stared at Link with wide eyes, face turning a furious red.

"Oh, yes, you did! You and I bet that they—"

"I never accepted that bet!"

Zelda waved her hand, feeling the heat rising to the tips of her ears. "Let's drop this, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's," Link said, grabbing Zelda's hand and pulling her into the lab before Purah could go any further towards embarrassing them.

Purah laughed merrily behind them.

They all filed back into the lab, where Zelda saw a few others that she recognized only due to Link's proximity to them during his journey. Symin, Purah's assistant. Jerrin, Robbie's wife, and their son, Granté, who stepped forward, shaking Link's hand and grinning.

She smiled at each of them, but they were strangers to her. She probably should have greeted them more properly, but her attention was drawn to several other details. First of all was the lab itself. So messy, so… _Purah_. She had never been able to make sense of Purah's methods of organization, though it certainly worked for her Sheikah friend.

Secondly, she noticed the sweet, welcoming scent of tea. Her mouth immediately began to water. There, on the table, was the kettle, and several mugs around it. Symin must have noticed her expression, because he stepped forward, pouring the amber liquid into a porcelain mug.

"Princess?" he asked, turning towards her and holding it out to her. "Would you like some tea?"

Zelda eagerly took it from him. "Yes, thank you. Symin, was it?"

He smiled, nodding graciously. "It is an honor to meet you. Director Purah spoke of you often."

She lifted the cup to her lips, inhaling the fragrant smell, and then took a sip. The flavor was… well, how did one even describe the sensation of taste after a lifetime without? It brought back memories and feelings of comfort, friendship, and cool autumn days spent studying in her tower or with the Sheikah at the Royal lab. It filled her with warmth, and she smiled with contentment.

And, for a time after, she remained in that place of bliss and peace. They sat at the table, sipped tea, and spoke of happier times. They laughed over some of the things that Link had done during his journey, and Purah mercilessly teased him, which he bore with the same quiet steadfastness he always had. She could tell in his expression, though, that it didn't bother him like it once had. He even occasionally traded jabs with her, poking fun at her de-aging experiments. His relationship with her had changed, too. As had his friendship with Robbie, and even the other Sheikah in the room.

Link had become a part of this group. Even more, in a way, than Zelda was. They'd worked together to secure this victory. Each of them had contributed—even the youngest members, such as Paya and Granté. He had worked very hard helping Robbie finish off the armor used in the battle against Ganon.

Of course, then they began to discuss Link's battle with Ganon. He, being how he was, told the story in a frustratingly humble manner. She filled in areas that he left out, however. His tale would be told accurately, if she had anything to say about it.

But, eventually, they came to the subject that Zelda knew they would. The future.

"Princess," Impa said, looking across at her from the table. "I know that this may not be the best time to discuss this. But I do think that we should consider where the kingdom of Hyrule must go from here, and the role that you will play in its re-founding."

Zelda grew still, and Link sat up straighter beside her. A tense anticipation filled the room, though she may have imagined it.

"It will be… difficult, I fear." Impa frowned, looking down at her cup of tea. "I do not know of any Hylians alive that still remember being a part of a kingdom, though many have heard of the kingdom from parents and grandparents."

"I don't think it'll be too hard," Purah said, that sly smile appearing on her lips again. "We just need to tell everyone that Link will be king. From what I've heard from the villagers, they're pretty much ready to put a crown on him, already."

"It's not that simple," Impa said, giving her sister a stern look. "Princess Zelda is the heir to the throne of Hyrule, and it is _her_ bloodline that should be established as such." She glanced across the table towards them. " _If_ you two were to marry, I am sure that the union would lend strength to your claim, but I do not think that should be the primary approach used."

 _Marriage. Union. If we marry, shouldn't it be for more than political necessity?_ Zelda frowned but gave a start when she felt Link's calloused hand grip hers under the table. She glanced towards him and found his eyes on her, expression difficult to read. But the implication was clear. He would remain by her side, no matter what.

She took a deep, steadying breath, and squeezed his hand tightly. "Impa…" She met the eyes of her old friend and advisor. This would hurt her. "I… have not yet decided if I shall take the mantle of queen."

Silence. Impa's expression registered shock.

"I understand the state that Hyrule is currently in," Zelda continued. "And I understand the duty that would be expected of me. But… I am just not certain that is what I wish to do."

There. Simple. It wasn't a decision. Not really. More of a… delay. She and Link needed to discuss this further. They needed time to decide on what they wanted for their future. She would not subjugate him to a life hemmed in by stone walls. Not without his acceptance.

And she would _not_ pursue a relationship with him based out of a political necessity.

"Princess Zelda." Impa's voice grew firmer, and Zelda could detect a touch of irritation there, though she tried to hide it. "I understand your hesitance. I do. We have no right to place this upon you after… what you endured. After what you've accomplished. But our people _need_ leadership. Without you, there _is_ no Hyrule."

"And is that so terrible?" Zelda asked. "My family has sat upon the throne since… prehistory."

"Because the Goddess, _herself_ , placed you upon that throne."

Zelda shook her head. "No. No, Impa, that's not true. Not really. In the beginning, there _was_ no kingdom. The kingdom of Hyrule grew naturally over many generations. And it has risen and fallen time and again. It was never established by Hylia, though the monarchy has always enjoyed using that to justify their rule."

"Regardless, your family has held power for so long for a _reason_. You can't deny that you have been blessed by the gods. The power that you wield—"

"Has _nothing_ to do with my ability or lack thereof to lead."

" _Princess_ —"

"Impa. Please. For now…" She exhaled slowly and smiled. "I would very much so like to just be _Zelda_. For my entire life, I have been asked to be something _other_ than myself. And I acknowledge that it was out of necessity. And for now—just… for now—I would like to be nothing more than who I am."

Impa clenched her wrinkled hands into fists, staring across the table in disbelief. Zelda did feel some regret for this—the old Sheikah had likely dreamed of this day for the last one hundred years. She was as loyal to the throne now as she was before the Calamity.

"Very well… Zelda." The older Sheikah exhaled slowly, relaxing her hands. "But you must realize that your window to claim the throne is likely very small. Now that the Calamity is finished, others _will_ look to seize power. I believe that Link's influence with the other races will keep them from doing so militantly, but even that may not last very long. The longer you wait, the less likely it will be that you will be able to even _make_ such a claim without opposition."

"And do you truly think that all of the Hylians will submit to my rule _now_?" Zelda asked. "You know as well as I do that a kingdom is _more_ than its figurehead. Will they continue to support me when I demand taxation, or when I am forced to press their young men and women into military service?"

Impa did not immediately respond, lips forming a thin line.

"How long before they start to whisper that it was _I_ who let the Calamity happen in the first place? How long before some begin to question my worthiness to the throne? That the reason their families are so small, the reason that our people barely hang on to life in this country, is because _I_ was unable to fulfill my duty in time? Because _I_ was unable to protect them?"

Her voice had risen in pitch and volume, and cheeks flushed with emotion. She felt tears in her eyes, and Link's hand gripping hers tightly.

"Zelda…" Purah said, voice taking on a consoling tone.

She closed her eyes, taking a few calming breaths. Finally, she opened them, meeting Impa's eyes. "Impa, I fear the window for me to take command of Hyrule closed one hundred years ago, when Ganon broke free and _destroyed_ my kingdom."

Impa released a soft sigh, and her expression grew compassionate. "I understand your feelings, child."

"I am _not_ a child. Not any longer."

"No," Impa said, nodding. "You're right, and I apologize. Seeing you as you are now… it brings back memories of long ago. But I should not speak to you as if our positions were the same now as they were then." She fell silent for a time, considering. "Perhaps… we should table this discussion for now. You've asked for time to decide, and you have certainly earned that right. But may I ask what you _do_ plan to do now that you've returned?"

"Truthfully?" Zelda smiled, grateful for the change of subject, and glanced towards Link. "I don't know."

"I do," Link said, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

"You… do?" she asked, confused.

He met her eyes. "Actually, I was thinking about going on a trip. There's this Sheikah Shrine on the way to Rito Village that I didn't activate yet. And since you said you wanted to see one…"

"Oh." It took Zelda a moment to understand, but when she did, her eyes widened. " _Oh!_ That… sounds like a good place to start, then."

"And when do you plan to embark on that journey?" Impa asked. Any suggestion of the frustration she felt earlier had faded, though Zelda knew that she was likely still disappointed by her indecision. That was fine. She was more than used to disappointing others.

Link shrugged. "A few days, at least. We'll need to prepare. Get Zelda a horse. New clothes. Equipment. Did… Spirit ever make it back?"

"Yeah, that Rito bard insisted I make a special trip just to grab him," Purah said, lips forming a thin line.

"Is Kass here?"

Paya shook her head. "No. He asked us to tell you that he would see you soon. He wanted to go back to tell his family the news and finish his song."

"The armies will start traveling back to their lands in the next few days," Impa said. "But many of their leaders will still wish to speak with you. In particular, these new Champions—they will need to learn how to control their Divine Beasts properly if they are to take them back to their own lands."

Zelda nodded slowly. "Perhaps…" She glanced towards Link. "Perhaps, then, we should go to Hyrule Field first, before the shrine."

He squeezed her hand firmly. "They'll want to meet you. And… well, I _did_ promise them that you would help them learn how to control the Divine Beasts."

"Of course, I'll help them," she said, feeling a thrill of excitement at the prospect. "I'd like to meet them, as well, and extend my gratitude for their help."

"Then we'll do that. Within the next day or so—there is a shrine not far from where the army camped."

Zelda paused as she felt something… new, but familiar. Another sensation that she hadn't felt in a very long time. "There… is something else I'd like to do _now_ , though."

"What's that?"

"Well, I'm… _hungry_. Could you make something?"

His lips formed an excited grin. "Yes, I can."

* * *

Link opened the door to his fireplace oven and peered in, smiling at the cucco roasting over the low flames. Immediately, its scent filled the house with a savory fragrance that made his own mouth water. He really hadn't eaten at all that day either. Had it really only been that morning when Purah woke him to help her activate the tower?

It… seemed like so long ago. Life could change so much in just a single day.

He closed the doors to the fireplace and turned, surveying his house. It was clean, if not a little barren, though he could still see the little touches left behind by the Sheikah and his other friends. He appreciated the table and the small kitchen, well-stocked with a variety of seasonings. He noticed that the house's small cellar had a number of vegetables and other foods, as well.

 _Paya probably did it all,_ he thought with a small smile. He could see her stocking him with these things while he was asleep after the battle for Hateno Village, or sometime in the two weeks that followed. Though it also could have been any number of the other grateful villagers.

Either way, it meant that he didn't have to go shopping for more than fresh meat and a few other ingredients that he suspected Zelda would like.

Zelda had remained behind, wishing to spend a little more time with the Sheikah. Link suspected that she actually just didn't feel ready to face the curious looks from the gathered people yet, and he could understand. Already, the reaction he'd received had been… unnerving. Purah hadn't been wrong. His status among the Hylians had only grown that much more.

There was a soft knock at the door, and he turned, hurrying towards it. Before he reached the door, however, it opened.

He froze.

Zelda stood in the doorway, but she no longer wore her white dress. Instead, she wore something far more familiar and comfortable. She had on the long-sleeved, white undershirt, blue blouse, and dark pants that she'd often chosen during their travels. Her hair now bore its customary braid, wrapped around her head like a crown, while the rest spilled down her back. The Sheikah Slate hung comfortably from her hip, just as it always had.

"Where did you get _that_?" Link asked, grinning broadly.

"Impa is _very_ resourceful, it seems," Zelda said, placing a hand on her hip. "We left all of our excess gear and clothing with her when we left for the castle, and she had this made based off of what I used to wear."

" _That_ explains a lot," Link said, thoughtfully. "No wonder she had my measurements down so well."

"Indeed." She met his eyes. "Do you like it?"

"It suits you."

"Thank you," she said, inclining her head and smiling. "Now, may I come in? I've never actually _seen_ your house. At least, not from… this perspective."

His eyes widened, and he backed out of the doorway to allow her to enter. She did so and looked around, her expression curious.

"It's… not much," he admitted. "My mother always preferred living more simply. Couldn't stand having servants around."

Zelda slowly walked around the room, looking up towards the rafters and running her fingers along the wooden surface of the counter, where he'd been preparing some of the food. Her eyes traced the bare walls, lingering on the fireplace oven, and then traveling up to the loft.

"I love it," she said. She inhaled deeply through her nose, sighing happily. "Oh, Link, that smells so _good_. What is that?"

Link felt a rush of delight at the compliment. He grinned and stepped over to the oven, opening one of the doors and letting more of the smell waft out. Zelda stepped up beside him, peering in, looking excited.

"I figured we would go for something simple tonight. Some herb-roasted cucco and rice. It's still got a little to cook, but it should be ready soon. And I picked up a fresh loaf of bread from town. I figured we'd eat half tonight and the other half tomorrow, for breakfast. With eggs."

"That sounds _wonderful_." She backed away from the over. "You know, I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen you cook in a kitchen."

"I didn't get many opportunities back then." He closed the over door again, so as not to let out too much of the heat.

"I imagine that you'll be able to come up with all sorts of new things for me to try."

His heart beat more quickly in his chest. He… didn't know what would come next. Would she remain here with him? Was that what she suggested? The thought that she wouldn't seemed absurd, in a way, yet could he truly assume _this_ was what she wanted? She might not want all the attention.

"Zelda… You know, we… haven't really discussed what will come next. For us."

Her cheeks grew slightly pink. "No, I suppose we haven't, have we?"

Link cleared his throat. Her expression was… expectant. He suspected that she knew what he was going to suggest. "What… do you think you'll want to do? After we visit the shrine?"

"I don't know." Zelda took a step towards him. "What do _you_ want to do? I'd think you have as much a say in it as I do now."

"I…" He hesitated. Old feelings of propriety made their suggestions. Thoughts that he should be silent. Let her decide. Let her make the first move. But… well, he'd stopped truly worrying about propriety that very first time he agreed to walk by her side. "I'd like to travel with you. I'm sure there are all kinds of things you want to study, now that you can, and I'll go with you. And when we grow tired of the road… Maybe we could return here. Or somewhere _like_ here, if the locals make us uncomfortable."

She took another step forward and reached out, taking both of his hands in her own. "Link, that sounds wonderful, but…" She chewed her lip, looking suddenly anxious. "What if… Impa _does_ raise some fair points. What if I _am_ needed for the throne? What if I become queen?"

He squeezed her hands tightly in his own. "Then… I guess I'd better figure out how to veil my insults better."

She bit her lip. "Link, if I were to become queen, then you—"

"I know." He exhaled slowly, looking up towards the rafters. "Kass warned me about this, you know. Said that some people might suggest to put _me_ on the throne."

"It will happen. Purah's right—I'm sure people are already thinking—"

"They are." Link looked down at her, smiling faintly. "I've already overheard it. The news has gotten out. I saved a princess, after all."

"I would never force you into that. You know that, don't you? I… _want_ you by my side, no matter what. But I would never force you into that life."

"You haven't _forced_ me into anything. I told you—by your side is exactly where I want to be. Whether that is here, in this old house, out in the wild, or… on a throne."

"You shouldn't base such a decision entirely on wanting to be with _me_."

"Yeah, well, I also probably shouldn't have saved Hyrule based entirely on wanting to be with you, but when Ganon was gone… It's all I could think about."

She moved forward, wrapping her arms around his torso, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I just… don't know what to do. I want to help my people. But I just… I _never_ wanted to be queen, if I'm being honest."

He hugged her against him. "I know. But maybe we _can_ help without that. Your knowledge— _our_ knowledge—of past Hyrule might be helpful. We could travel around, find any other pockets of Hylians out there. Maybe bring them together again, help rebuild… Even help get a government off the ground again, without us at its head."

She remained silent, considering. He smiled faintly and kissed the top of her head. "But… if that is the future that awaits us, I'll do it, Zelda. I would never let you face that alone."

She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath, and grew more relaxed. "Thank you."

He held her like that for a long time, resting his cheek on her head. Finally, however, he had to ask the question burning within him. He lifted his head and looked down at her. "Does this… mean that you intend on marrying me?"

Zelda looked up at him, eyes meeting his. "Are you asking me?"

He held her gaze, trying to ignore the sound of his own heartbeat drumming away in his ears. "If… it's not too soon."

She smiled. "I would hardly call waiting one hundred years too _soon_."

"To be fair, I was asleep for most of it. Though I wanted to ask you this long before that."

Her smile faded. "You're sure? This… If we are married, and I _do_ eventually take the throne…"

"I'm sure. _Would_ you marry me?"

Her expression brightened, and she leaned forward, kissing him. "Yes," she whispered, lips brushing his.

He tightened his grip around her waist, lifting her off the ground, and kissed her soundly.


	66. Side Quests IV

**I finally got this thing done! This one gave me all kinds of trouble. My original version of this was considerably smaller and had only _three_ interludes. In the last two days, I wrote the other _five_. I'm tired! But I feel much better about this now. I needed to address a few other characters that I realized needed epilogues of their own.**

 **midnaisbae: Well... an end, certainly, though there is still the epilogue to be posted tomorrow! But I agree. Link and Zelda both need a vacation to clear their heads and think things through. Regarding the futures that you speculate on-all is certainly possible. Impa certainly raised some important points. We'll see what happens...**

 **Michy21: Well, if you had five chapters to catch up on, then... you were only five days behind! Not so bad, at all. But dear Lord, I'm excited to be done with these daily postings. One more now, and then _I_ can take a little break. **

**HopefulHelpful: I've seen that Youtube video by NintendoBlackCrisis as well. He and I definitely agree on Link's own personal "Champion" ability, which seems to be canonized by Daruk's journal. I really enjoyed giving Link that ability, as it led to some pretty fun moments. Also, this is a long one to binge in four days! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **OnePunchFan8: Sidon, you say? _Hmm_... Might want to keep reading...**

 **Wraith Five: Nope, no beta. I briefly had one for the first few chapters (and he _did_ help me through some early writing rustiness!), but life ended up getting in the way after Chapter Five for him, and I haven't had one since. Everything from the editing, the continuity, the ideas-I'm quite proud to say they are all me. Also, Zelda _hates_ that dress. I can confirm that she threw it in the Ancient Oven after she got changed. Seems fitting to me.**

 **All right, folks. I hope you'll forgive me for not answering as many reviews today. There are a _lot_ of them for this chapter, and honestly? It's late and I'm very tired! Got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow and an epilogue to do another couple editing passes on! So please, by all means, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! I'll have plenty more to say tomorrow.**

* * *

 **Side Quests IV**

 **I**

 _"Listen, big guy. I don't want to scare you here, but when I'm gone… You're going to be Champion. A lot of folks are gonna be looking up to you."_

Yunobo sat curled into a ball on the deck of Divine Beast Vah Rudania, staring mutely at the control console sitting in the center of the desk. Daruk was gone. He was alone again.

He'd known it would happen. His grandfather warned him—even said good-bye to him before the start of the battle! Yet when he'd stepped aboard Rudania after the initial victory celebrations, he found it empty. Dead. The Divine Beast no longer shone with blue lights. It no longer shone at all, save for the orange control console, which he thought was shaped vaguely like a bomb flower.

Sidon had called them Champions. He'd done so before the battle, when he'd gathered the them together—Yunobo, Riju, and Teba, with Sidon, himself, making the fourth. He'd placed his hand on each of their shoulders, grinning, and speaking of victory. And then he'd spoken of the possibility of defeat, and how _each_ of them needed to be ready to take over their Divine Beasts, should something impossible happen.

He'd been worried that the monster might try to take them over again, but that never happened. No, instead, the monster just tried to destroy them all _itself_.

Yunobo shuddered, closing his eyes. He could remember the panic he'd felt when that creature burst out of the castle and crashed down to the ground in the field just outside. It had been… _horrible_. He'd wanted to run. To just curl into a ball and roll as quickly and as far as he could.

He almost had.

But then he'd seen that golden light. Then he'd seen Link. And Link hadn't run. He fought. He fought against a monster that tore apart the ground like it was splitting stones in the mine. A monster that held more destructive force than a thousand bomb flowers. A monster that had power over Death Mountain _itself_. And he'd won.

 _"You're going to be guy they come to, to keep them safe."_

How… how was Yunobo supposed to be like _that_? He could barely keep _himself_ safe! He wasn't a hero. He wasn't a _champion_. He was just…

Yunobo. Cowardly Yunobo, who just so happened to inherit a special ability from his father and grandfather before him. And now he had inherited something else.

He lowered his head to his knees and began to cry softly. He wished Daruk was still there. His grandfather never made him feel like a coward. He made Yunobo feel stronger. Able to be courageous. Just like Link had on Death Mountain and in the village. But without him—and with Link still gone wherever he'd gone off to—then Yunobo was just… weak.

 _"I know it's easy to get scared, son. I'm scared, too! And so is Link. But that's when you got to fight the hardest, because the other guy is_ just _as scared as you."_

He sniffled slightly and lifted his head, staring towards the broken towers of the castle. Had… Ganon been scared too? Had that giant, towering monster been afraid of Link? Of the armies? Of the Divine Beasts?

 _Shouldn't_ it have been? Link beat it. The Divine Beasts beat it. Even that little princess—she'd made it disappear like it was nothing. And… none of them had done it alone, had they? They'd had each other. Link, the Champions, and the princess. And… they had others, too.

Others like Sidon. Riju. Teba. Himself.

He closed his eyes and clenched his hand into a fist, pounding it down into the deck of Rudania with a dull thud. After a moment, he did it again. And again. Eventually creating a rhythm that mirrored the rhythm of his own heart.

Something happened in that moment. He didn't feel any _braver_. But he felt more determined. Just like he had when he jumped onto Rudania for the first time. Just like he had when charging the gates at Hateno Village. Just like he had when facing down that awful lynel. Just like—

He opened his eyes and saw his shield shimmering in the air around him. It was there, its colors shifting between orange and green, just like always. Protecting him. But it wasn't _his_ shield, was it? It was Daruk's. It had _always_ been Daruk's.

He stared around at the shield around him, which gave off a pale light that lit the deck around him. He… wasn't alone. Even without Daruk's spirit there to guide him, his grandfather was still with him, in a way. Still protecting him.

 _"You've got this, big guy. You're strong. And I'm proud of you."_

He took a deep breath, blowing it out heavily, and stood. His shield faded, but he knew it was still there, just waiting to be called upon. He took one look around. The three other Divine Beasts stretched out to either side, each just as dark as Rudania. He didn't know if any of the others had attempted to control theirs yet.

Clenching his hands into fists, he took a step forward. And then another. Until, finally, he stood before the orange panel. And then, steeling himself, he placed his palm against the console, just as Daruk had instructed. He focused on the slumbering giant, on the mechanical beast beneath his feet. He could feel its mind.

And then, with a flash, the panel turned blue. The deck rumbled under his feet. And Divine Beast Vah Rudania came to life, once more.

* * *

 **II**

"We should be able to start our movement back to Zora's Domain tomorrow, Prince Sidon," Seggin said, hands clasped behind his bowed back.

Sidon nodded slowly. "That's good. I'm sure my father will be eager to hear about the outcome of the battle."

"Our messengers should be arriving there soon." The old general paused. "But I am sure he will wish to hear it from you, as well."

 _And he will like to hear that his son survived the battle_ , Sidon thought, eyeing the other Zora.

Someone who had not spent the last century around Seggin likely would not have seen the tension in his posture, or the way his wrinkles appeared more pronounced. He did a marvelous job of hiding it.

"Seggin."

"Hmm?"

"You've done enough for today. Why don't you go see him?"

Seggin hesitated, lips downturned in a frown, and then he nodded. Without saying another word, the old Zora turned and made his way down from the hill and towards the triage tents, where the Zora wounded remained.

Sidon watched him walk away, and then his eyes darted towards the tent. He could make out Gaddison standing just outside of the tent flap. Rivan would take her place soon, he imagined, even though the idiot should have still been resting, himself.

Normally, they would have been gathered around him. There were, after all, part of his personal honor guard. But Sidon had forbidden them from doing so, for the time being. The battle had been won, he was in no danger, and another of their number needed their presence far more.

Bazz. Memories flashed through Sidon's mind—memories of victory over the hinox, which became horror as he watched his oldest friend fall before the Guardian's blast. The frantic battle that followed as Sidon stood over his friend's body, suddenly alone and unprotected. And then the desperate retreat from the battlefield, Bazz in his arms, barely alive.

It was miracle that he'd survived at all. The healers claimed that Sidon had saved his life with his quick action in getting him to them. Yet Sidon felt as though he didn't deserve that praise. It was his actions, after all, that had led to Bazz being hurt in the first place. His foolish gambit and desire for glory had nearly gotten his friend killed.

Sidon sighed softly and shook himself of the haunting thoughts. He shouldn't be dwelling so much on it, he knew, but the burden lingered. In the last three weeks, he'd nearly lost two of his oldest friends. And he'd lost his sister again, too.

His eyes fell on Divine Beast Vah Ruta. He hadn't yet been able to figure out how to control it. When Mipha was there and explaining things, it had all seemed so simple, but now… Well, it just did not seem to want to respond to him.

Zelda, who had arrived only the previous day with Link and immediately set about inspecting the Divine Beasts, told him that it wasn't surprising. Controlling the Divine Beasts was different for each of them, and each of the machines required a certain state of mind. And apparently, the state of mind that _he_ needed to achieve might not even be the same state of mind that Mipha needed, as if that made any sense.

Footsteps on the hill behind him alerted him to another presence, and he turned, spotting Link walking up. He smiled and nodded. "I take it your princess is off helping one the others?"

"Actually, I think Riju is forcing her to tell her stories about Urbosa, more than anything. And I was banished from their presence."

"Ah. Because you are a man?"

"I think they just did it because they knew it would get on my nerves. Riju suggested that I might be allowed to attend if I dress up again."

Sidon laughed. "Yes, she seems to enjoy that story!"

"For as secretive as they made it seem like it needed to be, she certainly seems to like spreading it around _now_."

"And I take it you will _not_ be dressing up?"

Link shook his head, lips pursed. "No. Riju's got half a dozen guards around her at all times. Zelda's safe."

They fell silent for a time before Sidon spoke again. "Have you been in to see Bazz?"

Link nodded. "I just came from there." He paused, looking at Sidon. "Gaddison said that you took his injury pretty hard."

Sidon smiled faintly. "She worries too much. I'll be all right, I just… First Rivan was hurt, then Bazz. And now that Mipha is gone again… It has put certain things in perspective for me and left me feeling… thoughtful. It seems that life is not quite as long as I used to think it was."

Link remained quiet for a few seconds. "I understand how you feel."

The two of them sat in silence for a long time. And, though nothing else was said, Sidon felt… _better_. Nothing had changed. Bazz was still recovering from his grievous injury, and his sister was still gone. But… he knew Link _did_ understand, and that helped.

Finally, he cleared his throat and patted Link on the back. "So, Link, you must tell me about this princess of yours. I wasn't aware that you and she were… romantically involved!"

Link laughed softly and nodded. "It's a recent development, though not for lack of trying a hundred years ago."

"And _this_ is what you and Kass were speaking of back in Hateno Village, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, he… I really need to find out how he knew as much as he did."

"Bards can be mysterious… In my experience, they usually know far more than they should." Sidon leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky. "Well, good. I believe Mipha would be happy for you. As am I!"

"Thanks, Sidon. Actually, that's another thing I wanted to ask you… I know the Zora will be headed back to Zora's Domain soon, but I wanted to invite you and the other Champions back to Kakariko Village…"

* * *

 **III**

The gathered wedding guests all milled about in the center of town. Many from Hateno Village had shown up, as well as quite a few people from places like New Kasuto. The bride and groom had made quite the impression on the people they came in contact with. They were well-liked, despite the relatively short time that many of the locals had known them.

But things tended to move quickly in Tarry Town, where new houses were finished almost every day, and they were filled by residents almost as quickly. The town had already spilled out past the boundaries of the rock plateau, with structures being built on the surrounding grasslands. New Kasuto was quickly becoming a ghost town, the old, dilapidated buildings abandoned for Hudson's modern, multi-story homes. And there was even talk about repurposing the Citadel, now that the Guardians had all stopped causing problems once the tower in its center had been taken by Link.

Zelda felt a little strange standing there in Tarry Town, surrounded by members of each race. How strange it was to see Gorons, Zora, Rito, Gerudo, Hylians, and even Sheikah all gathered together. Many of them were even residents of the town. Such a mixed populace was something that only Castle Town had once claimed, and even then, it hadn't been as evenly mixed as Tarry Town was.

But she supposed that it was just another incredible thing that Link had accomplished during his journey to save the land. Not only had he subdued four Divine Beasts, defeated an ancient evil, defended a town from invading monsters, broken apart a fanatical group of cultists, and freed a princess, but he'd also helped build a new town and fill it with friends from each corner of the nation.

He _would_ make an absolutely wonderful king. If they ever made that decision, anyway. Even after a month, she still wasn't sure if she was willing to commit to that. Thankfully, most people seemed able to accept it for now. No one _asked_ her to lead them, yet already new towns were being founded. The Rito weren't pleased about losing so many of their woodcutters, but the Hylians there were happy to lend their services to building new homes for their people. Hyrule was slowly waking from its slumber.

In the meantime, though the rest of Hyrule still clung to the last vestiges of summer, autumn had well and truly come to Akkala. The trees had all turned red, yellow, and orange, and many of the forest floors were covered by the colorful leaves. Akkala had always been known for its beautiful autumns, and that hadn't changed, even after a hundred years.

She looked around for her husband. He'd disappeared a few minutes ago, hurrying off to go speak to someone. Zelda hadn't gone with him, choosing instead to hold their spot near the front of the small crowd, though she knew few would refuse to give up their spot for them. It took her a moment to find him, making his way back through the crowd. She watched with an amused expression as he carefully made his way around a wide Goron that seemed oblivious to the people trying to see around his bulk.

"Who did you run off to talk to?" Zelda asked as Link rejoined her.

"I saw Granté. I didn't even realize that he'd started living here, too. Pretty soon, it's just going to be Robbie and Jerrin at the lighthouse."

"They'll probably be happy with that, though. He likes the quiet. It'll make getting supplies more difficult, but Tarry Town isn't far. Plus, Purah's been talking about trying to make use of central tower's ancient energy for more experiments. If that happens, I won't be surprised if they end up relocating there for a time."

Link smiled and wrapped his arm around Zelda's waist, pulling her close. Their wedding had been a small affair with only their closest friends in attendance. Impa had administered the oaths. She had complained that the wedding deserved a much greater ceremony, but both Link and Zelda had been adamant.

There would be enough of a grand celebration soon enough, when the four races would meet together at the site of the battle, and the four Divine Beasts would finally be piloted back to their individual homes by the newly trained Champions.

A hush fell over the crowd, and Zelda looked up to see a tall, imposing Gerudo woman making her way through it. People quickly moved to part and allow her passage.

Rhondson, the Gerudo that had helped Link so much in the desert, had on a white headdress that reached all the way down her back, as well as white pants and top, all adorned with golden trim and large rubies.

Meanwhile, Hudson stood upon the raised dais that overlooked the pool of water in the center of town. He had a simple pair of black trousers on, with a white vest. His arms were bare, and Zelda wasn't actually convinced he'd even tried to brush his mop of thick hair. He looked back as Rhondson approached, smiling affectionately.

Rhondson stepped up beside him, slightly taller than him, though Hudson was no short man, and they both looked down at the considerably smaller Zora standing before them. Kapson. Zelda vaguely remembered him from childhood trips to Zora's Domain, though she wasn't sure if she'd ever spoken to him. Link knew him, though, but he'd always known many of the Zora.

Kapson, aged, wrinkled, and with head fins that drooped down, looked at the pair before him with a serious expression. He cleared his throat and folded his hands behind his back, standing up a little straighter.

"Are you ready to begin?" he asked, looking between the two intent on being wed.

"Yes," Rhondson said in her clipped, Gerudo accent. Hudson merely nodded.

The Zora smiled and clapped his webbed hands together before him. He looked out at the guests gathered around the pool in a semi-circle. "We are gathered today to join our friends, Hudson and Rhondson, in matrimony. I thank you for coming and ask that you keep silent until after the oaths have been exchanged."

Zelda felt Link's arm around her tighten. She glanced at him. He had an odd expression on his face. Pride. And she supposed he had every right to feel that way. He'd brought these two together. Or perhaps it was the pride of providing them a world in which it made _sense_ to build new lives together.

She felt that pride, as well.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing softly.

"Hudson," Kapson said, turning his expression towards the bulky man. "Before the eyes of these witnesses and before those of the Goddess Hylia, do you take Rhondson to be your wife, to have and to hold, in the good times and in the bad?"

Zelda's eyes were drawn to the small statue of Hylia behind Kapson. It had surprised her when she saw that statue erected here. She hadn't expected the town to place the statue in such a place of prominence. At least it didn't make her heart race with panic as seeing the statues once had.

Not as often, at least. There were still those moments, though. The nightmares. The cold sweats. The times when she clung to Link and shook until the images in her mind passed. She felt herself beginning to grow tense and tore her gaze away from the statue, focusing instead on the couple.

"I do," Hudson said, his normally gruff voice thick with emotion.

Kapson nodded in acknowledgement and turned to the Gerudo woman. "Rhondson, before the eyes of these witnesses and before those of—"

"My ancestors," Rhondson said, interjecting.

The Zora stumbled for a moment and cleared his throat. "Yes. And before those of your ancestors, do you take Hudson to be your husband, in sickness and in health? And… do you also vow to name any and all future children in accordance with the Bolson Construction naming guidelines?"

Link began to shake with quiet laughter. "Shh…!" Zelda hissed.

Rhondson stood still for a long moment, glancing between Kapson and Hudson. "I… what? You are serious? Those vows are not traditional by anyone's standard!"

Hudson looked at her, smiling. "What makes you say that?"

"They're as traditional as they get in this family!" Bolson joyously said from his place nearby. There was a murmur of agreement throughout the crowd.

 _Honestly, now this is just getting a little ridiculous_ , Zelda thought. Link was still shaking with barely contained laughter, burying his face in his free hand.

"Think of the future generations," Hudson said, smiling at Rhondson.

Rhondson just stared at him and shook her head, placing a hand on her hip. "Oh, _all_ _right_." She looked at Kapson. "I do."

"Excellent!" Kapson raised his hands to the heavens. "Then before Hylia—and our ancestors—I pronounce you bonded together in matrimony." He turned his attention back to the crowd. "Please, help me in greeting this newly married couple! We wish them nothing but the utmost happiness as they journey through life together."

Hudson and Rhondson turned to face each other, and then the Gerudo wrapped her arms around her husband and leaned down to kiss him. Link began to clap, and Zelda joined him, smiling broadly. Bolson began to enthusiastically fling flower petals into the air.

They joined in the wedding celebration after, and Zelda found herself introduced to a number of people that she didn't know before. How had Link found so many people whose name ended in _-son_ who were also willing to leave homes to come live and work in Tarry Town? It didn't even seem feasible.

Finally, they made their way to where the bride and groom stood. Link clasped Hudson's arm, smiling broadly at the taller man, who returned the smile with one equally as large. "Congratulations, Hudson." He turned and started when Rhondson embraced him.

"Sarqso, Link," she said, kissing his cheek. "I am glad that I stopped to give you a ride in the desert."

"Me too," he said when they pulled apart again. "I'm sorry about not having you at mine—it was… planned very quickly."

Rhondson met Zelda's eye and winked. She flushed. Well, there _were_ some matters of propriety that even _she_ felt should be followed, after all. Or, at least, Link had insisted, and she'd agreed.

"Where will you go now?" Hudson asked.

Link shrugged. "We don't know yet. We've talked about visiting some more ancient Sheikah sites before it gets too cold. And we're still working on training the Champions on using the Divine Beasts, though they seem to be ready. We'll probably just spend the winter at home, though."

Rhondson grimaced, rubbing her bare arms. "Does it really get that cold, even during the _day_?"

Hudson grunted. "It's not so bad."

"Being from the desert, though…" Zelda gave Rhondson a sympathetic smile. "Urbosa used to hate our winters."

Rhondson briefly gave her a confused look—casual mentions of people dead for over one hundred years could still have that effect on some—but then she pursed her lips. "If Lady Urbosa found the northern winters challenging, then I will certainly hate them."

Another man approached Hudson and Link. This man was dressed in much finer clothing than even Hudson's wedding vest, and had a neatly styled black beard and hair. She'd seen him among the wedding's guests, but Link had never introduced her to him, though he looked slightly familiar for some reason.

"Congratulations, Hudson," the man said with a surprisingly refined accent. He extended a hand, shaking Hudson's. "Seeing you two brought back memories of my beloved wife."

"Thanks, Dario," Hudson said. "Have you, uh… have you met Link yet?"

The man, Dario, looked at Link, and his eyes widened. "Ahh! So, you are the hero that I've heard so much about. The one that put an end to the Calamity once and for all. And…" He looked past Link, spotting Zelda. " _You_ must be the legendary Princess Zelda."

Zelda stepped up beside Link, smiling politely. "Yes, though please, you may call me Zelda. With the nation in its current state, I am afraid that my title is… unnecessary."

"Nonsense. It seems to me that, with Hyrule as it is, having someone from the royal family alive and able to reestablish order would be a good thing! You… _do_ intend on retaking the throne, do you not?"

She kept her face carefully neutral. "Right now, I am merely trying to gain an understanding of the state of things. As you can imagine, I feel I have much to catch up on. Right now, there is no throne to abdicate. The future, however, remains to be seen."

"Ah. Of course. A perfectly sensible course of action. I, too, recently found myself considering whether or not reclaiming my family's pre-Calamity lands was a worthy endeavor. Ultimately, I chose to do so, which is why I had Hudson here begin construction on Tarry Town."

She tilted her head, slightly. "Is that so?" She quickly thought back to what she could remember of the nobility at that time. "I believe that this region was once governed by… oh, Rauru! The Earl of Akkala. You are his descendant?"

A flash of something that might have been displeasure passed over Dario's face, though it disappeared quickly. "No, no… My grandfather was never granted a noble title, though he did own a large number of orchards near here."

She felt Link grow stiff next to her. "What was his name? Your grandfather."

Dario looked at Link, hesitating. He seemed intimidated by Link's presence, even more so than by Zelda's royal history. That was not that abnormal, however. Link had a way of intimidating people, despite his usually friendly manner. His reputation was that of legend, after all.

"My grandfather was named Alfon."

"Alfon?" Link asked, voice quiet. Zelda did not immediately recognize the name, though it _did_ sound vaguely familiar. Where had she heard it before?

Dario looked at him, curious. "That's right."

"And he owned orchards near here? In Akkala? You're _sure_?"

"Well, yes. My father spoke to me about them."

"Link?" Zelda frowned at him. "What is it?"

He looked at her. His face had grown pale, as though he'd seen a ghost. "I… My uncle. My mother's brother. His name was Alfon. He… owned an orchard in Akkala."

Zelda gasped softly. "Then…" She glanced at Dario, whose eyes had widened in confusion. "This is your… cousin?"

Link looked to the other man, and Zelda could see the similarities, then. They were subtle, to be certain, but she thought that they shared the same nose and ear-shape. And their eyes were a similar shade of blue.

"Yeah," Link said. "I think so."

* * *

 **IV**

Teba flew in a wide circle above the Flight Range, watching as youthful Rito flew below, each wielding a set of bows and padded arrows. The padding on each arrow was full of colored chalk—best not to trust the fledglings with actual weapons yet. That would come soon.

The fledglings were practicing formation flying and taking turns launching their arrows at the assigned targets. A few of them appeared to be good archers, while others were better fliers. Few of them particularly stood out to him yet, but it was a promising batch, nonetheless. They flew well together.

There was one, however, that excelled.

He folded his wings against his body and dove through the air, braking just before he hit the launching platform and setting down easily. At once, the Rito started flying towards him, each coming in for a landing. They shuffled about, forming into two ranks, side by side, each holding their bow in hand.

The students stood still as Teba folded his wings behind his back, looking at them with a stern expression. His eyes roamed over each of them before finally coming to settle on one particular Rito near the back.

"Your aim is getting better, but your formations still need work." He walked forward, moving between the twin ranks of Rito fledglings. "When you fly back to the village, I want you to practice flying in formation. _No racing_. If I find out that you've been racing again, I'll have you all flying laps around the lake from sunrise to sundown tomorrow. Is that understood?"

The Rito all answered to the affirmative in unison, staring ahead. Teba knew that they _would_ undoubtedly start racing each other, of course. But they would, hopefully, practice their formations for part of the trip back. Harth would tell him if they didn't.

"Good. Go put your bows away and get going."

The Rito all started moving, hurrying towards the hut. They would be eager to get home—he'd worked them hard today. As one of them passed him, however, Teba reached out with a wing, stopping him.

"Not you, Komali. You're staying with me."

The young Rito looked up at him, a flash of defiance in his eyes, though it disappeared quickly. "Of course, sir. Is… something wrong?"

Teba didn't answer him, but instead turned to watch the other fledglings taking flight. He eyed their formation with a critical gaze. It still needed work. They flew too close to each other—in a real fight, they would end up crashing into each other long before enemy archers got a bead on them. He would probably have to make them fly laps in formation tomorrow _anyway_.

When they were gone, he turned his head to look down at the young Rito. "What were you doing out there today?"

The young Komali's eyes widened in innocent alarm. "What do you mean, sir? Did I… do something wrong?"

Teba's eyes narrowed, and he reached out, turning the other Rito around to look towards the targets. "Tell me what you see when you look at these targets."

"Well, I see a lot of _blue._ "

He was right. Each of the fledglings had been assigned a particular color chalk arrow, and Komali had left more of his signature indigo blue spots on the targets than any of his other classmates. He easily outflew and outshot them. He would be the next Revali, at this rate.

But Teba wasn't about to let that happen.

"That's the problem."

"I… sir?" Komali looked up at him in confusion. "Why is that a problem?"

Teba bent down so that he was eye-level with Komali. "You have been _intentionally_ covering over the others' shots with your own."

The young Rito tried feigning innocence again. "Sir, I don't…" His voice trailed off as he caught sight of Teba's expression. For a moment, he looked as though he might object, anyway, but then he finally averted his eyes. "Yes."

Teba continued to glare in silence at the fledgling. Finally, he straightened. "Tomorrow, before you report back, I want you to pick up more of your blue chalk. Enough for everyone."

"Sir?"

"I _said_ bring a lot more of your damn chalk. Tomorrow, you'll all be using the same color."

"But then how will you know who is a good archer and not?"

Teba smiled coldly. "It isn't about which of you is the best archer. And it's not about who among you can fly the fastest or ascend the steepest."

"But—"

"If you say _one more word_ , you'll be scrubbing those targets clean after training _every day_."

Komali snapped his beak shut.

"Let me make this clear, Komali. I couldn't give a _tailfeather_ about which of you is the best archer. You're good—I can see that. But so was Revali, and look where that got him. Last I checked, he's still dead."

The young Rito's expression showed defiance, but he kept his tongue.

 _Good,_ Teba thought. _At least he can follow an order_.

"I'm not training you to be the best archer or flier. I want you to be the best _team_. You'll work together, fight together, and _succeed_ together. You want to impress others with your flying? Go join the cloud dancers. You can parade around with colorful streamers and sing songs. But, if you want to fly with _me_ , then you are going to learn how to respect your wingmates."

Komali's expression remained resolute, beak firmly shut.

"Do you understand me?"

The young Rito hesitated, glancing towards Teba, and then finally nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now go rinse the chalk off the targets and then get home."

"But—"

Teba gave him a fierce glare, which cowed the youth. He nodded again and then walked into the hut to get the cleaning supplies.

* * *

 **V**

"The recent influx of Hylian traders from the east has been _good_ —for the most part—but I'm a little concerned about the prices they have been charging."

Riju lounged in her throne, listening absent-mindedly to her trade advisor while gazing at the Thunder Helm, which sat nearby on its pedestal. She should have been paying more attention, but this… this was dull. It wasn't that she didn't care about it—trade was a vital part of the Gerudo life! Without it, survival would be a struggle in the unforgiving desert. There was a reason why so many outer tribes often turned to violence to solve their problems.

But, today, she just didn't feel like dealing with it. Not with the ceremony coming up so soon. She was excited to see Link, Zelda, and the other Champions again. Her training on the Divine Beast had concluded a month ago—at least insofar that she could control its movements and weaponry enough to get it back to the desert. She would have liked to remain behind and continue working with Zelda on Naboris' repairs following the battle with Ganon, but the needs of her people outweighed her own desires.

But, still, sometimes it was nice to be surrounded by equals. Friends. Zelda's intellectual conversations, Teba's quiet respect, Sidon's enthusiasm, Yunobo's curiosity, and Link's humor and steadfastness were all things that she had grown to enjoy having around. So much so that being surrounded by people who constantly called her "Lady Riju" was frustrating.

"I… Lady Riju?"

She blinked and focused again on her advisor. "Oh. Yes. Go on."

The woman hesitated, glancing towards Buliara and then back at Riju.

 _Ah. She asked me to make a decision, didn't she?_ "I mean…" She cleared her throat, feeling a blush creep up on her cheeks.

Buliara stepped forward. "Lady Riju will take some time to consider your proposal. Come back tomorrow morning."

"But I'd hoped—"

Buliara slammed the tip of her sword to the ground and the other advisor's eyes widened. She quickly bowed to Riju and hurried out of the room.

Riju watched her go with a regretful smile, and then she looked up at Buliara. "Sarqso."

The older woman looked at Riju, lips pursed. "Lady Riju, perhaps, if you are going to schedule these meetings, then you should pay _attention_ to them."

She squirmed slightly under Buliara's gaze. "You're right, you're right. I am a little distracted today." She slid herself off of the throne and stretched her arms over her head, groaning softly. She could still feel the other woman's eyes on her, though. She sighed, glancing back over her shoulder. "Perhaps I have been distracted _often_ lately."

Buliara snorted softly. "I would say so."

"I'll do _better_. I'm just…" She snapped her fingers, eyes darting to the Thunder Helm. "What was she asking me to decide?"

"She wants to add further restrictions on what Hylians can sell outside of the city. It sounds as though some are selling clothing similar in style to that of our own tailors—and doing so for much cheaper."

Riju frowned and snapped again. "Why even ask? I've given her authority over such minor decisions."

"I believe she's worried about the presence of a Hylian princess now."

"Oh, about offending the Hylians? I don't really see why. Nothing has _changed_ yet, outside of a few more settlements popping up."

"Still, perhaps you should have her reexplain her concerns tomorrow. I'm sure she can explain them better than me."

She sighed and nodded. "All right, you win. I'll pay better attention tomorrow." She snapped again and gasped. _This_ time, she was sure she felt something.

"Lady Riju, what are you doing?"

Riju frowned deeply, staring at the Thunder Helm, tongue caught between her teeth. _Come on. Almost…_ She snapped her finger again. And again. And—

Just outside of the throne room, lightning flashed and a thunderclap echoed through the chamber. Riju cried out in delight, while Buliara swore, whirling and looking for a threat.

"I did it!"

Buliara paused, looking back at Riju in confusion. Her eyes traveled between her and the Thunder Helm before they widened. "Ah! Very good, Lady Riju. If you can do that without having to wear the Thunder Helm, it could be very effective against an assassination attempt."

She grinned broadly and snapped her fingers again. Nothing happened. _Oh, come on, sealiously?_

* * *

 **VI**

Haia pursed her lips beneath her bone-white Yiga mask as members of the clan— _her_ clan—filed past. Most of them wore ordinary clothing and no mask, accustomed to having lived among the Hylians and Sheikah. Exposing their faces to the sun did not chill them as it did her. Still, she would not fault them for wishing to appear nondescript. They were not that far down the coast from one of the villages.

Nearby, waves crashed against the shore, the surf still agitated following the storm that had passed during their preparations. Three ships moored in the cove near the Clarnet Coast. The piers had been hastily built, but they serviced her needs well enough. As she watched, several members of her clan carried barrels of foodstuffs and water onto the deck of one of the ships. Enough to sustain them on their long journey and beyond.

Absently, she thought back to that day. When she'd seen the boy that would kill Master Kohga and nearly break the Yiga Clan in the process. If she'd known what would follow—the defeat they would suffer at the hands of the Gerudo, the infighting, the breaking apart of the clan—would she have still allowed him to do so?

 _Yes_.

Her clan was a shadow of what it had once been in numbers, true. Most of the remaining members of the Yiga had gone into hiding following their defeat. But these? These were strong. They remained, committed to their purpose, even as their brethren fled. Some of them had lived among Hylians and Sheikah for years. Some of them even had spouses and families, but that was all secondary to their true purpose.

And Haia could _use_ them. Yes, she was confident that she could use them. That's why she'd let the boy kill Kohga—the _fool_. She'd known it was him the very moment she laid eyes on him. His stance, the way he carried himself—it was clear to her that he was a stranger. Kohga may have enjoyed lording his position over the Yiga, but Haia _knew_ her clan. She knew each member in the way that only a true leader could. _That_ was why she'd allowed the boy to kill Kohga.

And now that the fool was gone, she could use _him_ , too. Nothing motivated a group like a martyr and the promise of vengeance. Kohga was far more useful to her dead than he had been alive. His decapitated head ensured that her Yiga would remain strong and determined to bring Hyrule to its knees.

Yes, her plans were in motion. They would likely never see their dark god again—not during their own lifetime, anyway. But that did not mean they had to go into hibernation again. Haia's Yiga would not simply hide and wait. They would look for opportunities, strike when advantageous, and bring Hyrule to its knees. And they would have their vengeance. Against that boy and his allies, for sure, but also against the princess.

She was the last of the royal family. With her dead, the Yiga's original purpose would finally be fulfilled.

One of the ships raised its gangplank, and she saw Yiga aboard it laboring to raise its anchor. Others untied the ropes that bound the ship's sails.

Haia smiled as the large white sails unfurled and the breeze caught them, towing the first of their ships out of the bay and into the Faron Sea. In the center of the largest sail was the bleeding eye of her Yiga Clan.

* * *

 **VII**

"You know, I once got Link to guard me on the way to Kakariko Village," Telma said, comfortably seated in the front of her new cart. "He even saved my life from a band of bokoblins."

Todd, her new guard, didn't answer her. He was a grouch of a man with a constant frown, and she wasn't entirely sure that he believed half of her stories. But he was good with a sword—or so she hoped. He had to have gotten those scars from _somewhere_. Not that it was as important now. The bokoblins were far less of a concern than they used to be.

They made their way along the road from the Gerudo Desert, traveling alongside the Great Plateau. This stretch of road used to be one of the most dangerous patches on her trips to the desert, and she'd usually tried to find Gerudo traveling back to their homeland to help bolster her protection before making it. Now, however, this road was quickly becoming more popular as most of the monsters that inhabited it had disappeared. Treasure hunters frequented it, too, trying to find ways up onto the Great Plateau, as well as searching out the many ruins around here.

"It's hard to believe that the little guy I picked up at the Dueling Peaks stable ended up being the one that would save us all."

She smiled fondly, thinking about the last time she'd seen him. He and that princess—his _wife_ —had been inspecting one of those old Sheikah Shrines on the way to Rito Village. That hadn't been long after Calamity Ganon's defeat—which she had waited out in the desert. She'd been back to Hateno Village since then, but they were rarely home, it seemed.

 _Good for them_ , she thought, smiling. _They deserve a little bit of happiness._

She knew from her travels that there were rumblings about what they should do next. Many Hylians appeared to think that they would be reinstating the kingdom of Hyrule soon, but Telma didn't know anything about that. She did know that they'd been visiting some of the towns and settlements, though. Asking about monster sightings and other concerns.

But then the residents of Hateno Village seemed to think otherwise, claiming that they had decided against ruling Hyrule. Telma wasn't really sure what was true.

Perhaps she'd finally get her chance soon enough, though. They would be at the celebration, after all. She was heading in that direction now, intending on cutting straight up the middle of Hyrule Field—something that would have _definitely_ been impossible two months ago.

 _It does make you think. If Link managed to do all this in a few months, basically alone, what_ could _he do if he became king?_

It was certainly a thought. She would definitely have to ask him when she saw him.

* * *

 **VIII**

Kass smiled warmly as he gazed out over Hyrule Field. Though he could still see the damage left by Calamity Ganon's final attempts to stave off defeat, there were far more signs of new life. Though some places still remained cracked and devoid of life, other places had already seen new late-summer and early autumn growth.

And that was just nature's new life. That was to say nothing of the magnificent crowd that set up tents, banners, and other structures before him. Or of the coming days' feasts, the celebrations to be had, and the songs that would be played.

It astounded him, even now, that he stood just outside of what had once been Hyrule Castle Town. What was once a symbol of Ganon's terrible power and influence was now a bastion of hope and life. Rebuilding had not yet begun in the old city, but it was only a matter of time.

"Look at it all, Link," he said. All around him people worked, talked, laughed, and even played—in the case of the children. His own children were among them, happily giggling and chasing Goron and Hylian youths. "In all my years, I never expected to see something so… wonderful."

Link sat in the grass next to Kass, a small, yet elegant case next to him—a personal request that Kass had been more than happy to fill. "Things are moving quicker than I thought they would," he said, smiling faintly.

"Yes, indeed," Kass said, nodding. "But after one hundred years of waiting, I suppose one can hardly blame someone for doing things quickly. Like marrying a princess, perhaps?"

The Hylian man looked up at Kass with a broad smile. " _She_ was the impatient one, I'll have you know. Impa tried her best to get us to wait until the celebration, but Zelda refused."

"And you would have been willing to be married before the entire nation?"

Link snorted. "No, of course not. I would have found someone else to marry us if she refused. Maybe Kapson. But… well, how could Impa refuse?"

"I imagine that she never had any intention on doing so. I do not know her well, but it seems clear to me that she cares very deeply for you two."

"She does." Link's eyes slowly traveled over the working people, over the children and families, the laborers, the soldiers, the men and women that he had touched on his travels. He was searching, and Kass knew what for. Finally, he found her.

His princess.

Zelda stood not too far away, speaking with a pair of Sheikah—an old man and a young woman. Kass believed they were discussing ways to properly display some of the destroyed Guardians.

Link was rarely far apart from her now. Kass felt certain that he wouldn't even be here, if she were out of sight. Even after two months of being together, he was still fiercely protective over her—especially when around unfamiliar crowds.

He still wore the Master Sword every time Kass saw him, though he rarely wore his shield or his other gear any longer. It seemed fitting, in a way. His gear was a mark of his journey, but the sword was a part of him.

 _Perhaps I should write a song about that sometime,_ he wondered. _He would likely disapprove, but he'll also probably tell me about it, eventually._

"You knew, didn't you?" Link said, smiling in Zelda's direction. "That we'd eventually marry."

Kass chuckled softly. "I believe I even suggested as much, more than once."

"True, but that was in the name of being made king. You never said that we loved each other."

"I hardly think that it would be my place to say such things! Your mutual feelings are your own—I could hardly more prescribe them to you than I could tell you of the future."

Link looked back at him, one eyebrow raised. "But you _knew_. Or, at least, you knew that we once cared for each other."

Kass paused, and then he inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Yes. Or I should say that I knew the princess bore strong feelings for you. My teacher never knew you well enough to say for sure whether or not you returned them."

"You _could_ have told me."

He laughed. "My friend, I _did_ tell you. I told you that my teacher told me of your bond with the princess. I believe the word I used was _inseparable_."

Link opened his mouth to retort, but then he shut it, cheeks growing slightly pink. "Yeah, I guess you did."

"Would you have preferred I say it more plainly and rob you of what I am certain was a very happy moment?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, not really. I'm just… reflecting on how much of an idiot I was."

"Ahh, you were in love. Love drives us to be foolish at times."

"I don't think I was in _love_ at the time. I barely remembered her. And I was so _angry_ …"

Kass reached down, placing a wing on Link's shoulder. "Often, it is easiest to be angry at those we love, as they are the ones who can hurt us the most. Besides, I could tell you cared for her, and the fact that my teacher claimed not to know makes me wonder at his own perception. Perhaps he didn't want to admit it to himself."

Link hummed his response and fell silent for a time. Finally, he seemed to shake himself and look back up at Kass. "Enough about me. What about you? What will you do now that you've finished your songs?"

"A musician is never _finished_ ," Kass said, bending down and opening his case, removing his concertina. "As you will soon find out."

Link snorted, glancing down at the case beside him, which held a smaller and simpler concertina than Kass' own. An older instrument that Kass once played. "I don't know if I would call myself a musician yet."

"One day, you will be. In the meantime, just practice."

"I will."

Kass played a soft, melodic note from his instrument, and it immediately caught the interest of some of the children. He smiled as some of them began to run up.

"As for what I will do next," he said. "I will continue to do what I love. There are more songs to learn, to write, and to play. I hope to travel more, in the future, and Notts will be old enough next year to go with me, I believe."

"And Amali is going to let you take your eldest daughter with you with the new hatchling on the way?"

Kass chuckled softly. "Oh, I am sure that she will argue, but I don't plan to leave for such an extended period again. And Notts wants, terribly, to see more of Hyrule."

"Well, let me know when you find more shrines." Link's gaze found Zelda again. "She loves visiting them, even if the old Sheikah have all disappeared."

"Of course. I will make sure to take note of any shrines that I come across and let you know of them the next time we meet."

More children began to gather, and Kass smiled down at them, meeting the eyes of several of his own daughters. He wondered if the new hatchling would be another girl. It _would_ be nice to add at least a tenor to their family, if not another baritone or bass.

Link stood up beside Kass with a soft groan and patted the Rito's arm. "I'll talk to you later, Kass."

Kass smiled down at his friend. "Don't forget your promise, now."

"I won't. I'll pull Zelda away sometime so you can perform for us—I promise."

"Excellent. I will talk to you later, then."

Link bent down and picked up the small instrument case and walked away, in the direction of his wife. Kass watched him go for a time before looking back to the children. As he met their eyes, hope blossomed in his heart, and for a moment, it was difficult to keep his own emotions in check.

Children. How wonderful it was to play for children! They lacked the inhibitions of adults. The skepticism. They simply listened and enjoyed the music. They believed the tales. They wept when tragedy struck and rejoiced when good triumphed over evil. Was there anything so wonderful as the unbroken hope of a child?

He played a long, melodic note, smiling, and began to sing. He sung of victory, of triumph, of love. He sung of the joy of friends reuniting after a long absence. He sung of hardship and the power of perseverance. And he sung of happy endings. Of satisfying conclusions. And the promise of more stories to come.


	67. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It felt _good_ to get out. Link grinned as he led Spirit out from the Kakariko pass, and Hyrule Field came into view. The beautiful field of grass and rolling hills lay before him. The Hylia River flowed past, its banks still overflowing from the melting snow to the north. Trees were thick with leaves and blooms, and colorful patches of flowers dotted the landscape. He even saw a patch of Silent Princesses—Zelda would be delighted.

Spring had finally come again.

Zelda gasped softly as she stepped up beside Link, holding onto the reins of her own brilliantly white mare—said to be descendant of her previous horse from before the Calamity. She'd named this one Liberty. It was a little on the nose for Link, but she'd glared at him when he said so.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

Link hummed softly in response, eyes drawing towards the distant Hyrule Castle. There had been no efforts to rebuild it yet, and he wasn't sure if there ever would be. Much of it had been destroyed in Calamity Ganon's initial rise, with even more destruction after Link's ill-advised visit to the castle. The final battle with Ganon had left even more of its walls fallen, giving the castle a skeletal look. He'd thought to try to visit it sometime, to see what other secrets still hid within its walls, but he wasn't actually sure he trusted its structural integrity any longer. That wouldn't keep others out, though, he was sure.

"Look," Zelda said, pointing to a spot along the river.

His eyes followed her hand, and he saw it. A small grouping of houses, many miles away. They would end their day's journey there, he expected. The small village that had popped up around the ruins of the old Wetland Stable. He'd heard from other travelers that a new stable had already been built.

Link's heart swelled at the sight. Nothing would replace the lives that had been lost. Nothing ever could. But new life could take hold. New life could still grow. And they would forever remember the ones no longer with them.

"I wonder how long it will be before they begin rebuilding in Hyrule Field," he said.

"I don't know." She moved closer to him, and Link looked down with a warm smile when he felt her arm snake around his. "It may take time for one hundred years of fear to be completely erased."

"Maybe." Link turned his gaze back to the rolling hills and fields of grass. He couldn't see any of the old town ruins from their current vantage, but he knew they were there, merely hidden from view by the contours of the land. The scars upon the land.

They were silent for a time before Zelda spoke again. "Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much more for us to do."

 _And so many difficult memories to bear,_ he thought, though he didn't say it out loud. Zelda, especially, had grown increasingly prone to restless nights lately, full of nightmares and memories. He hoped her own scars would heal one day.

"I believe in my heart that we can restore Hyrule to its former glory, however." Zelda's gaze turned towards the distant castle. "With all of us working together, perhaps even beyond."

"We will," Link said.

The question of their status remained. Neither had yet accepted the mantle of monarch, and neither truly even knew how to do so, if they chose to pursue it. How did one even build a new kingdom from the ashes of the old? But that would not stop either of them from helping the people of Hyrule.

Beginning with this trip to Zora's Domain. Zelda had to investigate the Divine Beast there, which had stopped working for some reason. They could have teleported, of course, but that seemed like a waste. Spring had arrived, and traveling together on the road just felt right.

She finally pulled away from him, going to Liberty and pulling herself up into the saddle. Link smiled up at her and then turned to Spirit, only to find his brown stallion chewing on a patch of grass.

Link snorted derisively. "You _glutton_. You just ate!"

Spirit lifted his head, fixing Link with one of his brown eyes. His jaw never stopped working at the grass in his teeth. After a moment, he blew out a heavy breath and lowered his head to rip up another mouthful of grass.

"I'm going to run you. _Hard_. Got to work off that winter fat."

He approached Spirit's saddle and hefted himself up. After finishing his current patch of grass, the horse finally lifted his head, tensing in the anticipation of running through the fields. Link thought that Spirit was just as excited as he was to get out of Hateno Village.

He turned his head to find Zelda smiling in amusement. "Are you ready?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

His only response was to kick Spirit into motion. Zelda laughed behind him and quickly rode up beside him. Together, they made their way out into the wild.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **I won't lie, it's hard not feeling a little emotional, posting this. This represents the culmination of nine months of work for me. Nine months, to the _day_. On January 18, 2018, I texted my wife, telling her that I thought I was going to try my hand at writing a Breath of the Wild novelization. I'm pretty sure I wrote the Prologue that same day. And here I am, posting the Epilogue on October 18, 2018! It's been an insane road to get here, and I'll tell you a little more about that when I write a proper afterword (expect it probably sometime this weekend). That's when I will also discuss things like what I intend to write in the future... I'll also take the time to answer a few reviews and comments at that time, so if you have any, send them my way!**

 **For now, I just want to say thank you to all you readers for sticking with the story to the end! Writing it has been an absolute pleasure, and your reactions to it have been the icing on the cake. So thank you for reading and enjoying (and do please keep leaving those comments).**


	68. Afterword

**Afterword**

So I wanted to write a quick afterword, first to thank all of you that reached the end of this story. Writing this has been an absolute delight for me, and seeing your reactions to it has given me a great deal of confidence in my own abilities. When I started this, I didn't know if I would be any good. Now, after writing it and seeing your reactions, I feel like maybe I have some talent that I can put to good use.

Outside of the first several chapters, I have been the sole writer and editor for this project. I did have a beta reader near the beginning, and I greatly appreciate the early advice he gave me that helped me course correct a few issues (grammatical, continuity, etc.) that could have persisted throughout, if he hadn't caught them. Unfortunately, for various reasons, he was unable to keep beta reading for me, but his help was very instrumental for me early on. So (if you read this), thanks, Landon, for your help!

When I set out to write this, I knew right away that I needed to get a few things right. First and foremost, I needed to get the characters right. Link and Zelda, obviously. I planned a romance for them, of course, but I also wanted each of them to be developed enough to stand alone as a character. I didn't just want Zelda to be Link's romance interest. I wanted her to be the hero of her _own_ story. We may not have seen a lot of her side, but I still wanted her to be a fully-rounded character, not only with the strengths and weaknesses depicted in the game, but other things that made her seem like a living, breathing person. Link, too, needed to be _real_. He needed to be more than a strong, stoic hero—he needed his own interests, fears, motivations, and flaws. I tried very hard to do that with him-and your responses seem to indicate that I succeeded, for the most part.

Beyond them, however, Breath of the Wild has a _lot_ of very popular characters! I knew that I couldn't screw up Sidon or Kass, for example, but there is also a very large Mipha fanbase out there, too, that I didn't dare disappoint! That's to say nothing of those of you that love Riju, Urbosa, Revali, Teba, or any of the other Champions. And then there were the Sheikah as well! I decided to take the risk with re-aging Purah because I thought it would make for a fun character arc of her own. It bugged me how, in the game, Link showed up and she just stopped doing anything for herself. And, of course, Paya-I wanted to explore a side to her that the game never showed. But I liked the idea of her being trained as a Sheikah shadow-someone that an assassin might not expect to be able to fight back.

And then there was the world itself. I wanted _Hyrule_ to be as alive on paper as it felt to me when I first played Breath of the Wild. Running around that world enraptured me in a way that I don't think any other open-world game has done so. I just loved being able to climb the mountains and gaze around, or paraglide off of towers. And I wanted to capture some of that joy in how Link views and interacts with the world. And while I didn't include every single bit of wonder that the game has to offer (I know some of you were really hoping that I would introduce the Great Fairy sisters, who I assure you do exist in my world), I tried to make it feel both grounded and magical at the same time.

I don't think I wrote everything perfectly. There are characters that I introduced that I wish I'd been able to spend more time developing, Granté especially. He's one that I originally had a few more plans for, but ended up cutting some of that stuff before it ever got written due to pacing problems. However, I still introduced him and liked his introduction, so I decided to keep him in! Telma is another one that I'm ashamed to say that I almost completely forgot about in Part Three until a commenter asked me about her-which is why she got a Side Quest scene at the end! I originally had her showing up after the Battle of Hateno and Mount Lanayru, but ended up going another route (which became the Side Quests III chapter).

I also wished I'd done a little more research for the sake of world-building early on. Getting an idea of what the former population of Hyrule was, as well as the current population count, mapping out other settlements and towns to add, and getting a better understanding of how places like Hateno and Kakariko would actually look in a more realistic setting are all things that I developed later than I probably should have! This is one of those things that, if I eventually do future revisions, I will be looking to flesh out more.

But, overall, I'm very happy with what I wrote. I think I did far more things right than wrong, and the response you all gave me has been incredible.

If you've read my previous author's notes, you know that writing this has been extremely important to me, and I wanted to talk a little bit about that. I can't go into a lot of details (mostly just for privacy's sake), but I first started writing this story because I was going to be away from my family for an extended period of time on a work trip. Between nine and ten months. I started jotting down ideas early on, mostly because I was _bored_ and missing my wife and kids. But as I began to fill up a notebook with ideas, plot points, and character arcs, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I could give this a shot. And so I did. On January 18, 2018, I sat down with my laptop and wrote the Prologue, and probably part of Chapter One.

And from that point, I was hooked. Much of my free time was taken up tapping away at my laptop, putting words and ideas to digital paper. Some people might say it took _too much_ of my free time, and I'm willing to admit that they're probably right! But it became my hobby.

Writing this, in some ways, became my lifeline and the thing I turned to when I found myself missing home. It was easy for me to relate to Link, who longed for a life and people he loved (even if he didn't always remember them). And somewhere along the way, writing the story became, itself, a motivation. I loved writing this. It's something I'm proud of and consider an accomplishment. And it definitely left me hungering for more.

Which brings me to the future. Many of you have been asking about a sequel, and I've certainly left enough open threads to make one! I've spoken of having plans and ideas for the future, but I haven't yet confirmed anything. So let me do so now. I _am_ writing a sequel to Breath of the Wild.

Right now, it is tentatively called **_Secrets of the Past_ **and it will deal with, among other things, events in the modern era, events one hundred (or so) years past, and events 10,000 years prior. There is a major focus on the Sheikah and the Yiga, their history together, and the schism between them and the Royal Family. I'm excited to write more about the Sheikah, because of the various cultures I built up in Breath of the Wild, I feel as though the Sheikah were the ones I left fairly undeveloped. Of course, Link and Zelda will be the two primary POV characters, and we will also be dealing with their ongoing decisions regarding the kingdom, as well as some other internal and external conflicts that will shake them. I also intend to feature other POV characters as well, though I haven't fully decided on who they all will be. Purah, however, is definitely someone who will be getting some page time. She's just so much fun to write, and I'm curious to see how I can flesh out her character more while keeping her sarcastic, irreverent attitude. She'll be a nice challenge.

 _However_ , here's the bad news. This story is a long way off from being ready to post. I started writing it early September, when I finished the draft of Breath of the Wild, but I soon found out that grad school, work, preparing to go home after a long absence, and conducting heavy revisions on my story (which had just been increased to three-a-week chapter posting), took up a _lot_ of time. So while I started the sequel, I'm only about two and a half chapters into it. And I'm still not _totally_ sure if I like them yet or not. The third chapter will definitely stay, but the first two chapters are up in the air.

I'm also still working on figuring out exactly what I'm going to put into it. There are plot points that I've still developing, and my outline is pretty basic so far. I have some _great_ ideas that I think will blow people away, but I'm still working out how to get to those big moments.

Furthermore—and this isn't a bad thing in any way for _me_ —but I'm home now! And my time for writing has been effectively chopped in half, if not even less than that. No more writing 43,000 words in a week for me! Home life has reasserted itself, which feels great, but it does mean that it's going to take me longer to write.

The good news, however, is that this novel is not going to be 450,000 words long. I'm envisioning this as about 150,000, at most, and hopefully even closer to around 100,000. I wrote the massive epic fantasy tome—now I want to practice writing a story that is actually of a publishable length. Of course, Breath of the Wild was originally supposed to be 300,000 words, so who knows what's going to happen...

For now, I don't have a timeline. I'd like to get far enough in it to start posting chapters (likely one a week at the beginning), early after the new year, but that is going to depend on a lot of factors. If I suddenly get huge amounts of inspiration and write half of it in a few weeks, I assure you that I'll start posting sooner! However, I don't want to start something that I can't finish. I won't have my novel be another of those half-finished works on the site that will never get updated again because life got in the way. When I start posting, I want to be far enough along to have a clear vision of how I'm going to finish this and be far enough ahead to be able to keep posting regularly until the end, even if I experience some delays due to life.

Also, I expect this to be the last story I write for this Breath of the Wild world! I doubt I'll write another sequel after it, but I suppose we'll have to see what comes. I'm certainly attached to the world, but I've also been toying around with some ideas for an original work that I may start writing after this story. I'd love to take the lessons I've learned in cutting my writing teeth on this novel and the next and translate them into something I can possibly publish.

In the meantime, for those of you that are wanting a little bit more in this style, I wanted to point you in the direction of my own personal favorite author, whose style I tried to imitate while writing this. I love the works of Brandon Sanderson, and if you are looking for some fantastic epic fantasy works, with a huge focus on strong character development across a large cast of easy-to-love-or-hate characters, heroic action sequences, and complex magic systems, I definitely recommend you check him out.

Now, for _this_ story, I do intend on posting at least one more bonus to round things out. I have a document labeled "Scraps" that contains about 24,000 words of cut content from this story. I don't plan to post it _all_ , and frankly, there's no need to. Some of it might closely mirror a scene we got with a single line or two changed, and some of it is just plain _bad_. However, I plan to go through it and pick out some alternate scenes and sequences to share with you all. As a little preview, I will say that one of the scenes is an alternate Mount Lanayru scene that plays out a little differently than what I put in it. I went back and forth on which one I would use, and ultimately chose the one we got, but I'm still very fond of the other. So I'll let you have it, too, and you can tell me which one you prefer!

Other things will be sequences and things that got cut for a variety of reasons. Maybe I just couldn't make the scene work, or it wasn't what was needed. None of them are going to be heavily edited, however, so some of the writing may be rough. Like the alternate and unfinished scenes in a movie, I'm going to give these to you as-is, rather than trying to make them look great. Each one will be accompanied by a little bit of commentary on why it was cut or what I was going for.

Expect this to go up sometime next week. Not sure what day yet, but it'll be soon.

Another thing I've been toying with is possibly taking all of the memories in the novel and rearranging them in chronological order. I don't know when I'll get around to doing that, however, as I'd like to include some of the shorter "flashes" of memory, but if I include those, I'd like to actually develop those scenes out a little bit more. Personally, I'm a little curious myself to see if they're all pretty consistent in tone and continuity, considering I wrote them as I went. I wouldn't be surprised to find that I missed a detail here or there, and putting them all together like that would help me figure those out, in case I ever revisit this story and do further revisions.

Let me just say thank you, one more time. Thanks for reading this story, for the comments, the favorites, the overall support that you've given me as I went on this journey, myself! It has, at times, been an emotional one for me. I originally started writing this purely for my own sake. I told the story that I wanted to read. But I'm so glad that I ultimately decided to share it with you all, as I do think it made it a far better story as a result. It's been awesome, and I look forward to sharing more ideas with you in the future.

-Ben (The Zed of Ages)

PS: Also, thank you for reading this afterword. I know that I did some rambling here, but I wasn't sure all of what I wanted to say until I was halfway through it!


	69. Scraps of the Cutting Room Floor

**Scraps of the Cutting Room Floor**

 **So, like I stated before, I wanted to share a few bits and pieces of the writing that I did on the story that didn't quite make it in for one reason or another. I kept most anything significant that got cut in a separate document, which I titled _Scraps_. Somewhere along the way, it ended up being about fifty pages worth of stuff! Not all of it is very different than what ended up on the final page. In fact, there are some things in this document that _did_ end up on the page, because I did occasionally move something over to scraps, try writing something else, and then decided to go back to the original. **

**I won't be putting all fifty pages into this post, but I did want to share some selections of what I've got here! Also, the nature of these scraps means that many of them will be incomplete scenes, and some may even reference other scenes that were altered or cut. Each one will include a brief blurb about where it took place and why it was cut to try to help that.**

* * *

 **I'll start with two scenes that were meant to introduce moblins into my world. The first was right after Link paraglided off of the Great Plateau while the other takes place just outside of Hateno Village. Ultimately, each time I decided to cut these was for the sake of pacing. Adding a new monster type here just felt rushed to me, not to mention this was about the time that I realized that I _didn't_ need to have a fight scene every chapter. Originally, I thought I would be having Link fight a lot more of the mundane monsters, but I quickly realized that the story would get boring and the pacing would be awful if I tried doing that every other chapter or so.**

 **This first one was fun to write, though, as I felt it was a good introduction to the moblin—and its particular quirks as found in Breath of the Wild. Enjoy!**

 **Link fights a Moblin/mounted Bokoblin**

Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end, and Link's feeling of elation did so when he looked ahead on the road and saw a pair of creatures a little way further along it. One was a bokoblin, seated on top of a red mare. The other was taller than the horse and bokoblin still, with a long pig-like snout, hulking arms, and a single, sharp horn atop its head. It shared some of its features with the bokoblin beside it—its ears, coloring, and overall fashion sense consisting of nothing but a loincloth—but looked far more dangerous. The massive club that it held in one hand didn't help.

The pair of creatures, quite unfortunately, saw Link at roughly the same time he saw them. The bokoblin pulled up short, pointing and chattering something to the larger creature. The larger one seemed slower of movement and thought, and looked up at Link with a confused expression. That expression eventually became one of malice, however, and the creature grinned, showing a broken row of sharp teeth.

This was about the time that Link's feet touched down on the ground. He, personally, felt as though the glider could have timed things better. At the very least, he did not have to worry about fending off an opponent on horseback as, a moment later, the larger creature simply picked up the bokoblin with one meaty hand, ignoring its sharp screams of terror, and threw it at Link. Link dropped the glider and then leapt aside, barely avoiding the screaming bokoblin as it was flung to the ground behind it. It rolled some ways before coming to a stop and rising uneasily to its feet.

 _Well,_ Link thought. _I suppose it was going to be too much to ask for that he would stay out of the fight_. He unsheathed his sword, ignoring the shield for now. If he tried to block that club with his shield, he imagined that it would shatter his arm in the process. Best to just try not to get hit.

The large creature approached Link, lumbering forward on its two short legs, until it towered over Link. It _was_ very tall. At least twice Link's size. Link took a step back, eyes widening some, and then sprinted to the side, just narrowly avoiding a downward swing of the club that hit the ground with enough force, at least to Link's imagination, to crack stone. He tried to swing his sword around in a heavy, two-handed grip, aiming to chop the creature's legs out from under him. The creature, though, slow-looking, was not unfamiliar with fighting things smaller than it, however, and took a step back, avoiding Link's blow.

The bokoblin rejoined the fight in that moment, swinging out at Link with a knife, which Link avoided with a quick sidestep. As he did so, he reached over with one hand, shoving the bokoblin around to place it between Link and the larger creature. This tactic worked rather well, as the larger creature swung horizontally at Link and caught the bokoblin instead. The club connected with a sickening crunch of bones breaking, and the bokoblin was flung lifelessly away into a ruined wall. This time, it did not rise again.

The larger creature was surprised by this, and it bellowed angrily at Link. Raising its club, it prepared to bring it down onto Link's head, but Link reacted quicker than it was expecting. He darted forward, plunging his sword into the gut of the larger creature. It grunted in surprise and pain, but did not immediately fall, so Link pulled his sword from its gut and swung, instead, at its leg. The sword cut deep and, this time, the creature fell to the side, holding its bleeding gut. The club fell to the ground some feet away, all but forgotten now. It groaned in pain and Link grimaced. The gut wound would be a slow death.

Link decided to hasten its demise, regardless of how it made him feel inside, and stabbed his sword into where he assumed the creature's heart would be. It would appear that he chose correctly, as the creature made one final rattling breath before the life left its eyes.

* * *

 **This next one takes place just outside of Hateno Village, and it is an alternate to the scene where Link saves Nat and Meghyn. Ultimately, I cut it for the same reason as above. I just felt the introduction disrupted the pacing. I believe that I eventually introduced the moblin as an enemy in the flashback with Daruk, instead.**

 **Rescuing the Ladies Outside of Hateno/Moblin fight**

The other two bokoblins were a little wiser than their fallen brethren and split to come around Link, attacking from either side. He waited, trying to keep each of the bokoblins in his peripheral. At the last second, he leapt back, dodging both the attempted stab with the pitchfork and overhead swing of a club. The club connected with the pitchfork, knocking it from the bokoblin holding it, and Link felt a rush of satisfaction. So easy.

Something hit him in the back hard enough to knock him off his feet and directly into the bokoblin holding the club. They went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Nearby, one of the women screamed again.

Link rolled off of the bokoblin and groaned. His vision was blurry and his whole body screamed with pain. Blinking blearily, he saw a large, dark shape step into view above him. Two massive arms, pig-like snout, single, long horn extending from its forehead. Moblin. And it was raising its huge club overhead, ready to bring it down on Link's prone form.

Link's mind snapped back into focus and he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the club as it smashed into the ground. He felt the ground tremble under him at the blow. Link pushed himself to his feet, his back angrily protesting this motion, and took several steps back to avoid any follow-up attacks.

The moblin stood tall, its head easily reaching some of the branches of the nearby trees. The two remaining bokoblins moved up to stand on either side of it, looking very pleased with themselves. How had Link missed running past that massive thing? He'd been so focused on protecting the women that he must have passed within a few feet of the moblin without noticing it. Sloppy.

Link gripped his sword more tightly—he had, somehow, managed to keep ahold of it when he had been hit. The moblin lumbered forward, gripping its club with two meaty fists. The bokoblins stayed back, likely not wanting to get in the larger creature's way.

 **This next bit was cut very late in the writing process—the day I posted the Chapter 11, which is the chapter that immediately follows the introduction of Kass on the way to Zora's Domain. When I was going through revisions for this chapter, this part bugged me for being too grim. I liked it, because it showed more of the dire nature of things, but it stood out as both too dark for this point in the story, as well as made it difficult to justify any trade going up and down the roads at all. So I ultimately cut it entirely and had this stretch of Link's travels be uneventful. However, you all likely remember that I eventually revisited troubles along this road with the unfortunate fall of the Wetlands Stable…**

 **Traveling to Zora's Domain/Dead Travelers**

As he rode, he spotted several bokoblin camps near the road, but was able to largely keep his distance from most of them. Bokoblins weren't especially fast on the best of days, and none of them could hope to outrun a horse. Thankfully, none of these ones had horses of their own.

It was late afternoon when he saw the four bokoblins crouched near a pair of dead horses and another two prone figures. The road had been blocked by the broken remains of an old cart, and the horses' bodies bristled with crude arrows. In his mind's eye, Link could see how the fight had gone. The two riders had likely been forced to slow because of the cart, which had been the opportunity for the bokoblins, standing atop one of the two hills on either side of the road, to launch volleys of arrows down on the hapless travelers. To Link's dismay, he also saw arrows sprouting from the two prone bodies.

He dismounted from Spirit, grabbing his weaponry. He began to walk up the road towards the distracted bokoblins—he couldn't quite see what they were doing to the Hylian bodies, but at least two of them appeared to be cutting meat off of the horses. He hoped they were just doing so to the horses. At some point, one of the bokoblins saw Link and sounded the alarm. This bokoblin died first, an arrow in its neck. The bokoblin next to it, busily trying to draw a bow with fumbling fingers, died next.

The next couple minutes passed by in a blur to Link. The two remaining bokoblins attempted to put up a fight, wielding a pair of weapons that Link thought they might have pulled off of the bodies—a spear and hand axe. Link spared them no mercy, cutting them down with brutal efficiency. At one point, two more bokoblins joined the fray—Link wasn't even sure where they came from—but Link fought them just as he fought the others.

Finally, as he loosed the arrow that caught the last remaining bokoblin in the back as it tried to flee, Link seemed to come back to his senses. He breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his nose and brow. His hair was plastered to his face. He grimaced as he looked around at the scene around him—six dead bokoblins, a man, a woman, and a pair of horses. A shocking amount of red and purple blood stained the dirt and grass. None of the blood had been his own.

He had no idea how to properly bury the Hylians. No concept of what their rituals or funeral rites looked like. Ultimately, he settled on a pyre. Feeling it was terribly inadequate, he laid each of the bodies to rest on the pyre, watching for a time as the acrid black smoke rose into the air. He left the bodies of the bokoblins and the horses where they lay—scavengers and wild animals would take care of those.

The sun was low in the sky when he finally started riding again, his expression grim. He made camp well into the evening after he had crossed a bridge over a river that appeared to form part of the moat that surrounded the distant Hyrule Castle. He settled down next to a smaller body of water, drained both physically and mentally. That night, however, he got very little sleep.

* * *

 **This next scene is an alternate ending to Divine Beast Vah Ruta and the final conversation with Mipha. I cut it, simply put, because I thought it wasn't very good! If you go back and read the chapter, you'll see that I expanded on the final conversation between Link and Mipha. In this, I felt Mipha was just too stiff and basically a cardboard cut-out. So, I started over with it, doing my best to make her feel more lifelike.**

 **Alternate End to Chapter 15/Beginning of 16**

Link's shoulder slumped. He breathed heavily, looking around with wide eyes. He was alone. The creature was gone, yes, but so was Mipha. He spun around, eyes searching the room.

"Mipha?"

"I'm here." Link whirled to face the sound and he was surprised to see the faint image of her standing over by the device in the center of the room. She placed her hands to the panel at its front and, suddenly, the device's lights shifted from orange to Sheikah blue. Somewhere deep in Vah Ruta, ancient gears and parts began to move again. She stepped back from it and looked back at Link, smiling.

Link stepped slowly across the room to stand beside her. "You healed me," he said, touching his chest where the spear had exited his body.

Mipha reached out, placing her translucent hand on the torn portion of the armor she made him. The silvery scale still remained, though it only seemed to hang by a few threads. "I did not even know that I still could." She gave him a faint smile.

"Thank you."

Mipha laughed softly and shook her head. "You saved _me_ ; you saved Ruta."

"And you protected me, just like you promised you always would."

Mipha looked at him in surprise. It took her a moment of indecision before she spoke. "I always will." She clasped her hands over her chest, meeting his eyes. Her hands began to glow with her healing light again. After a moment, she reached out and placed her hands against his chest.

A feeling like that of cool water spread from the spot that she touched, flowing through him to the tips of his fingers and toes. He gasped softly at the sensation, which only lasted for a few seconds before fading, except for the palms of his hands. He lifted his hands, surprised to see the soft healing light emanating from them now.

"I've given you my healing power." Mipha's visage had grown noticeably more translucent. Her voice was softer as well. "I… do not believe I will be able to accompany you. My place will still be here, with Ruta."

Link's heart sank, and he lowered his hands, which had stopped glowing. "Are you sure?"

"I am. Now that you've freed her, I am in control again. Somehow, even as a spirit, I am still able to interface with her. I can _help_ you in your fight against Ganon, Link. When you face it, I will bring the full force of Ruta's fury against it."

It sounded lonely to Link. She'd already spent so much time here, alone with that creature. She should be free to leave, to go somewhere else, or, perhaps, even to move on. She felt that she still had a duty to accomplish, however—a sentiment that he could understand well. It made him feel better to know that he would have her help against Ganon when he eventually faced it.

And he would eventually face it. Now that he knew Mipha again—now that he knew even a small portion of what had been taken from him… He would make sure of it. He would free the other Divine Beasts, hopefully freeing the spirits of the other Champions in the process, and then he would do everything he could to put an end to Hyrule's hundred-year nightmare.

* * *

 **(This next part was originally set in the same chapter, but I actually started Chapter 16 with it in the final product.)**

The sun had begun to set when he finally stepped foot off of Vah Ruta again. Mipha had steered it to the East Reservoir Dam, lowering the platform until it lined up with the previously submerged walkway. The excess water had begun to drain out of the reservoir now that the rain had stopped, exposed the white stone.

As Link stepped off of the platform, he looked back and saw Mipha standing in the doorway. She raised a hand in farewell and then disappeared from his view. Vah Ruta began to move again, rising up on its powerful legs and wading across the water to the nearby edge of the reservoir, where it took up its place to watch the distant Hyrule Castle.

Link watched quietly as Mipha moved her Divine Beast into position. She would remain here and wait for Link's signal before making the journey to the castle. Finally, he sighed and looked at the silver trident that he held in his hand.

"Give this to Sidon," Mipha had told him after leading him through Vah Ruta to find the place her Lightscale Trident had ended up after death. Even after one hundred years, it looked pristine, without a spot of rust. The silvery weapon was tall with red accents and blue sapphires ornamented it in multiple places. "Tell him… Tell him that I'm proud of him."

* * *

 **This next scene is the original introduction to the town of Old Kasuto, the ruins outside of the Citadel. I didn't hate this, but after writing it, I realized some flaws with my vision of the town. I had the road through Akkala lead straight through the town, but then I realized that would make no sense, since I described the town as having a wall and gate. The road needed to be able to skirt around the old town as well, for those traveling deeper into the region. Also, by my scale, it would make the town a massive city, which isn't what I was going for! So, I changed it, made the town of Kasuto a place nestled just at the base of the Citadel, on the other side of the canyon, and off to the side of the road.**

 **I also decided to rewrite Link's first introduction to the living Guardians here, as the original one just didn't sit right with me. I felt it was more effective to just have Link see a single Guardian, rather than a horde of them, and I wanted to impress upon my readers the fear he has for them.**

 **Link travels through Old Kasuto**

It took him more than hour before he reached the ruins of a town that had been built up near the old Citadel. Link leaned low over Spirit's neck, patting the horse, who he'd been pushing harder than usual in order to get here quickly. From what Link could see, it seemed to be deserted. Most buildings had long since crumbled, though there were still some standing structures that had seemingly avoided some of the destruction. A quick check on the pre-Calamity map on his Sheikah Slate told him that the town had once been called Kasuto.

There had, once, been a wall around Kasuto, with a central gate leading in and out. The Guardians, it seemed, had destroyed both, leaving the wall a crumbled mess while the wooden doors of the gate had been shattered. He slowed Spirit's pace as they slowly entered the old town, wary of any potential ambushes. No screeching bokoblins, hissing lizalfos, or roaring moblins jumped out at him, however, as he and his horse passed through the town. As he rode down the main thoroughfare, he became convinced that he and Spirit were the only living beings in this place. The silence was eerie.

He eventually reached a fork in the road and stopped. Down one avenue, he could see the exit to the town—an identical broken gate that had been pushed out, rather than in—while the other led towards the Citadel. From this vantage, Link could see the structure and the mountain it sat on much more clearly. What he saw filled him with dread.

The ancient Akkala Citadel, which still stood tall despite the destruction wrought on the land and the passage of time, had been infested by Guardians. Living, functioning Guardians.

With shaking hands, Link removed the Sheikah Slate from his belt, lifting it and activating its telescope mode. With it, he could see the Guardians much more clearly. He could pick out Guardians that walked on multiple spider-like legs, using their claws to grip stone, giving them the ability to scale the sheer walls of the fortress. He could also see a new type of Guardian that was able to fly through the air, lifted by a trio of rapidly spinning blades. Several of these flew in a circle around the glowing Sheikah tower. They all glowed with the same red-purple light that the Divine Beasts did. Ganon's influence still controlled these constructs.

Link felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. He could also see some of the liquid substance that had covered the floors and walls of Vah Ruta. Impa had called it Ganon's Malice. She told him that it formed in places where Ganon's power seemed to be concentrated. The Divine Beasts, Hyrule Castle, and a few other places throughout the land. The Malice here seemed to have spread throughout the old Citadel, covering the floors and oozing down sides of the mountain. Purple tendrils hung like banners in doorways and across walls.

* * *

 **This was originally how I planned to start the trek up Death Mountain, following the memory with Daruk. I didn't hate this scene, in particular, and this is one that I almost consider canon. But it just wasn't necessary. I was able to cover most of this in dialogue and narrative text, and I felt that this just didn't flow as well into their climb as I liked.**

 **Link and Yunobo get ready to climb Death Mountain**

"Boss, are you sure it shouldn't be you going up there?" Yunobo asked Bludo as Link walked up the path to Bludo's house the next day. Link wore his blue Champion's tunic, but no excess armor or shirt under the tunic. His armor had done little to protect him during his previous encounter in Vah Ruta, so it made little sense to worry about it now. He had donned a pair of gloves and tied his hair back with a bandana to better keep sweat from dripping into his eyes.

He carried his bow and arrows, including the Ancient arrows provided to him by Robbie. He had left his Zora sword at the inn, instead opting to just bring the Ancient sword at his waist. His Sheikah shield remained strapped to his back, however. He had a few waterskins and two jars of fireproof elixir in a pack that he had slung over his shoulder. He hoped that it would be enough.

"You'll be fine," Bludo said, fixing Yunobo with a one-eyed glare. "You're just as good with the cannons as I am. It'll be good for you. You just have to help him get aboard Rudania."

Yunobo nodded, though he looked anxious. "If you say so, Boss."

Bludo looked down at Link, taking in his appearance and the equipment brought. "You really think one of those things are in Rudania?" Link nodded, eyes turning up towards Death Mountain. He could see the Divine Beast now, climbing upon the north side of the volcano. "Well, good luck. Give 'im a good clobbering from all of us. If you manage to actually stop Rudania from making Death Mountain rage like it is, I'm going to make you an official Goron brother."

Link smiled faintly, meeting Bludo's eye. "Daruk already did that a hundred years ago."

Bludo didn't seem to quite know what to make of that, reaching up and stroking his beard. "So he did, then." He considered for another moment before reaching out and slapping Link on the back. Why did all Gorons have to _do_ that? "Well, good luck then, brother."

Link nodded towards Bludo and then looked up at Yunobo, who was watching their exchange in fascination. "Are you ready, Yunobo?"

"O-oh!" Yunobo stood up straighter and then hurried over, picking up a large leather bag that appeared full of liquid, slinging it over his shoulder with ease. "Now I am. I've got extra water for you since it's going to keep getting hotter the further up we get."

Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about not bringing enough water.

* * *

 **These are just literally a few quips that I wrote ahead of time for Revali to say. They all ended up in the novel in some fashion, though none were verbatim! But I had fun thinking up quips for him to tease Link about—and vice versa, eventually.**

 **Quips for Revali**

"What did you do to your hair? It looks as though someone just took a sword to cut it all off at once! Wait, don't tell me—is that what you did?"

"What is with the plumage around your face? Oh, skies above, are you trying to grow a _beard_? It doesn't suit you whatsoever. Looks more like you glued some horse hair to your face. In _patches_."

"Have you grown shorter?"

* * *

 **This is an alternate version of the scene following Teba and Harth's attack on Medoh. I liked this one a lot, but ultimately decided to cut it for a number of reasons, chief among them being the fact that I doubted Amali would let any of their daughters out of her sight with Medoh flying overhead and the recent fight. Still, I thought Link being described as Kass' "special friend" was kind of adorable. Really, anything with Kass and his daughters is adorable, as far as I'm concerned.**

 **Kass and Link on the way up Rito Village**

Before Kass could say anything else, a high-pitched voice pierced the air. "Poppy!"

Both Link and Kass looked around, finding a little, purple-feathered Rito child hurrying down the stairs. Kass bent down and swept her up in his arms, holding her close. They embraced for a time before Kass turned to Link.

"Link, this is my daughter, Kheel."

Kheel gasped sharply, eyes opening wide. "Poppy, is this your special friend?"

Kass chuckled slightly and reached up, smoothing down some of the feathers atop her head. "Yes, this is my friend, Link. He's the one I told you all about last night."

"He said that you almost _died_."

Kass looked taken aback, looking at her in surprise. "I did no such thing!"

"You _implied_ it," Kheel said, sounding pleased with herself.

Link found himself smiling as Kass, normally so collected and unruffled, sputtered for a moment before frowning at his daughter. "Well, there's no need to discuss such things here. What would your mother say?"

"Well, I heard her telling you that—"

" _All right_." Kass placed a feathered finger against Kheel's beak. "No more. Where are the rest of your sisters?"

"I think they're all still at home. I came to look for you! _Genli_ is still sleeping."

Kass glanced towards Link. "Would you like to meet the rest of my family before I take you to see the Elder? I imagine that he will be busy for a time addressing the situation with Medoh."

Link agreed, and they continued to climb higher into the city. As they walked, he began to notice several porches built between the other buildings. They had no railings and jutted out precariously over the water below. Link watched as a Rito stepped up to the edge of one and dove off, spreading her wings and gliding down to a lower level.

* * *

 **This is an alternate good-bye between Kass and Link, when he first leaves to go back to Kakariko Village prior to the Gerudo Desert. It wasn't bad, but I ultimately decided to go a slightly different route with it. But I liked his dialogue with Kass, regardless.**

 **Link says good-bye to Kass**

"Do you have everything ready to go?" Kass asked.

Link nodded. "Most everything is down at the stable already. I just wanted to come over and say good-bye."

Kass met his gaze, and Link saw the ever-present twinkle in his friend's eyes. They had already discussed Link's travel plans in depth. Kass had decided to remain in Rito Village with his family for a time, and Link agreed. Though he appreciated the companionship, now that Link knew Kass' family, he didn't think he would be able to justify putting Kass into further danger. The Yiga were still out there, likely anticipating his travels to the Gerudo Desert.

Kass, for his part, lamented that he would not be able to continue traveling with Link, but admitted that he had spent too much time away from home. After the events surrounding Medoh, he felt that he needed to be with his family for a time before continuing his travels to complete his teacher's song.

They sat in silence for a time before Kass sighed, his expression growing distant. "It does feel as though you are nearing the end."

Link nodded. He felt the same way. One Divine Beast remained, but Hyrule Castle loomed in his mind, as well as its army of Guardians. "Do you think I'm going to succeed?"

"If I said no, would that change your path?"

"No."

"Good," Kass said, smiling. "For what it's worth, I am confident in your success, but I do expect that your journey will likely only get harder from here. You will need to be cautious, but bold, all the same."

 _Just like a minstrel to tell me to be both cautious and bold_ , Link thought.

* * *

 **This is an alternate scene from Side Quests II, when I planned for Teba and Kass to be the ones to find Link's Sheikah Slate in the moat. I decided to cut it for the sake of giving each of the Champions one of the Side Quests, and because I thought it was a better fit for Sidon and his crew to come across it.**

 **Kass and Teba Search for Link**

"How do you even know he came here?" Teba asked as he glided closer.

"It's a hunch. I don't know for sure." Kass peered around as they flew high above the castle, out of the effective range of the Guardians below.

There was a great deal of movement below. The Guardians were more agitated than Kass had ever seen them, swarming over the castle's many towers and parapets. They were more destructive as well, attacking other structures and even animals that wandered too close to the castle—something that they did not usually do. As he watched, they concentrated fire on the only remaining tower that stood apart from the main structure, connected by a stone bridge. The tower fell quickly, its lower levels blasting apart, sending it crashing down, into the moat below.

Kass had expected Link to return within a few days of leaving Rito Village. After a week passed with no word, he began to worry. When one of the Sheikah arrived a few days later using a rudimentary Sheikah Slate, asking if Kass had seen Link, he knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

The extra Sheikah Slate hung from his hip, given to him by Purah for the sake of looking for Link. She installed a new rune that she thought might help locate Link—something that would alert him if he got within a certain range of Link's own Sheikah Slate. Kass recruited Teba, and together, they flew to the castle, making sure to pass over a few other key locations on the way that were other likely possibilities.

Kass found it difficult to put into words why he thought Link may have come to the castle. Link had begun to change during their recent journey across Hyrule Field. His memories were coming back in greater number, and they brought with them a new range of emotions that Link seemed unprepared to confront.

* * *

 **Originally, I did not plan for Link to have the memory of his conversation with Zelda about his own burdens while on the road to Tarrytown. When I wrote this, I was still figuring out the pacing for the remainder of the memories, as I had a lot I wanted to show and not much time! I decided to just add the memory here, instead, but I still think this was an interesting take on that scene. I enjoy anytime I got to write Link interacting with the Master Sword. Also take note of the vision he gets when he talks to her—you all know that comes back later, but in a different way…**

 **Link in Akkala reading Zelda's Diary**

 _"When I finally got around to asking why he's so quiet all the time, I could tell it was difficult for him to say. But he did. With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden. A feeling I know all too well..._

 _"For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings. I always believed him to be simply a gifted person who had never faced a day of hardship. How wrong I was... Everyone has struggles that go unseen by the world... I was so absorbed with my own problems, I failed to see his."_

This was Link's foolish mistake. His refusal to share his own burdens with Zelda, despite knowing the strain she was under, was what led to so many of their difficulties early on. True, she had some incorrect assumptions, as well, but how much damage did his own silence do? By letting her assume that he was, as she put it, simply a gifted person without hardship, he isolated her.

That had changed eventually. That was what he wanted to remember so terribly, yet…

 _"I wish to talk with him more and to see what lies beneath those calm waters, to hear him speak freely and openly... And perhaps I, too, will be able to bare my soul to him and share the demons that have plagued me all these years."_

Why couldn't he _remember_ any of this? He was confident that this very thing had happened—his own memories in the Spring of Power confirmed that they eventually grew close enough to share their burdens readily. Yet, despite his attempts to remember, he could not remember anything beyond their conversation on the way to the bazaar.

What had it felt like for him, when Zelda opened up to him about her own struggles? What had he thought? How did he respond?

Link sighed heavily, lowering the diary to his lap and looking at the ocean. Why was this so important to him? It seemed like such a small thing to worry about, yet he couldn't get these simple words out of his mind. He got the distinct feeling that Zelda was not one to share her burdens very easily either, and her decision to do so with him must have been very difficult for her.

And he wanted to remember the moment. He wanted to remember her expression, her words, her…

Her. He wanted to remember her. It was important that he did, though he still didn't fully know why.

He groaned. He felt like a lovesick teenager. "Then again," he said out loud as he glanced back down at the diary. "How old, exactly, _am_ I?" A couple years older than Zelda—he knew that for sure. She claimed to be seventeen in her last diary entry—did that make him nineteen? Twenty? Give or take one hundred years.

"What about you?" he suddenly asked, standing up and pulling the Master Sword out of its scabbard on Spirit's saddle. He sat back down on the ground, looking at the sword. "Can you tell me anything? You showed me her memories earlier—can you help me unlock anything else?"

For a time, he felt nothing, and then he received something of a reply from the spirit of the sword. She appeared… amused.

Link felt heat rising around his collar.

 _Familiar_. A single word. He didn't hear it as much as felt it, and it was accompanied by something else. An image of a man and woman who looking vaguely familiar, each riding atop a great bird of a kind that Link was unfamiliar with. Their faces were unfamiliar to Link, yet he felt that he knew who they were.

"What, did they… care for each other?" he asked, feeling embarrassed to say it out loud.

And the Master Sword implanted another series of feelings in his head. It took him a moment to parse through the sword's strange way of communicating, but he got a sense of loyalty and dedication. Deep friendship and something more. A desperation to see the other safe and whole. To see her again.

Link was not alone in his current feelings, it would seem.

He exhaled slowly and sat there for a time longer before, finally, standing with a groan.

* * *

 **Link was idiotic for paragliding into Gerudo Town. Originally, I wrote him to be even _more_ idiotic and he actually _planned_ to glide onto the palace. But it didn't sit right with me (hence the title of this cut scene), so I changed it that he lost control and that led to his unfortunate landing.**

 **Why in the world would Link think it's cool to just paraglide to Riju's room?**

He sailed down through the air, approaching the palace's upper floors, where the walls opened up in large arches.

Overhead, Medoh turned and rose into the air, heading north. Link watched warily as he saw Gerudo gathering in the streets beneath him, pointing and yelling. Worryingly, he also saw a number of Gerudo gathering at the palace's front entrance. Each of them held a spear angled towards Link.

 _That's fine_ , he thought. _I'm not going in that way_. But he was increasingly concerned that this approach was, perhaps, a foolhardy one. He had hoped to see men in the crowd below, but all that he could see were tall, red-haired women. It would seem the rule barring men from the city still held fast, then.

Link passed over the guards below, who yelled angrily and rushed into the palace's entrance, likely to find the stairs leading up to the top floor. His feet touched down on the stone ground just outside of the arched entrance to the upper room. Inside, he could see a lavishly-decorated room. Colorful rugs covered much of the floor, and he saw similarly styled drapes on most of the walls. A large, plush bed stood in the room's center. Oddly, he also saw what appeared to be a plush sand seal doll sitting on the bed as well.

Hearing voices coming from the stairs on either side of the building's entrance, Link stepped into the room. It wasn't the audience hall that he'd hoped it was. In fact, it appeared to be a bedroom—likely the chieftain's own room, which was concerning. But he just needed to find the chieftain of the Gerudo. Explain his situation. Surely, he could—

He wasn't alone in the room. He hadn't even seen her at first, sitting cross-legged on a couch, a book open before her and a quill pen in hand. The woman was young—a young teenager by all appearances—with long red hair in a loose braid that stretched down her back. She wore golden ornamentation upon her head. A crown.

 _Oh, Hylia,_ Link thought, dread settling down into the pit of his stomach. _This was a very bad plan._

She looked up when he entered, surprise registering on her face. "Who—"

And suddenly, the butt of a spear extended from beside the doorway, slamming into Link's temple and rendering him unconscious.

* * *

 **I _really_ wanted to write the battle that takes place prior to the "A Premonition" memory. Link fighting an army of bokoblins and lynels single-handedly? Count me in! But I couldn't find a satisfactory place to put it that didn't throw the pacing off. Plus, I knew that the Battle of Hateno Village was coming up, and I felt that this had the potential to overshadow that as the Link-verses-an-army scene. So I decided to drop it and just reference it in other locations. I may revisit it one day, though—whether in the sequel somehow or just as a little one-shot that would be fun to write. In the meantime, this is how that memory would have started!**

 **Link fights an army of lynels and bokoblins in a memory**

"Princess, you need to flee!" Link yelled, catching the lynel's blade with his own, held in two hands. The great beast towered over him, but Link did not try to overpower it, instead redirecting its blow to send its sword to the ground. He brought his sword up and left a deep gash in its arm.

How had they gotten here? The day had been beautiful, Death Mountain's heat was not yet too oppressive, and Zelda had been excited to look at a mound of rock that she thought might have been a Sheikah Shrine. They'd left their horses behind at the trading outpost, and Link carried a heavy bladder of water on his back. It had been a difficult hike when they left the trail to Goron City, but it was also very satisfying to see Zelda in her element, excited about the prospect of discovering a new shrine.

Of course, the shrine had been a rock, and then they were attacked by a disturbingly large force of bokoblins and moblins. Where had they even been hiding?

And then it only got worse.

The lynel roared in fury, wrenching its sword from the ground and swinging it for Link's head. Link ducked under the swing and lunged forward, ramming the Master Sword forward, into the lynel's heart. The beast released a pained sound, but Link couldn't focus on it.

He pulled his sword free and whirled, hoping to see that Zelda had taken his suggestion and fled. But, no. She was still there, watching with wide eyes, as Link faced down not one, but _three_ lynels.

To make matters worse, it wasn't as though Link had a chance to finish off all of the bokoblins before the lynels appeared, either. He saw one of them scrambling up onto a rock nearby with a bow. From there, it would have a clear shot at either Link _or_ Zelda.

"Get _down_ , damn it!"

He slammed his sword into its sheathe and sprinted forward, leaping at the rock and scrambling up it. He almost didn't even hear the hooves pounding the ground behind him when, all of a sudden, another of the lynels grabbed him and flung him through the air.

* * *

 **I had such a tough time writing the scene where Link went back to Gerudo Town after the Yiga Clan fight! What I put in the novel is actually the _first_ attempt I had at writing it, which I then decided I didn't like. So, then I wrote this. And then I decided I preferred the first one better and stuck with that, though I did rewrite parts of it. But here is an alternate version of that sequence, which would have led into Buliara and Link's conversation in the throne room.**

 **Link reenters Gerudo Town (2nd Edition)**

The small procession of Gerudo that approached Gerudo Town was a victorious one. Link was, surprisingly, near its head. He felt strange riding alongside Liana, just behind Captain Teake. As far as he could tell, his position among them was… complicated. Liana and many others among the Gerudo ranks had praised him for his efforts to help the Gerudo—after he handed over the Thunder Helm, of course. On the other hand, Captain Teake, herself, as well as some in the force seemed a little perturbed with his being an outsider as well as a voe.

However, the fact that the Gerudo had always won a great victory over the forces of the Yiga did much to smooth relations over. Link's terrifying flight from the hideout had brought a great deal of Yiga out to pursue him, and his murder of Master Kohga had only encouraged them to commit more forces to the battle than was strategically sound. The Gerudo had slaughtered them, finally forcing the beleaguered Yiga into a retreat back into their tunnels.

There had been some discussion of pursuing the Yiga further, but it was finally agreed upon that the important thing would be to take the Thunder Helm back to their chief. They would attack the Yiga again another time, once Link and Barta's knowledge of the hideout and its secrets could be put to use.

Barta had been there as well, though still bruised and with one arm in a sling. She shoved the Sheikah Slate back into Link's chest and then awkwardly thanked him for his assistance. She, like the others, didn't seem to know what to do with the fact that Link was a voe. This was, apparently, a very unique situation for the Gerudo.

As they approached the city, the women around him began to ululate and raise fists in the air. This was repeated by other Gerudo warriors outside of the city and the watchers on the wall. It appeared that every guard and soldier left in the city came out to meet them as they approached, joined by Buliara and Lady Riju at their head.

"Come, voe!" Captain Teake called, looking back towards Link. She rode out ahead, and Link reluctantly followed. They halted before Riju and Buliara, each dismounting from their sleds, while the rest of the Gerudo force began to disperse, taking their sand seals to their place on the other side of the city.

"Lady Riju," Teake said, kneeling before Riju and offering her the Thunder Helm. Even kneeling, Teake was still taller than Riju. "The ancestors brought us a great victory on this day. Not only has this voe successfully recovered the Thunder Helm, we also dealt a decisive blow against the Yiga clan in battle."

Buliara shot Link a glare, and after a moment, he mimicked Captain Teake, kneeling on the sand. Riju smiled broadly, taking the Thunder Helm with reverent fingers. "Thank you, Captain Teake. And… thank you, Link." She looked at him, eyes twinkling with excitement. "It would seem you are every bit the hero that Lady Urbosa once claimed you were."

Teake looked confused by this statement, giving him a sidelong glance, which Link ignored. After a moment, she looked back at Riju. "Lady Riju, in speaking with this voe, he claims to have also killed the head of the Yiga clan. I believe they will be vulnerable to attack and would like to lead an assault on the hideout tomorrow, before they can properly regroup."

Riju glanced back at Teake, considering. And then she nodded. "Go ahead, Captain Teake. Inform Buliara about your plans."

With that, Teake was dismissed. She rose, fist to heart, and turned, retrieving her sand seal. Link stood as well. Only he, Riju, Buliara, and a handful of other guards remained. Most of the other soldiers had departed when the main body did so, and even the watchers on the wall appeared to have been shooed away.

"I can barely believe you actually did it," Riju said, running her fingers along the helmet's golden surface. "When it was stolen, I was worried…" She trailed off.

After a moment, Link cleared his throat. "Lady Riju, the Divine Beast—"

"It is still heading our way. My scouts think it will be upon the city by tomorrow night, at the latest. It will pass by the Kara Kara Bazaar by tomorrow afternoon."

"Then we don't have much time," Link said, grimacing. He was exhausted, but there was little time to waste.

"Hmm," Riju said, thoughtfully. Finally, she looked up at Buliara, nodding.

Buliara bent, picking up a bundle of cloth that had been on the ground. It was a thin cloak made with white fabric and gold trim. She held it out to Link. "Put this on." Link took the cloak, raising an eyebrow, but did as she suggested, wrapping it around his shoulders. "Hood up," the tall woman said.

He did so, and she then handed him a small veil. Link sighed. "Really? You can't just… make an exception?"

"This _is_ the exception," Buliara said, her voice threatening.

Pursing his lips, Link took the veil from her and placed it over his nose and mouth. Riju grinned mischievously and turned, her long braid flopping behind her. She began to walk purposely towards the nearest entrance, followed by Buliara and Link. The guards at the door eyed Link—they certainly would have seen who he was, as had any other guards and soldiers watching—but they did not stop him from entering the city behind Riju.

They entered into what appeared to be a soldier's courtyard. Golden weapons lined the inner walls on racks, and there were several training dummies and archery targets in other places. Some of the younger-looking soldiers were already training.

Riju purposely led them towards a staircase on the other side of the courtyard, climbing the stairs and entering her palace through one of the side entrances. Link and Buliara followed in silence until they entered the throne room. Riju continued on towards a staircase that led outside to her room, but Buliara reached a hand out, stopping Link. She frowned towards Riju.

"Lady Riju?"

Riju paused, looking back at them. "I want to talk to Link privately, Buliara. I told you that."

"In your _chambers_?"

"Yes."

Buliara remained silent for several moments before nodding. "Yes, Lady Riju. If I may, however—I would like to have a word with him myself first."

Riju nodded, smiling, and continued up the stairs, past a guard, and outside. Buliara watched her quietly before grabbing Link and pulling him away from the stairs and the other guards in the room.

* * *

 **Want an alternate opening to the memory with Link, Zelda, and Aryll in the field? Here you go! Though I liked this opening, I decided to expand this memory more and show some other details of Link's personality—like his love of climbing, which hadn't gotten a lot of focus in the story before now.**

 **Link, Zelda, and Aryll**

"Link!"

He kept his eyes _firmly_ closed.

"Oh, you can't honestly expect me to believe you fell asleep already."

"He's not sleeping!" Another voice joined the first—a younger female voice. He could practically _hear_ Aryll's grin in her tone. "See, look? He's keeping his face too still. He doesn't look like that when he actually sleeps. He just likes to pretend he's sleeping sometimes."

"And why is that?" Zelda asked.

Link sighed, lifting his head and looking at the two women. "Because I'm _actually_ trying to take a nap."

Aryll grinned broadly at him from her spot in the grass a couple meters away. Zelda sat beside her on a blanket that she spread out. Link, by contrast, lay on the grass under the shade of an oak tree.

"See?" she said, looking at Zelda with a self-satisfied smirk.

"And how do you know so well what I look like when I sleep?" Link said, grumbling, and laying his head back on the ground.

"A lady shall never reveal her secrets," his sister said. And the two of them began to snicker together.

Link opened his eyes, looking up at the dappled sunlight filtering down through the canopy of leaves overhead. Honestly, if he had known that the two of them would become some fast friends—and gleefully take to teasing him—then he might have rethought this whole idea.

"Oh, stop being such a _grump_ ," Zelda said. He felt something bounce off his chest.

He lifted his head again to look at her. "I'm not being a grump! I'm just… relaxing."

"Do you really want to sleep instead of spending time with two beautiful women?" Aryll asked, grinning broadly.

"That's not—" Link started, stumbling slightly. Finally, he snorted. "You're my sister—and _twelve_."

* * *

 **This was my first version of the Spring of Wisdom. It hurt me to write it, and I decided to write another version that ended a little differently (you'll see what I mean). And then I agonized for about two days over which version I would use. I ultimately went with version 2, but I wanted to share this one as an alternative. I _almost_ wrote a "happy ending" version just for myself to make myself feel better, but... well, I didn't, so sorry! But, of the two, you all can tell me which one you preferred! **

**Spring of Wisdom Alternate Ending**

Her breath caught, and she shifted, sitting up. She was still in his lap, and now her face was level with his. His hand still cupped her cheek. He should have moved it. He didn't. Instead, he gently stroked a tear away with his thumb.

"During our travels, I've often wondered what you were feeling," she said, staring into his eyes. "I asked myself… what you thought of me."

A lump formed in his throat, and he began to pull his hand away, but she caught his hand with her own, keeping it pressed to her cheek. She was getting closer to him now.

"I even asked you once, do you remember?"

"Yes," he said in a whisper.

"If I asked you again now, what would you say?"

"I…"

Closer. She was so close now. He could feel her breath on his face. On his lips. He could feel the warmth of her body, pressed against his. He could feel his own heat rising, desire for her nearly overriding all other thought. Less than an inch separated them.

"Do you… love me?"

"I—"

"Link?"

He could see the path before him in one brilliant moment of color, beauty, and pleasure. He did. Goddess in the heavens above, he _did_ love her. And he could tell her. He could tell her right now, and then he could take her away from here. Away from their responsibilities. Their duties. Their burdens. They could board a ship and sail away, just like his sister always spoke about. They could leave _everything_ behind.

He knew she would do it, if he asked. In that moment, with her as vulnerable as she was, he knew that she would. She would, because she would see no other choice. She cared for him, perhaps even loved him as he loved her. She would freely give herself to him.

And that was exactly the reason that he couldn't do any of those things. When he told her that he loved her, it would not be like this, when desperation and fear clouded their judgment. He wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability like that.

Link closed his eyes and did the hardest thing he would ever do. "Zelda, I… I _can't_."

He felt her body stiffen against him. "What?"

He kept his eyes closed. He didn't dare look at her face, at the hurt that he knew she must have felt. He was a coward.

"It's not… _right_. You're a princess, and I—"

"No." Her tone grew angry. " _No_ , you can't— _hide_ behind that. Link, do you love me, or don't you?"

He couldn't answer. How could he? He couldn't tell her the truth, but to tell _that_ lie? He would rather throw himself from the mountain.

" _Look_ at me."

He forced his eyes open and found her still close to him, eyes searching his.

" _Please_ …" she whispered. "Please just… tell me."

How he wished he could. "I… I'm sorry. It's not…" He looked away. "It's not appropriate."

She remained still for a long time. And then, slowly, she rose from his lap and walked to their tent, entering it, and closing the flap behind her.

* * *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

"I love you," he said, staring into the fire. "I _always_ loved you. I'm so—"

Everything broke in him. His emotions roiled within him, uncontrollable as they had been the day he went to the castle. At the center of them was Zelda, her face so hurt. She'd _needed_ him then, and he'd refused to do the one thing that would have a difference. And for _what_? Propriety? _Duty_? What did _either_ of those things even mean now, after what happened that very _next day_?

" _Damn you_!" He shoved himself to his feet and whirled on the statue of Hylia. " _You_ did this! If you had woken her powers sooner, then _none_ of this would have happened! She wouldn't have been _trapped_ in that castle with that—that _foul_ creature for the last one hundred years!"

* * *

 **This is an alternate opening to the first memory at Blatchery Plains. This wasn't bad, but it just didn't feel right to me. I decided to rewrite it, which then included the conversation between Link and the older commander of Fort Hateno.**

 **Guardians Arrive at Blatchery Plains**

Link swore and charged towards the wall, taking the hastily-made wooden steps three at a time to reach the top, where the soldiers stood, looking out at the field nervously. He knew what he would find, but he had to see it for himself. He had to know.

He nearly bowled over the commander of the wall—a young man, ill-prepared for command. But who of them that were left truly were prepared for _this_?

"Sir Link!" the man said. "Scout reports just came in—they are—"

He was silenced as another man further down the wall cried, " _Guardians! They're coming!_ "

Link pushed aside the commander and rushed to the edge of the wall. Fort Hateno stood, as it had for centuries, if not millennia, and overlooked the Blatchery Plains. Here, soldiers lined up, waiting behind barricades. Prepared to die.

And, far away, like a swarm of insects pouring out of a hive, Guardians began to appear. They crawled out of the gap between the Dueling Peaks, some along the ground while others clung to the walls. They moved laboriously through the gap due to their size and number, but as soon as they were free, they began to spread out and move more quickly.

Each of them glowed with red light. The red light of doom.

Link closed his eyes, gripping the edge of the wall in calloused hands. There was no where left to run. The ships at Hateno Bay were all gone, according to the messenger that they encountered. They could keep running east, perhaps head south—perhaps Loshlo Harbor or Palmorae still had ships left, but he feared it would not be the case.

Friends, dead. _Family_ , dead. Kingdom, dead. Zelda was all he had left, and she had been in a nearly catatonic state following their desperate flight across Hyrule Field. They could run. He might even be able to convince her to run. But that would mean leaving these soldiers to their fates. They would watch their knight—possibly the only knight left—flee. They would break, and then the Guardians would swarm over the fort and into the valley. Hateno Village would burn by day's end.

Maybe… _Maybe_ he could convince her to run, though. He was the best warrior left, and he knew how to _kill_ these damned things. He wouldn't survive, of course, but maybe… just maybe he could help slow them.

Link threw himself from the wall, hurrying down the stairs to where Zelda stood, still in her stained and ripped white dress. "Zelda!"

* * *

 **This is also the original conversation I wrote between Link and Zelda during the Blatchery Plains memory. Keep in mind that I originally planned for Link to refuse to admit his feelings upon Mount Lanayru (or, actually, it was more that I hadn't fully decided yet), so I went a slightly different route with their good-bye. It had to be changed when I opted to change my plans for the mountain, however!**

 **Alternate Blatchery Plains**

"Zelda, I—"

She held up a hand, silencing him as he reached the ground. "I know what you're going to say."

"There might be ships to the south. Maybe they haven't heard—"

"Link." She met his eyes and then shook her head.

 _Goddess, we were fools on the mountain. If we had known how little time we had left—if_ I _had known—then I would have… I could have…_

He closed his eyes, gripping his hand around the Master Swordly tight enough that his hand hurt. Why couldn't he protect her? Why couldn't he protect _anyone_?

Something soft wrapped around him, and his eyes opened in surprise. Zelda pressed close to him, wrapping her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Link dropped the Master Sword in the mud. He wrapped his arms around Zelda and squeezed her tightly, pressing his face to into her neck.

They remained like that for what felt like a long time. Behind him, Link heard soldiers yelling. Booted feet pounded across the ground. Men prepared to die.

Link lifted his head and pressed his lips to the side of Zelda's head. And then he pulled away from her and bent down, picking up the sword. "Run, Zelda. Get to safety. I'll… I'll hold them back as long as I can."

"No, Link, don't—"

"I love you."

She stopped, staring at him with wide eyes. He gave her a pained smile. "I… just thought I should let you know." He turned, beginning towards the open gate, where soldiers poured out onto the field to meet the Guardians.

"Link, wait!"

Closing his eyes, he broke into a run, joining the defenders.

* * *

 **Side Quest III wasn't originally a planned thing. It was originally just going to be a normal chapter showing the remaining time before the battle began, primarily or entirely from Link's perspective. However, I had some trouble figuring out how to write it, which ultimately led to it being transformed into what we have now. I'm happy with what we ended up with, but one casualty of that is actually a conversation I'd planned for Link to have with Telma in Hateno Village. Here's the beginning of that, before I decided to go a different route.**

 **Link talks to Telma before the battle**

"Link?"

He gave a start at the voice and turned to see Telma making her way towards him, a smile crinkling her eyes. He started to rise, but she waved him back down and walked over to sit beside him, groaning slightly as she sat in the grass.

"I didn't know you were in town," Link said, looking out towards the mountains to the west.

"I just arrived a short time ago. To say that I was surprised at the state of things would be an… understatement."

Link chuckled softly. "Yeah, Hateno Village has had an exciting couple of weeks."

"That's what it sounds like." Telma leaned back, looking up towards the stars. "And I hear that you were at the center of it."

Link didn't respond, eyes still on the distant mountains. Just past them was the Dueling Peaks and then Hyrule Field.

"Well, I should thank you."

Link glanced at Telma, confused.

"I have a lot of friends here in Hateno Village. Men and women that I've known all my life. You kept them alive."

He shook his head. "It was more than just me."

* * *

 **This is an alternative to the scene we got with Link, Zelda, and the Champions on Rudania, before the battle. Originally, Zelda was just going to speak to them in her disembodied voice, but I wasn't satisfied with that, ultimately. I wanted her to have an actual chance to say good-bye to them, as well, which led to her projecting her spirit to join them. You will probably recognize parts of the conversation, though it went through many revisions from this to the finished product. This is definitely the rough draft version of it!**

 **Also, when I wrote this, I had forgotten that Zelda actually interrupted Ganon's regeneration into its physical form, so I had her unsure of what it was up to. I had to change that once I realized my mistake!**

 **One Final Conversation with the Champions**

"Are you ready for this, little guy?" Daruk asked, standing beside Link.

Link gazed out towards Hyrule Castle, shadowy in the setting sun, feeling the anticipation of the coming battle. The skirmishes with monsters in Hyrule Field had continued, but that wasn't surprising. Link's army had moved right into their territory, opting to keep a distance between them and the castle, lest the Guardians attack before they were ready.

Link slowly nodded, but he wasn't sure if he was truly ready for it or not. "I remember coming here last time. Seeing everything destroyed, realizing that we'd already failed…"

"It's incredible that either of you survived that first encounter," Urbosa said, crossing her arms. "You did well, considering what you were up against."

Link turned to look at the four spirits before them. This close to each other, they were able to leave their Divine Beasts and gather together on one—namely Rudania, for its easy access and view of the surrounding landscape. And so, the five Champions gathered together one final time.

"Ganon tried to break us," he said. "He's wilier than any of us gave him credit for."

"Hmph," Revali said, looking towards the castle. "Too bad he failed."

Mipha nodded, expression set in determination. "He even killed us, but here we still are."

Daruk laughed. "And we're about to unleash our full _might_ on that monster."

Link smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I wish you all wouldn't have to leave when it's over, though. I'm sure… Zelda would like to see you all once more."

"I'm here," Zelda said, her voice suddenly in their midst. They all reacted, looking around in confusion. "I can't show myself. I don't… have the strength to do so right now. Ganon attacked me when I helped you at Hateno Village, Link. He nearly… But it doesn't matter any longer. I'm here, now."

Link felt his pulse quicken, hearing her voice once again. A lump formed in his throat, and for a moment, he was speechless. She was all right. She was still _here_.

"Princess!" Daruk said, grinning broadly. "How're you holding up in there?"

"I'm doing well, all things considered," she said. "The company could be nicer, though."

"You've done _great_ , Little Bird," Urbosa said, her voice suddenly thick with emotion. "I always knew you'd be able to do it in the end."

Zelda was silent for a time. "I only wish that I'd understood what I needed sooner. We were all so wrong, and the cost was… far too high." Her voice, too, sounded heavy with repressed emotion.

"So, what did it?" Revali asked. "How _did_ you finally get your power?"

Zelda stayed silent for a time, and Link had the strange feeling that she was looking at him. "It's… I always thought that the power would come through sacrifice and denying myself comforts to make myself more holy. I felt that by emptying myself, I would be able to be… filled, somehow."

Mipha gasped softly, eyes widening. "But the power was within you all along, wasn't it?"

"Yes. And there were things that I had to accept about myself before I could understand it." She paused. "I am truly sorry that it took such tragedy to help me to finally see it."

Urbosa scoffed. "That's hardly your fault. You did everything you could."

"I did… But I also can't forgive myself for coming so close and missing it. The entire kingdom paid the price because I could not interpret the signs I was being given."

Link felt his cheeks grow warm. "You can't blame yourself for that. I remember what your priests used to tell you."

"Perhaps. But they, too, were merely working with what limited knowledge they had. If we'd had more time, I am certain that… well, as I said, I was very close."

"Sometimes a cave has to collapse to reveal a new ore vein," Daruk said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe this was the only way it was going to happen."

"And you just said it—you needed more time," Urbosa said, insistently. "This is all because _Ganon_ chose to come back when it did. None of us had control over that. None of us could have prevented it."

Zelda remained quiet for a time. Finally, she said, "Thank you. I feared that… but, no. I should have known that none of you would carry such bitterness towards me."

"Of course not," Mipha said. "We all know what you went through and how hard you worked."

"That's _right_." Daruk nodded emphatically. "We knew what we signed up for."

"It'll all be worth it when we take out Ganon once and for all," Revali said, waving a wing dismissively.

Zelda's voice strengthened some. "Yes. And that brings me to the other reason I came to see you all. Link."

Link stood up straighter, looking in the direction that he heard the voice from—the direction of the castle.

"Ganon is getting something ready. I fear that the attack on Hateno Village was all a ploy to get me to overcommit and leave myself vulnerable. He did something while I was… unconscious. Blocked me even more than before. I can't see what he is up to or feel his mind at all any longer."

"So, I need to be ready for anything," Link said, grimacing slightly.

"Yes. He's clearly preparing for your arrival."

"Well… maybe we'll have a surprise for him, as well."

"Don't say it here," she said, quickly. "I don't know if he can see us right now or not."

Link nodded slowly. "Then… just be ready. Tomorrow will be it."

* * *

 **Originally, I planned for Impa to the be the one who got the last scene in the final battle against Ganon's forces. She would be the one to realize that Link made it into the castle, and it would be from her perspective that we saw the Divine Beasts form up. I wrote two versions of this scene before I decided to go a different route and give that scene to Revali. Impa, as you might remember, got to watch Ganon transform into its beast form, instead.**

 **Impa post-battle scene**

Something happened. Impa felt it in the earth, saw it in the air, though it was hard to say what it was. It felt as though something _departed_ in that moment. That cold feeling in the air. The oily touch that made her skin crawl. That smell that she almost hadn't noticed, despite the way it made her stomach turn. It was suddenly gone.

She looked up towards Hyrule Castle, and its distant spires. "He made it," she whispered.

"What's that?" Robbie asked, standing next to her.

"Link made it to the castle." She could see other signs now. The Guardians had left the field en masse, all turning and racing towards the castle. The monsters, all of a sudden, seemed to be fighting with less ferocity, and she could see many groups of them racing away.

Link had Ganon's undivided attention now, and the battle outside no longer mattered.

She looked up towards the Divine Beasts. None of them were engaged in battle any longer, the Guardians having departed. They all turned towards the castle now. Even the flying Guardian—Medoh—swooped low and landed on the ground, wings outstretched and body upright. They formed a loose semi-circle and waited.

They all had no choice but to wait now.

 **Other Impa post-battle Scene**

Stillness fell over the land. Impa felt it immediately. Something _departed_ in that moment. The chill in the air. The rumble in the earth. The oily touch that made her skin crawl. The smell that turned her stomach. It was gone.

She looked up at Hyrule Castle, releasing a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. "He made it," she whispered.

"What's that?" Robbie asked, stepping up beside her.

She looked at him. "He's in the castle. He is going to face Ganon."

She could see other signs now. The Guardians that remained left the field en masse, all turning and racing towards the castle. The monsters, all of a sudden, fought with less ferocity, and she could see many groups of them racing away, chased by Hyrulean forces.

Link had Ganon's undivided attention now. The battle outside no longer mattered.

Robbie's face paled some, but a moment later, his expression grew firm. He nodded and looked up towards the castle.

The Divine Beasts gathered again, now that the Guardians were gone. Each of them took up a position in a semi-circle out in front of Castle Town—even Medoh, which landed, upright and wings outstretched.

And they waited. Now they _all_ waited.

For the end.

* * *

 **This is just a small alternative to Link and Zelda's scene sitting on the Great Plateau with the Sheikah Slate. I changed it because I felt that it just ended up being too somber. The final scene had a touch of somberness, true, but I still wanted it to feel victorious, at the same time.**

 **Zelda and Link look at photos**

"I'm glad to see these survived…" She gently brushed her finger across the screen, scrolling through the pictures. She paused at one and then enlarged it. It was the photograph of her, Robbie, and Purah standing together near Robbie's lighthouse. She lingered here for a time before moving on.

They sat in silence for a time as Zelda scrolled through photo after photo. She'd been the one to take the majority of them, though Link now recognized the occasional one that he'd taken. He almost made a comment about the number of photographs featuring him that were in the gallery, but refrained.

Finally, Zelda opened up the picture of them all. All six of Hyrule's Champions.

"I think they're gone now…" she said, voice barely more than a whisper. "Urbosa said they would leave after the battle."

"Zelda, I… I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have—"

"No. No, we said our farewells." She didn't move away from this photograph, however. "I've had one hundred years to accept their loss. Still, it was… nice to be able to see them all one more time."

He rested his cheek against the top of her head and sighed softly. "It was. And now they can be at peace."

Zelda said nothing. Eventually, she began to look at other photographs, and the two of them sat there for a long time. Together.

* * *

 **Well, this is an alternate to Zelda's reunion with the Sheikah, but from Link's perspective. At this point, I'll admit that I was a little tired of writing reunion scenes, so I originally planned for it to be from Link's perspective—so he could look away and I could skip some of it! But then I wasn't happy with the end result and found the mojo to rewrite it from Zelda's POV. The downside is that we missed out on Paya and Link's short conversation—and Impa's scolding Link for taking Zelda away!**

 **Zelda's Reunion—Link's perspective**

Link and Zelda appeared atop Purah's hill. He smiled as he looked out, seeing the village stretched below him. There were people that had gathered in the open area out in front of the in. There were tables being set up. Colorful streamers. It seemed that Hateno Village was preparing for another celebration.

He wondered if he and Zelda would actually stick around for it.

He looked glanced over at her to remark upon it, but before he could do so, the door to Purah's lab slammed open.

" _Zelda_!" Purah screamed, apparently bubbling over with excitement.

Zelda whirled, eyes widening, and a grin appeared on her face. "Purah!" Quicker than Link even expected, they crossed the short distance and embraced. There were no words spoken in the beginning. They simply embraced, rocking back and forth slightly. He heard at least one of them sniffling, but he couldn't tell who it was.

Others began to emerge. Paya, leading Impa by the arm, walked out. She met Link's eyes and beamed, but Impa only had eyes for the two women embracing. Robbie followed soon thereafter as well, both Jerrin and Granté following behind him. Even Symin walked out.

"Oh, _Impa_ ," Zelda said, finally parting from Purah. She had tears on her cheeks, and so did her Sheikah friend. "I'm so glad to see you. And Robbie!" She quickly wiped her eyes and then bent, embracing Impa.

"Princess, to see you again now…" Impa's voice was heavy with emotion. "It's been so _long_. But you did it. You _did_ it! You _both_ did. I'm so proud of you."

Robbie was wiping his eyes, too, Jerrin's hand on his shoulder. Now that Link had his memories back, it was strangely difficult to resolve his memories of the younger Impa and Robbie with these two aged Sheikah—especially with Purah looking the same as she did so long ago. But these three—Purah and Robbie, especially—had been her best friends, with the exception of Link.

The three Sheikah gathered around Zelda and, somehow, they all ended up in a heap, embracing each other and shedding more than a few tears. He was content to let them have their reunion.

Paya watched them for a moment and then made her way over to stand beside Link. "Grandmother was very angry with you."

"I figured she would be." Link smiled. "Hopefully, she isn't planning on slapping me this time, though."

"No, I don't think so." Paya's eyes fell on the four embracing friends. "She's talked about this moment for so long…" Her face took on a strained expression, as if she were trying to force down emotion. "And it's actually _here_. I'm so happy for her. And you, too, of course!"

"Thanks, Paya." He looked at her, taking note of the fact that she'd changed back into her more traditional Sheikah attire. "I'm glad to see you and Purah are all right. I caught sight of the tower after it fell."

She nodded quickly. "Aunt Purah waited _far_ too long, but… we were just fine."

"It all worked out in the end. You kept the Guardians off me just long enough."

He heard the soft tapping of a cane and turned to see Impa walking towards him. There were tracks on her cheeks from tears, as well. She walked right up to him and stood up as straight as she could to look up into his eyes.

"You could have waited at least a few minutes before disappearing with her, you know," she said, lips pulled into a slight smile.

"Somehow, I doubt that I would have been able to get her alone if I had."

"Perhaps." Impa paused and then reached up with her cane, poking him in the chest. "And you ruined another of your tunics, I see."

"I blame Ganon for this one."

* * *

 **This is a variation on the conversation between Link and Impa shown above. An alternate to the alternate! But I ultimately decided to go a completely different route, putting it back in Zelda's POV—and including Link in the group hug.**

 **Reunion with the Sheikah and Zelda**

He opened his mouth to say something else, but then a sharp voice cut through the air. " _Link_!"

Link immediately stood up straighter, looking around and seeing Impa walking towards him.

"I can't _believe_ you ran off with her," Impa said, shaking her head. She'd removed her pointed Sheikah hat, so he could clearly see her angry expression. "After all the time we'd been waiting, you _disappeared_."

"Well, it would have been very difficult to get her alone in the middle of Hyrule Field," he said, smiling broadly down at the aged woman. He heard Purah give something like a cackle.

The old Sheikah glared up at him, but then her face softened, lips splitting apart to form a toothy grin. "Good. You both deserve it." The two of them embraced tightly, but when they pulled apart, she cuffed him over the back of the head. "But you'd best not have won Purah another of her _bets_."

"And if you _did_ , you'd better fess up!" Purah called. "Snap, I have a lot of rupees riding on this one!"

"Purah, what did you bet on us this time?" Zelda asked, looking wary. Purah waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Zelda's face turned red. "You _didn't_." When Purah didn't deny it, Zelda sighed. "We… are going to discuss this behavior. You would think that, after one hundred years—"

Purah cut her off with her laughter again, and Zelda joined in.

* * *

 **Originally, I planned for all four of the new Champions to come to Hateno Village following the battle and join Link and Zelda for dinner. The problem was that I would be writing a last chapter and including a whole bunch of introductions and other stuff. It just didn't feel right. Then I planned for them to be present, but the introductions were going to happen off-page. But that didn't feel right either—it had only been a few hours, and seemed very unlikely that any of them would have been able to get away from the battleground to come to Hateno so soon. So I cut them out of Hateno Village entirely and wrote the four scenes in Side Quests IV with them as a kind of good-bye, instead. But here how that scene would have opened up.**

 **Dinner at Link's with the New Champions**

Link opened the door to his fireplace and peered in, smiling at the pair of cuccos roasting over the low flames. Immediately, their scent filled the house with a savory fragrance that made his own mouth water. He really hadn't eaten at all that day either. Had it really only been that morning when Purah woke him to help her activate the tower?

It… seemed like so long ago. Life could change so much in just a single day.

He closed the doors to the fireplace and turned, surveying his house. It was clean, if not a little barren, though he could still see the little touches left behind by the Sheikah and his other friends. He appreciated the table and the small kitchen, well-stocked with a variety of seasoning. He noticed that the house's small cellar had a number of vegetables and other foods, as well.

 _Paya probably did it all,_ he thought with a small smile. He could see her stocking him with these things while he was asleep after the battle for Hateno Village, or sometime in the two weeks that followed. Though it also could have been any number of the other grateful villagers.

Either way, it meant that he didn't have to go shopping for more than fresh meat and a few other minor ingredients that he suspected Zelda—and the others—would like.

Zelda had remained behind, wishing to spend a little more time with the Sheikah. Link suspected that she actually just didn't feel ready to face the curious looks from the gathered people yet, and he could understand. Already, the reaction he'd received had been… unnerving. Purah hadn't been wrong. Several people had spoken to him as if he were their leader.

There was a soft knock at the door, and he turned, assuming that it was one of the new Champions. He'd already seen Sidon, who greeted him joyously. Link asked him to round up the others and have them join him at his house for a meal.

Though he then suggested that Sidon make sure Yunobo brought some food for himself.

Before he reached the door, it opened. He froze.

Zelda stood in the doorway, but she no longer worse her white dress. Instead, she wore something far more familiar and comfortable. She had on the long-sleeved, white undershirt, blue blouse, and dark pants that she'd often chosen during their travels. Her hair now bore its customary braid, wrapped around her head like a crown, while the rest spilled down her back. The Sheikah Slate hung comfortably from her hip, just as it always had.

"Where did you get _that_?" Link asked, grinning broadly.

"Impa is _very_ resourceful, it seems," Zelda said, placing a hand on her hip. "We left all of our excess gear and clothing with her when we left for the castle, and she had this made based off of what I used to wear."

" _That_ explains a lot," Link said, thoughtfully. "No wonder she had my measurements down so well."

"Indeed." She met his eyes. "Do you like it?"

"It fits you."

"Thank you," she said, inclining her head and smiling. "Now, may I come in? I've never actually _seen_ your house. At least, not from… this perspective."

His eyes widened, and he backed out of the doorway to allow her to enter. She did so and looked around, her expression curious.

"It's… not much," he admitted. "My mother always preferred living more simply. Couldn't stand having servants around."

Zelda slowly walked around the room, looking up towards the rafters and running her fingers along the wooden surface of the counter, where he'd been preparing some of the food. Her eyes traced the bare walls, lingering on the fireplace oven, and then traveling up to the loft, where his bed was just visible.

"I love it," she said, softly.

His heart beat more quickly in his chest. He… didn't know what would come next. Would she remain here with him? The thought that she wouldn't seemed absurd, yet could he truly assume this was what she wanted?

"Zelda, uh… You know, I've been thinking about what comes next, and—"

Another knock at the door cut him off. He looked towards it and then back at Zelda, who looked at him, cheeks slightly flushed. _Damn. They couldn't have waited five more minutes?_

He went to the door and opened it, stepping back when he saw the hulking form of Yunobo just outside.

"Link!"

Yunobo squeezed through the doorframe and threw his arms around Link in a tight embrace that drove the wind from his lungs. Others filed in after him. Teba, his wing still in a sling, Sidon, who had to duck his head to get in the door, and Riju, who glanced around curiously until her eyes alighted on Zelda and they widened. She quickly hurried over to her to introduce herself.

"I couldn't _believe_ you were fighting that big monster," Yunobo said, finally putting Link back down on the ground. "At first, we thought you were _dead_ , but then you just appeared and— _oh_ … Is that your friend from before?"

Link glanced back to see Zelda and Riju already engaged in conversation. He caught her eye, however. "Yeah… Zelda, you already know this, but this is Sidon, Mipha's younger brother, Yunobo, Daruk's grandson, Teba, commander of the Rito warriors, and—well, you just met Riju." He glanced back at the others. "And this is Prin—" He stopped himself, smiling faintly. "Zelda."

Zelda found that she didn't truly say a lot during the meal they all shared that night. She didn't _need_ to. The other five spoke, joked, laughed, and clearly enjoyed each other's presence. Link, especially, seemed like an almost different man from what he used to be. Even surrounded by the Champions, he hadn't been this free with his emotions. In fact, it was only around her that she thought she'd ever seen him so… relaxed.

But though she didn't really feel like she had a lot to add to the conversations—which were mostly about Link's adventurers in each of the others' lands—she felt welcomed. Riju, especially, was eager to get to know Zelda and told her about Urbosa's diary and the many entries within it pertaining to her. Sidon, too, was surprised to hear that Zelda remembered him from when he was just a child.

* * *

 **This is a short little alternate to Link and Zelda's final discussion. I originally had him being a little more assertive, but pulled back some and had him ask her what she wanted at first. Of course, she batted the question back at him, in the end.**

 **Link and Zelda discuss what comes next**

His heart beat more quickly in his chest. He… didn't know what would come next. Would she remain here with him? The thought that she wouldn't seemed absurd, in a way, yet could he truly assume this was what she wanted? She might not want all the attention.

"Zelda, uh… You know, we… haven't really discussed what will come next. For us."

She spun, meeting his eyes, cheeks slightly pink. "No, I suppose we haven't, have we?"

Link cleared his throat. Her expression was… expectant. He suspected that she knew what he was going to suggest. "We'll probably spend a lot of time on the road. At least, that's my assumption of what you want to do. But… I also know you like to have a place to sit and study."

"I do."

"Well, I happen to have, uh… an extra room here that isn't really being used for anything at the moment."

* * *

 **As I was revising the final chapter, I debated switching the final scene's POV from Link to Zelda, and even decided to do so for a time before reverting back to my original scene. I liked having the final scene be from Link's POV, as I felt it ended the story better. Plus, I knew Zelda had a scene in Side Quests IV. But this expands a little on what Zelda was doing while Link went down to cook dinner, as well as her feelings on some other things, like the current state of Sheikah research and what she missed out on.**

 **Also note that, when writing this, I briefly revived the idea of bringing the Champions to dinner, so some of the conversation reflects that.**

 **Zelda and Link at his house (Zelda's POV)**

Zelda appeared upon the shrine's glowing circle, sighing happily. The sensation of teleporting by Sheikah Slate was strange, to be sure. Her entire body still tingled as it had when the strange technology activated, bathing her in blue light. But to think that the Sheikah Slate had _that_ ability all along! And the _shrines_ …

She turned to look up at it, eyes fixating on the Sheikah Eye symbol upon its side. Deep inside, she felt a small pang of jealousy. She'd so wanted to be the one to discover the secrets to the Sheikah Shrines. But Link, ultimately, was the one to accomplish that, as she'd suspected he would be so many years ago. And, since then, both Purah _and_ Jerrin had visited them and made extensive theories regarding their nature.

She had much to catch up on, it would seem.

But… for now, she supposed that she could be proud of how much she had, ultimately, gotten right about them. Jerrin's own research appeared to have sprung from Zelda's old theories, passed on by Purah. So, she had played a part in it all. And there was much left to discover. Link's words earlier about visiting that shrine near the ancient columns in the Tabantha Frontier sent a shiver of excitement down her spine.

Zelda turned away from the shrine and stepped down off the platform, onto the grass. As she made her way out from behind the large silo and into the heart of Hateno Village, she gazed around, smiling faintly at the bustle. No one knew her here, though she did catch a few curious glances. Some of them would guess who she was, but for now, she could enjoy the anonymity. It likely helped that she'd been able to get out of that _dress_.

Link was not by her side now. He'd wanted to gather some supplies and invite his friends to dine with them this evening, and Zelda decided to remain behind with the Sheikah. There had been so much that she'd wanted to talk to them about, yet the moment Link was gone, she'd regretted that decision. It was silly, she knew. But now that they'd been reunited, she found that she did not want to be apart from him any longer.

So, after a couple hours, she'd bade farewell to Impa, Purah, and Robbie and their families, and made her way to the village's shrine. She knew the way to Link's house, and she walked towards it now.

As she neared the outskirts of the village, she noticed a handful of people had gathered near those oddly-constructed houses. They appeared to be looking towards Link's house and speaking in awed tones. Zelda smiled faintly as she passed them by, thinking about how he would almost certainly hate to hear the things they were saying.

She tried not to notice how their conversation hushed as Zelda approached the bridge. She probably should have stopped to speak with them, to confirm what they already suspected. But… she didn't want to. Not now. Not _yet_. For now, she just made her way across the wooden bridge, eyes on the house before her. A thin line of smoke rose from the chimney, and she could already smell the savory scent of roasted cucco. It made her mouth water.

She reached the door and lifted a hand, knocking. When the door didn't immediately open, she reached down and twisted the knob, opening it herself. It swung open to reveal Link standing just inside, hand outstretched, as if to open it, himself. His eyes widened when he saw her.

"Where did you get _that_?" he asked, lips pulling into a grin.

She glanced down at herself, smiling wryly. Not only did Impa have clothing ready for her to wear, she had—somehow—managed to have clothing identical to Zelda's old traveling garb made. Zelda had chosen to wear that the moment her eyes fell on it. Wearing the blouse and pants—with proper boots—just felt _right_ to her.

"Impa is _very_ resourceful, it seems," she said, placing a hand on her hip, right above where the Sheikah Slate hung. "We left all of our excess gear and clothing with her when we left for the castle, and she had this made based off of what I used to wear."

" _That_ explains a lot," he said, thoughtfully. "No wonder she had my measurements down so well."

"Indeed." She met his eyes. "Do you like it?"

"It suits you."

"Thank you." She smiled at him and then peered around him at the interior of his home. "May I… come in? I've never actually seen your house, you know. At least, not from _this_ perspective."

His eyes widened, and he quickly backed out of the doorway. As she stepped inside, the scents of his cooking nearly overwhelmed her, and her stomach growled. Understandable, really, considering that she hadn't eaten in a hundred years. At least she'd gotten a bath at Purah's lab, though. _That_ had been wonderful.

Link closed the door behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder at him. "It smells good. I don't know if I can adequately express how much I've missed your cooking."

His face flushed slightly, and he stood taller. "It still has a little to go before it will be ready. But did you—if you are hungry _now_ , I can probably—"

She shook her head quickly. "No, no, it's all right! I can wait. Besides, the others will be joining us as well, won't they?" She glanced behind him, to where five chairs had been placed around a long table. One end had been left open.

"Yeah, they should be here soon. I thought _you_ might have been them."

She began to walk slowly around the room, running her fingers along the rough wooden counter where he had clearly been preparing some food recently. Her eyes trailed up towards the wooden rafters overhead, where a few gas lanterns hung, casting their warm glow. The house was warm, thanks to the heat of the fireplace oven.

"It's… not much," Link said as she took stock of the house's interior. "My mother always preferred living more simply. Couldn't stand having servants around."

Her eyes studied the walls and floor, eventually finding the stairs that led up to the loft. From her vantage, she could see some of it, including what appeared to be a small desk and the bed.

"I love it," she said, softly. She _did_ love it. As she gazed around at this small home, she found that she desperately wanted to make this her home. With him.

"Zelda, uh…" She turned to look at him and was surprised to see that he looked quite nervous. "You know, we… haven't really discussed what will come next. For us."

She felt her cheeks warm, and her heart beat rapidly. "No, I suppose we—" She stopped when she heard another knock at the door. Link glanced towards it and then back at her. She smiled faintly. "It's all right. We'll speak more on it later."

Link went quickly to the door and opened it. A moment later, he stepped back as a voice from outside cried, "Link!"

The tall form of Yunobo squeezed into the house and swept Link up in a tight embrace.

* * *

 **This is a branch in the previous scene. I debated having Zelda be stopped on her way to Link's house, but I just couldn't get the feel right. There's actually a little more to this scene that I wrote, but I deleted it, rather than saving it, it would seem! But it all felt too stiff and awkward, so I dropped the idea entirely.**

 **Meghyn Stops Zelda**

As she neared the outskirt of the village, she noticed a small group of people gathered, all looking towards the house. Men and women whispered amongst themselves, speaking in awed tones. She smiled faintly as she passed through their midst. Link would _hate_ the things they were saying.

"Are… are you her?"

Zelda froze, releasing a soft sigh, and then turned. She met the eyes of a woman with short black hair. She vaguely recognized her, though couldn't remember her name. But Link had interacted with her several times on his journey.

For a moment, she considered pretending confusion. She honestly didn't _want_ to do this now—not in the middle of this crowd that had already gathered to talk about Link. But that was silly. Her identity would get out soon enough, and she knew how to handle such things.

And so she forced herself to smile and inclined her head. "My name is Zelda."

Then again, how in the world _did_ she introduce herself now?

The woman's eyes widened slightly. "The princess? So Link really did it?"

"I… yes. Yes, he did." Zelda sighed softly and then spoke in a somewhat louder tone.

* * *

 **Zelda's breakdown on the Great Plateau was a late addition to that chapter, written the day before I posted it! But when I was revising the last two chapters, I realized that was something that needed to happen. Both Link and Zelda needed a chance to offload some of their grief and emotions, and I debated two places to do it. Either on the Great Plateau, or when they were alone in his house. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Plateau, but I wrote some of the alternate to help me choose.**

 **Zelda Breaks Down in the Kitchen**

"That sounds _wonderful_." She backed away from the over. "You know, I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen you cook in a kitchen…"

"I didn't get many opportunities back then." He closed the over door again, so as not to let out too much of the heat.

"I… imagine that you'll be able to come up with… all sorts of new things for me to…" She trailed off.

His heart beat more quickly in his chest. He… didn't know what would come next. Would she remain here with him? Was that what she suggested? The thought that she wouldn't seemed absurd, in a way, yet could he truly assume _this_ was what she wanted? She might not want all the attention.

"Zelda… you know, we haven't really—" He turned and stopped when he saw her. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her teeth were bared in an effort to keep her emotions from pouring over. He saw tears in her eyes. "What… what's wrong?"

She shook her head, still not speaking, but looked ready to break. She was trembling. He stepped forward, reaching out to her. When his fingers touched her shoulder, she looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak. Yet the only sound that came out was a soft sob.

And then suddenly, she was in his arms. He held her tightly, alarmed by the sudden shift. She clutched at his tunic, pressing her face to his shoulder, muffling her sobs. For the moment, he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what was _wrong_.

* * *

 **The following scenes are some alternatives to the Yunobo and Sidon scenes that we got in Side Quests IV. These were all written late—within a day or two of posting the chapter online—and I had a great deal of trouble writing them! Both felt too morose, for one, but I also just couldn't figure out where to _go_ with them.**

 **Yunobo's felt too forced to me. I somehow wanted to take him from boarding the Divine Beast, being overwhelmed with emotions, and then have him stand back up. But it just felt like I was rushing it. Ultimately, rather than go through the entire rollercoaster of emotions, I decided to start him in the _middle_ of his mourning, which allowed me to much more naturally lead into his rising and taking over Rudania.**

 **Yunobo (Side Quest IV)**

Yunobo stood quietly aboard the upper deck of Divine Beast Vah Rudania. He was alone.

He had known what to expect when he walked aboard the Divine Beast. Almost right after Link and that woman—the princess, he supposed—disappeared, the lights on all four Divine Beasts went out. They just… faded. Everything on the huge contraption had faded, in fact, except for one thing.

The control device at the center of the deck. It, rather than glowing blue as it had when Daruk controlled it, now shone orange. Yunobo didn't know what the significance of that color was, but he knew what it meant.

His grandfather was gone.

And he was now responsible for the Divine Beast.

 _"Listen, big guy. I don't want to scare you here, but when I'm gone… You're going to be Champion. A lot of folks are gonna be looking up to you."_

He could remember everything Daruk had told him the day before. His last words. Yunobo thought that he was prepared to say good-bye.

He wasn't. He wasn't prepared. He wasn't _ready_. How was _he_ supposed to be the Champion now? He knew how to control the Divine Beast, sure, but what about everything else Daruk had said?

 _"You're going to be guy they come to, to keep them safe."_

He barely knew how to keep _himself_ safe! He still wanted to curl up into a ball every time he saw a monster. When he saw that… that _thing_ … He'd wanted to run. Yunobo had wanted to run. He wanted to roll away as fast as he could and not look back.

He almost had. If Link hadn't shown up when he did, he was sure that he would have.

 _"I know it's easy to get scared, son. But you're strong. And I'm proud of you."_

Yunobo curled into a ball on the deck, closing his eyes tightly. He wasn't _strong_. He couldn't be like Link. He couldn't be like Daruk. He couldn't even be like Bludo!

"Bludo… _that's_ who should be Champion now. He's… he's tough. He's strong! He doesn't run away when he sees a monster…"

But Bludo _wasn't_ the Champion. Yunobo was. Daruk had given _him_ the instructions on how to control Rudania. Could he teach Bludo how to do it? Or one of the other Gorons? Link said that princess knew all about them. _She_ could teach someone else, couldn't she?

But he _couldn't_ do that. Yunobo lifted his head, sniffling. After all, hadn't Link fought that monster and _won_? Link hadn't run. That monster had been so big, so strong, but he'd fought. And so had Daruk. And that little princess. And…

So had he. He'd fought. Against Rudania. And in Hateno Village. He'd _fought_.

* * *

 **This is another alternate opening, for Sidon, instead of Yunobo. Originally, I was going to have Sidon pulling "guard" duty for Bazz while he teetered between life and death, but the scene didn't feel right to me. So I ultimately decided to start with his discussing the plans to move back to Zora's Domain with Seggin, but still referenced his other guards keeping watch over Bazz.**

 **Sidon (Side Quests IV)**

Sidon stood outside of the small tent, the Lightscale Trident held stiffly in his hand, waiting. Gaddison remained nearby, as did Rivan, even though he should still be resting. What remained of his left arm was covered in a bandage.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They'd _beaten_ the Calamity, after all. They'd fought as a grand coalition, pushed back thousands of monsters and machines, and Link had been victorious over the greatest monster of them all. With today's actions, they had entered a new age of peace and, hopefully, prosperity for all their peoples.

And yet Sidon felt no peace.

It had been a day since the battle, and during that time, the three Zora had continued their quiet vigil outside of the triage tent. Waiting. A day of celebration and preparation to move back towards the river. To go home.

He _should_ have been overjoyed, but now all Sidon could think about was that some of the awaiting families would never see their loved ones again. Husbands, wives, siblings, parents, and children that would never return home.

* * *

 **This is another alternative to that scene (this one gave me so many _problems!_ ), which actually featured Link and Zelda's triumphant reappearance on the battlefield. However, again, it just didn't flow the way I wanted it and I really didn't want to include Sidon's introduction to Zelda in one of the Side Quests. It felt like too much, so I scrapped this, too.**

 **Sidon (Side Quests IV) Alternate**

"We should be able to start our movement back to Zora's Domain tomorrow, Prince Sidon," Seggin said, hands clasped behind his bowed back.

Sidon nodded slowly. "That's good. I'm sure my father will be eager to hear about the outcome of the battle."

"Our messengers should be arriving soon, too." The old general paused. "But I am sure he will wish to hear it from you, as well."

 _And he will like to hear that his son survived the battle_ , Sidon thought, eyeing the other Zora.

Someone who had not spent the last century around Seggin likely would not have seen the tension in his posture, or the way his wrinkles appeared more pronounced. He did a marvelous job of hiding it. Better than Sidon, himself, had been doing. He wondered how Seggin was doing it.

"Seggin."

"Hmm?"

"You've done enough for today. Why don't you go see him?"

Seggin hesitated, lips downturned in a frown, and then he nodded. Without saying another word, the old Zora turned and made his way down from the hill and towards the triage tents, where the Zora wounded remained.

Sidon watched him walk away, and then his eyes darted towards the tent. He could make out Gaddison standing just outside of the tent flap. Rivan would take her place soon, he imagined, even though the idiot should have still been resting, himself.

Normally, they would have been gathered around him. His personal honor guard. But Sidon had forbidden them from doing so, for the time being. The battle had been won, he was in no danger, and another of their number needed their presence far more.

Bazz. Memories flashed through Sidon's mind—memories of victory over the hinox, which became horror as he watched his oldest friend fall before the Guardian's blast. The frantic battle that followed as Sidon stood over his friend's body, suddenly alone and unprotected. And then the desperate retreat from the battlefield, Bazz in his arms, barely alive.

It had been two days since then, and Sidon still felt haunted by the events of that morning. He should have been celebrating with the rest of them, yet all he could think about was that _he_ was responsible. If Bazz had died then it would be his fault. His foolish gambit and desire for glory would have gotten his friend killed.

A commotion among the Zora encampment drew his eye, and Sidon frowned, looking down towards them. There was a gathering near one end of the camp, and—

He gasped and then began making his way down the hill. Zora quickly parted for him as he approached until, finally, he reached the center of the crowd.

Where Link and that woman stood. The woman that Sidon could actually _recognize_ , now that he saw her up close. He could remember her standing with Mipha atop a waterfall, discussing plans for the Divine Beast. Princess Zelda.

"Sidon!" Link looked up at him and smiled broadly, moving forward quickly and taking his hand.

He shook himself from the memories of that day and gazed down at his friend, gripping his hand tightly. "Well, now, you made it back! I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't before we started for home. Where in the currents did you go after the battle?"

Link looked suddenly embarrassed and glanced towards the princess, who blushed faintly. _Ahh_ , Sidon thought. _That's what he and Kass were discussing back in Hateno Village. Of course. How didn't I see that before?_

"Sidon, this is—"

"Oh, I know who she is! I hope you don't mind my saying this princess, but you were considerably taller the last time I saw you." He bent, grasping her hand in both of his, and shook it enthusiastically.

Her eyes widened and lips parted in a smile. "Oh! It's nice to meet you again, Prince Sidon. Yes, you have… grown considerably since we last met."

"Please, just Sidon! I would never expect the heroes that saved Hyrule to stand on ceremony around me!"

"Then please, just call me Zelda."

"Of course!" He stood back up straight and clapped his hands together. "Now, come. Let's get away from the gawkers, shall we?"

He led them away from the crowd, motioning for them to disperse, which clearly left some of them disappointed. Still, when the prince wanted a private conference, he tended to get a private conference.

Once they were away from the camp and alone, Link stepped up beside him. "How is Bazz?"

Sidon froze, surprised by the sudden question. "Where… where did you hear about him?"

"Kodah found me just as we arrived. She told me that he'd been injured in the fight."

"Ahh." He stopped walking, eyes drawn in the direction of the triage. "He's getting better now, but…" He pursed his lips. "It was close."

* * *

 **And that's it! There are a handful of other scraps, but most of them are pretty minor differences, and some of them are actually just pre-revision versions of the same scenes that ended up in the novel with nothing really different about them. These are the ones that I felt best constituted the "deleted scenes" segment that we all love to watch in the special features of a movie!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed reading them! They, along with my commentary, ended up being nearly 6,000 words _longer_ than the Battle for Hateno Village chapter—just under 19,000 words. Pretty substantial! And, of course, this doesn't represent the insane volume of stuff that got changed, cut, or revised that never made it into my Scraps document. **

**I worked hard on making this novel right for me and you all, and I thank you one last time for all your support and ongoing comments throughout. They helped me make the novel better, for sure! And they, for sure, helped me decide to write the sequel.**

 **Before I close this out, I will give you one last little factoid. I debated for a very long time about what I would write after Breath of the Wild. I definitely wanted to keep writing in this world, and it ended up coming down to one of two things. The sequel, which I ultimately chose, or a prequel, showing the pre-Calamity journey, but entirely from _Zelda's_ perspective. I thought the prequel sounded like a lot of fun, and I still do. I will likely incorporate _some_ of those prequel ideas into the sequel, though nothing is yet set in stone. **

**Either way, just know that I'm chipping away at it. My pace is definitely slower, and the writing isn't coming quite as easily as it did with much of Breath of the Wild. I've hit a few cases of writer's block, but I've got a clear-enough vision of the story I want to tell, and I'm excited to do it. If I was able to complete _this_ monstrosity, I'm certain I can complete its (hopefully) smaller sequel! It's just going to take some time.**

 **Thanks again for reading, enjoying, and commenting!**

 **-Ben (The Zed of Ages)**


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